The WMF Archives

By Pam Houghton

I found Kris Wehrmeister’s blog Pretty All True while trolling for Mommy blogs on the Internet. She happened to be the #5 blogger on TopMommyblog.com, so I decided to take a peek. Let me just say I was impressed by the level of Kris’s writing talent, and the artfulness with which she cursed. Oh, she made me laugh, too.


An award-winning blogger with 169 Facebook fans, she started Pretty All True four months ago. Kris resides in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, 8 and 11- years-old. I asked Kris if she would share her thoughts on blogging with us.


WM: What is your professional background?


KW: I am one of those people who excels at the collecting of education, but then is not so gifted at transforming that collection of knowledge into useful skills. I went to college. I went to graduate school and studied Psychology (but did not get my Masters because my thesis advisor went insane and then later died of a brain tumor . . . true story). I also went perhaps a tiny bit insane during this period of time, and the end result? No Masters Degree. Bummer.


I went to Law School, where I was very successful! But then in the real world? Not so happy or successful. I like to shroud this part of my life in mystery as it also involves me going a tiny bit insane.


WM: Writers often start blogs but aren't sure what their long-term goals are. How long did it take you to turn Pretty All True into what it is now, a reliable stream of engaging stories about your life?


KW: I started Pretty All True with a pretty clear vision of what it would be. I have a clearer voice now than when I started, but knew where I wanted to go. Looking back? About a week into Pretty All True, I posted about writing my resume in The Gap is quite pithy. I revealed a lot about myself in that post that I had not previously shared, even with very close friends. Hitting “Post” after writing that was something of a revelation.


I have written many self-revelatory things since then, but nothing was more difficult (or freeing) than The Gap is quite pithy. I was just so tired of putting on a show for everyone . . . actually getting to share the real me was amazing and lovely. That moment marked the beginning of the real Pretty All True as well.


WM: Was Pretty All True your first blog, or had you attempted others?


KW: This is the first time I have ever blogged. I started Pretty All True thinking that no one would read it except for my friends and some of my family. And I figured most of them would quickly grow bored. Mostly? I write for myself and for some future version of my daughters. I have said many times that if all that comes out of Pretty All True is that my daughters get a curse-filled account of the time our family threw our lives up into the air and moved to Oregon? That is more than enough.


WM: Do you ever worry about offending readers with your, er, salty language?


KW: I have taken some crap for that. Here’s the thing: I now have a small audience, and I LOVE having an audience. But I do not write for my audience; I do not sit there in the morning and think to myself, “Hmmmmm . . . what would my audience like to read today?” That would paralyze me. I only wonder, “What would I like to write today?” and then I write that. In my real life, I am mostly G-rated. I think of my blog as being my thought bubbles, and my thought bubbles? They are filled with cursing.


WM: Any complaints about the curse-filled “thought bubbles?”


KW: I have heard from a few readers who have complained about the cursing. These people seem to get caught up in the “Mommy Blogger” label, and mommies are not supposed to curse, apparently. I do not think of myself as a “Mommy Blogger,” (whatever that means), but as a plain old blogger (or, gasp . . . a writer), so I disregard the complaints. If a reader finds that my cursing gets in the way of his or her ability to hear my story? That person is not my ideal reader. I am fine with that. There is a LOT of lovely clean writing out there from which to pick. Pretty All True is not intended to be for everyone.


WM: You post consistently high-quality writing on a frequent basis. I think that's tough to do. Do you post every day?


KW: I am sure that events will conspire to make this impossible at some point, but for now, I am posting every day. I have posted every day since I started Pretty All True. I worry that taking days off will just lead to more days off which will just lead to me all balled up on the couch. So I post every day.


WM: How long does it take to write a post?


KW: That depends entirely on the subject matter. Funny comes more quickly than serious, and heartfelt is more difficult than sarcastic. Never more than two hours, I would say. Sometimes much less.


WM: How have you built your audience?


KW: I do all the normal social-networking things in an attempt to build an audience. I rely heavily on my Facebook fan page, Twitter (I am a little bit addicted to Twitter), and word of mouth. The most effective tool that I have found is to visit the blogs of the bloggers who visit me and comment on their stuff. I comment on other people’s stuff a LOT, as it helps to build a sense of community and friendship. In case you were wondering? I am always very respectful of the tone that another blogger has taken. I have some lovely G-rated bloggers among my readers, and I would never curse in a comment I left for them.


WM: Do you respond to comments left on your posts?


KW: I think I answer almost all of them, so if you are looking at my comment numbers to gauge my popularity? You have to slice that number in half, because 50% of my comments are from me. I LOVE that part of blogging – the back and forth conversation about what I have written. I also love that my readers are hilarious! Their comments make me laugh every single day.

WM: Any plans to turn your blog into a book?


KW: I always love when people ask me if I have plans to turn my blog material into a book. As though all that is required for that to happen is my intention. I would be delighted to write a book, but my promised delight has thus far not been sufficient to attract publishers, agents, and editors. I do not envision a book, because that sounds too much like winning the lottery (another lovely event that would fill me with delight and which is unlikely to happen).

Writers to Watch: Kris Wehrmeister, Award-Winning Blogger