An Interview With Laura Dove Who Writes Five Little Doves

This week I get to interview one of my favourite bloggers and dare I say it, a friend who I have met on a number of occasions. Laura really is one of the nicest bloggers I have met. She always has time to chat or help out another blogger.

What makes Laura’s writing so special is that it always resonates with somebody and the reason behind that is simple. Laura writes with passion and so much honesty and her posts engage with the reader from the very first sentence.

Laura is a married mum of five. They live together in Lancashire, and share their life raising rainbows with Lewis 14, Eva 6, Megan 5, Harrison 4 and Joseph in their hearts who was stillborn in 2006. 

I am particularly honoured and proud to have interviewed Laura. Laura truly is one of the biggest bloggers in the UK today. I’m sure you will love hearing Laura’s insights about the world of blogging.

1. When and why did you start blogging?

I first started blogging in 2003, pregnant for the first time and looking for an outlet to document my journey and meet other Mums. At 23 I had no idea about parenting and I found it a real comfort to meet others in the same situation!

I have been with my current blog since 2014 when, Mummy to a 1, 2, 3 an 10 year old, I was desperate to claw back a little “me” time and also raise awareness of baby loss, something which I have been passionate about since Joseph died. It was important for me to show that although a life after loss may not be the life you had planned, it can be a happy life none the less.

2. Has any previous training or education before blogging, helped you when it comes to blogging?

I have literally been a writer from the moment I first held a pencil, and spent my school days writing stories, books and poems, going on to study Writing at university at 18. I’m not sure that you can ever train as a blogger, but my writing background has certainly helped me to create engaging content and put our story into words.

3. Do you take much notice of your blogging statistics? (page views, unique monthly users, charts etc)

I used to take far more notice than I do these days but I soon realised that, from a personal point of view, stats mean very little in terms of how successful you are as a blogger. The only time I take notice of my stats are when a brand requests them, other than that I’d rather judge my own worth based on more than just numbers.

4. When you get approached by a brand who want to work with you, how do you decide if its right for you and your readers?

I always ask myself a) Is this brand relevant to myself and my family and b) Is this a brand that I really believe in? For the most part this is why my brand collaborations will always be positive but I would also share the negative too as it’s really important for me to keep that trust with my following. 

5. What do you think are the key ingredients that make a successful top blog?

For me I think it’s all about being real – sharing our highs as well as our fails, the good days and the bad. I have never shied away from sharing my battle with my mental health, stillbirth and miscarriage, and working hard to write informative, emotive, and supportive blog posts to help those going through the same.

Personally I think the definition of success is different for every blogger. My successes come from the parents who message me to say that my blog helped them feel a little less lonely after the loss of their child, the people who reach out to me and thank me for educating them on a subject they knew little about, from the friends I have made in the blogging community, and the life I have created for myself, Gaz and the children, experiencing all of these amazing opportunities which ordinarily we would never have had. In that way, I consider my blog a success.

6. How do you balance your work/life balance?

I’m getting better at it! Until last September I found it hard but now, with all four children in school, I set myself working hours and I try (and often fail!) to get as much done as possible in that time. It’s hard to switch off when your life revolves around social media but I am trying really hard to step away from my phone when my work is done, to ignore my emails, and enjoy switching off. It’s hard though, I won’t lie!

7. Many bloggers won’t talk about or use photos of their children on their blog. What are your feelings when it comes to talking about your children on your blog?

To be honest, if I think about it too much it really panics me, so I try and remind myself that I am doing everything I can to respect my children’s privacy as they grow, and hope that when they are older they will be proud of me rather than upset at appearing in my blog.

At 14 I share far less of Lewis’s life than I do the little ones. I am careful about the photographs I share (god forbid I post one of him on a bad hair day!) and I am respectful that he is of an age where his friends have access to my blog and may not want them reading about personal details of his life.

At the same time, my children have an amazing life because of the blog and I think sometimes it’s about weighing that up and just being sensible about the things you share. 

8. You have won awards for your work on your blog. How important is it to win award for your blog?

I think blog awards are a tricky one and many, but not all, are definitely down to popularity. Sometimes it can seem important when you’re in the running, particularly given that many I have been in the running for have been related to raising awareness. I can remember feeling as though I had let Joseph down the first time I missed out and that really opened my eyes to how awards can often leave others feeling really negatively about themselves.

9. As the premier mum blogger and influencer in the UK, do you feel under any pressure or certain responsibility in regards to the content you publish?

I think the only pressure I ever really feel is from myself. Particularly when writing about such sensitive and emotive subjects, it’s important to me that I do our story, and our son, justice. It’s difficult at times to get the right balance, or even to find the words to share at all.

10. If blogging was eliminated tomorrow, what would you do to make a living?

I’d still write, 100%. There is nothing I have ever wanted to do with my life, other than be a Mummy, and even without blogging I would continue writing be that freelance, journalism, copywriting. I’m not sure I really know how to “be” anything other!

11. What do you think your children will think when they are teenagers about how their early life has been recorded online? Happy or mortified?

As I touched on above I like to think they will appreciate that I opened up our lives in order to give them a better life. I hope that by the time the youngest three reach their teens they are just as proud of me as Lewis is now. I would hate to think that I had embarrassed them and fingers crossed, they will be thankful of my blog to look back on and remember a childhood of magical memories.

12. When family or friends find out you are a blogger, what is their reaction?

My friends and family are just about getting their heads around it but in the beginning I think a few of them found it strange! My parents were oblivious about blogging and couldn’t understand the fact that I made a living by “writing on the internet” where as some of my friends felt it was strange to be opening up our lives, and sharing such private details, with virtual strangers. That said, for the most part everyone is so supportive.

13. Since you have started blogging, do you think it has changed and how?

Absolutely. I think on one hand there are more opportunities for bloggers to work on bigger campaigns, earn more money, and gain more exposure. On the other I think there are an increasing number of new bloggers who have started purely to cash in on the blogging world and expect to land on their feet after just a few weeks in the industry. It’s frustrating when people assume this is an easy money maker – it’s bloody hard work!!

14. Is there any subject you won’t write about on your blog? If so what and why?

Although I have touched on my first marriage, I won’t ever go into details as I think out of respect for my ex husband, that is not just my story to tell. I do talk about divorce and co-parenting, but I am mindful about what I share. Other than that I’m pretty open with what I share!

15. Do you find Pr’s and brands easy to deal with?

Some PR’s and brands I absolutely adore and have built up really lovely working relationships with. Others I have found “difficult” to say the least, but I guess we all have a job to be done and sometimes it’s a case of sucking it up and being professional!

16. Where do you see your blog in five years time? Will you still be writing it, or will you have moved onto something else?

I’m pretty sure that I’ll still be here, blogging away, pinching myself that anyone is even reading what I have to say. Who knows which direction my blog will take us in, or how we will branch off from the blog into other areas, but I have worked SO hard on my blog this far and I can’t see me ever being willing to let go of it!

17. What has been the most exciting thing to have happened to you from being a blogger?

Ooh so many things but I think the one that stands out the most was being asked to take part in a channel 5 live show raising awareness of baby loss. It was so completely out of my comfort zone and I honestly almost backed out at the last minute, but it was an amazing thing to be part of and having Joseph’s face shared with the entire nation is something I will always be thankful for. I have spent 12 years of my life feeling as though I let Joseph down and if I can make him proud, in all of these moments, then that is worth more to me than anything else.

18. What has given you the most satisfaction from blogging?

It’s the messages from other parents who tell me I have helped them, or comforted them, or made the hardest time of their lives that tiny bit easier. No matter how hard it is for me to share my story at times, or revisit the darkest times of my life, hearing that feedback always spurs me on to keep sharing It’s the best feeling in the world knowing that I can make a difference, however small, to others.

19. Do you think with the rise of Instagram and other social platforms could we be seeing the end of the blog?

I don’t think we will ever see the end of the blog, but I do think we will see an increase in the number of “bloggers without a blog”. I think instagram is going to grow and grow, I know it’s definitely my favourite platform, but I do think people still like to read blogs and there will always be an audience for every niche.

20. Finally did you ever in your dreams think that you would become a premier mum blogger when you started?

I never even thought that anyone would read my blog, let alone that I would be blogging for a living. I genuinely have to pinch myself some days that this is my life and I get to do something I love, with the people I love, experiencing all of these weird and wonderful things. I will never take that forgranted and I’ll never become complacent that this will always be the case. For now though, I’m going to enjoy every single moment of it! 

Thank you to Laura for agreeing to be interviewed for my blog. If you haven’t checked out Laura’s blog, Five Little Doves now is the time to do it.

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