5 Reasons Why a Writer Needs a Blog

There are so many reasons why writers don't blog on a daily or even weekly basis. 

I often feel that if I have time to write and edit something, I should spend it writing and editing my next novel. Even as I'm writing this, I can hear Why My Love Life Sucks: The Legend of Gilbert the Fixer (book one) laying a heavy guilt trip on me, and it's not because I kill the main character off in the first few pages. It's because I really, really need to finish editing it, so people can finally read it. "So why," the story asks, "are you working on this blog post instead?"

But guilt trips aren't the only things keeping me from blogging. Sometimes I wonder if I have anything to say in a blog post, if anyone wants to hear it, and if blogging is really worth the time and effort. I know some bloggers have huge egos and think people will be fascinated by everything they do and think. I'm not one of those bloggers.

Perhaps you have similar issues.

Then I met Roxanne Porter, who told me every writer should have a blog. I asked her my favorite question: "Why?" 

Below you'll find her response. Thanks, Roxanne, for giving me a little food for thought. 

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I started reading blogs long before I ever started writing my own. Despite being a writer, I was a little shy of putting my own personal thoughts and feelings out on the internet for anyone and everyone to read, and I had strong doubts that anyone would actually have any interest in what I had to say. When I finally caved and started my own blog I had no idea the impact that it would have on my life, and as my blogging has progressed I've been pleasantly surprised with the benefits that have come with blogging.

5 Reasons Why Every Writer Needs a Blog

1.       It allows you to network within the writing/blogging community. Blogging exposes you to a plethora of people, both with the same interests as your own and with differing ones, and it allows you to form friendships with people you would have never met otherwise. Some of my closest friends are people ’ve met through blogging, and being avid readers of other blogs and active with my own blog has allowed me to not only meet new people but also to find freelance jobs and to use my blog as a platform to publish freelance work. 

2.       It gives you a chance to write what YOU want to write daily. So often, as writers, we are confined to write a certain way of writing due to assignments or to the niche that we have found a career in. Writing your own blog gives you a chance to deviate from your normal writing routine and write solely for you. It allows you to stay in touch with the reason you began writing in the first place, and offers you a place where you can continually experiment with your writing. 

3.       It can serve as a portfolio for interested employers. Whenever I’ve applied for writing jobs I've included a link to my blog at the end of my signature, allowing prospective employers to read my work and get a feel for my writing skills and expertise. Your blog can function perfectly as a pseudo-portfolio when you’re trying to secure writing positions, and mine has helped me land several different writing jobs throughout the years. 

4.       It lets you fine tune your writing skills. The best way to sharpen your writing skills is through practice, and when you blog on a daily or weekly basis you are doing just that. You are constantly brainstorming ideas, writing posts, proof-reading and editing them, and publishing your work, which is a small scale version of any writing assignment you may have, whether it’s writing a freelance article or completing a book.

5.       It gives you the opportunity for constructive criticism. You can learn a lot about the way you write and where you can improve through the comments’ section of your blog, and being open to comments from readers around the blogosphere can give you some constructive criticism in how you can improve your writing. We all need critiquing from time to time and this is a great way to get some unbiased assessments of your writing.

Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me and helped me to become a much stronger writer. Whether I’m writing a daily quip for myself or polishing up a submission for an employer, I’m much more confident in my own skills because of all of the time I've spent blogging. It doesn't matter if you write technical pieces, fictional literature, or freelance articles for a living; no matter what type of writing you do blogging can help you enhance your writing style and further your career.

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So what do you think? Is blogging worth the time, and if so, why? I hope you'll post your thoughts in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Roxanne Porter is a nanny, freelance blogger, and regular contributor to http://www.nannyjobs.org/. She writes about nanny services and the experience of being a nanny. You can email her at r.poter08 at gmail.com.

Pinterest for writers and illustrators, part two--Pinterest and copyrights

I'm seeing a lot of comments on the web from writers, illustrators and other artists who are scared about Pinterest when it comes to copyright violation. Let me put your minds at ease.

Pinterest users don't "steal" pins. Each pin leads back to its origin. That makes it free advertising. Why post something on your blog if you don't want people to view it? Why offer a poster for sale if you don't want someone to buy it? Why offer a book on Amazon if you don't want people to know about it and buy it? Pinterest can only help creative people. It gives Pinterest users a chance to say, "I love this. You should check this out." Why would creative people fight against that? If you really don't want people to know or talk about your work, you shouldn't publish it on your blog or anywhere else.

Pinterest only lets you pin things from public places on the web. You can't, for example, pin something from Facebook, because that might be private. But what if you're not the person who made your work public? What if someone stole it and posted it to his blog without permission? If so, your problem is with the original blogger, not with Pinterest. If anything, Pinterest might make it easier to find that blogger, because the pin will lead back to his blog.

In short, Pinterest is only a good thing for creative people, particularly visual artists. It makes it easier for people to not only talk about your work and discover it but to immediately access your blog or a place on the web where they can purchase your work.

Ah-CHOO! Writing with a cold (sniff)

I'm sorry I didn't get a blog post up yesterday. I have a really bad cold. In fact, it's now 4:00 AM, and I've been up since about 3:30 AM, because I can't sleep. I'm coughing too much. It gets worse when I'm lying down.

Did you know that driving with a cold is as bad as driving drunk?

If that's what it does to your driving, can you imagine what it does to your writing? I'd be careening all over the place!

So I think I'm going to stay off the literary roads for a little bit. 

For Wednesday, I was planning to start a series on how to create a graphic novel. (It's an elective I'm teaching my daughter for her online school.) I'll see if I'm up to it tomorrow, but I might have to delay it a week. 

Excuse me while I go open another box of tissues. . . . Guess it's a good thing I don't have to go on a book tour with this red nose. (Hey, that's another thing having a cold and being drunk have in common.) I also have a hard time talking, so a book tour right now would be a really bad idea. 

Anyway, I hope you're well and can enjoy the magic of making stories, or at least reading them. 

And now I will try once again to get back to sleep.

Looking for ideas for Marketing Month

This is the last stop on my Bewitching book tour: http://www.readergirlsblog.com/

It's been fun. I received a couple of glowing reviews, made some fans, and enjoyed being interviewed. I also discovered some interesting book blogs I wouldn't have discovered otherwise.

Meanwhile, I've been hard at work getting the paperback version of Toren the Teller's Tale  ready for publication. I can't believe that I just need to receive and approve the proof, and then the book will be available through all outlets. This is so exciting!

January will be Marketing Month for Toren and me. I'm interested in swapping blog posts, doing author interviews, and so on. If you would like a blog post or an interview from me, let me know. We could do an exchange.

Any other ideas? Should I do YouTube videos? Contests? What do you like to see on an author's blog?

How to Blog Like a Funny, Children’s Book, YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction Writer

If anyone should have a blog, it’s a writer. Words are our livelihood, and a blog is like free advertising for what we do. Who wouldn’t want to advertise his or her business to possible clients all over the world for free? And, from the point of view of a reader, I'd much rather read a blog written by someone who can write than by someone who can't. Wouldn't you agree?

But it seems that many writers don’t blog, and those that do rarely blog effectively.

I get it. Making up stories about made up people is fun. But blogging can seem kind of scary. What do you write about? How will you make it interesting? Will people read it? And sometimes it feels as if you’ve been blogging for what seems like forever, you’ve spent hours writing dozens of posts, and no one cares.  Isn't blogging a waste of time that you could be spending writing your next book?

Well, no. It’s hard work, and it can take several years to see results, but it does eventually pay off if you do it right. If you're unpublished, blogging can impress agents and editors by showing you have a platform, as in thousands of people who are interested in what you have to say. And if you're published--whether traditionally or as an indie publisher--it can help you connect with readers, which can help you sell books. So how exactly do you do it right?

Here is a list of some questions many writers have about blogging and some answers to these questions:

How do I attract readers to my blog?

Start by writing 10-15 pillar articles. According to ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chriss Garrett, a pillar article is an article that attracts readers to your blog by giving them something they’re looking for. Pillar articles need to be focused on the core topic of your blog. They need to be useful or entertaining. The best pillar articles are 500-1,000-words long, have short paragraphs, headers, sub-headers, and at least one graphic. Lists and step-by-step guides make great pillar articles.

So how does this work for a writer?

 

According to We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Mediaby Kristen Lamb, if you’re writing nonfiction, your pillar articles should be authoritative. Readers will come to you looking for answers, and your blog will give them those answers.

If you’re a fiction writer, though, readers will probably look to you more for entertainment than information. A fiction writer’s best pillar articles should encourage comments and discussion. They should offer readers a way to connect with the writer, because that connection sells books. One of the best ways to encourage feedback is by starting with a title that asks a question. For example, “Who has the last word when it comes to children’s books: writers, publishers, parents or kids?” Of course, a writer should be prepared for some lively debate, because not everyone will agree with what the writer has to say.

How do pillar articles attract readers?

Search engines look for keywords in your tags (or labels), title, and your content. That’s why it’s important to have a list of keywords that fit the topic of your blog and to use them in these areas, particularly in your titles and in the first few words of your articles.

How do I get readers to come back to my blog?

Entertaining or useful content keeps readers coming back, so make sure there’s always fresh, entertaining or useful content. Try to blog between once a day and once a week (three to five times a week is good), but don’t say something just to say something. Good content once a week is better than good content once a week along with bad content three times a week.  Be consistent, and stay on topic, so readers know what to expect. For example, I regularly check out Dave Barry's blog, because I know it's going to be funny.

It usually takes years for a good blog to get up to speed, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results right away. Stick with it. Stay positive, and be nice to your readers. People usually like to hang around other people who make them feel good. Don’t polarize your readers, unless that’s a part of your brand and your marketing strategy.

How do I choose the general topic for my blog?

That depends on the image you want to create. Fill in the blank, “I want to be the writer readers turn to when they’re looking for________________.”

What would you put at the end of that sentence? Excitement? Something to make them laugh? Romance? Fantasy? Science Fiction? Inspiration? A best friend who understands them? A story they can share with their kids? All of the above?

Use your posts to give visitor a taste of what you have to offer. If you write humor (like I do), your blog posts should have some humor. If you write romance, you might want to spice things up a bit. It couldn’t hurt. Write about your books, but not just your books. Always write in a way that serves your visitor first, not your own ends.

How do I come up with specific topics?

Keywords help search engines find articles on a certain topic, so start by making a list. You want 20 core keywords that you’ll use over and over in your blog posts, words a reader might type into a search engine to look for a writer like you, words that define who you are as a writer. Start by writing down as many as you can think of, and then highlight the top 20. Why 20? This is the maximum number of keywords that Blogger (or Blogspot) allows on a blog post. While you might use a different platform, it’s still a good number to stick to, because it will keep your blog more focused.

Here’s my list of keywords to give you an idea of what yours might look like:

Shevi Arnold, novelist, writer, author, teen, YA fiction, children’s books, funny, humor, comedy, geek, ebooks, fantasy, science fiction, stories, storyteller, magic, dreamer, publisher, imagination.

This doesn’t mean that all my blog posts will have all these tags or they won’t sometimes have very different tags, but these are the tags I want to use most often to help search engines (and potential readers) find my blog. Combine these keywords, and you’ll get an idea of who I am (writer, author, storyteller), what I write (children’s books, YA fiction, humor, fantasy and science fiction), and my general style and attitude (funny, geek, dreamer).

How do I turn my keywords into 10-15 pillar articles?

The purpose of your pillar articles is to give your visitors something that will make them happy they came to your blog—and a reason to come back again. Pillar articles also help visitors create an image of you, something they think of when they see your name. Look at your keywords, and ask yourself what you can give visitors. Is there something you know that visitors might not know but would love to? Are there questions you used to have that you’ve since discovered the answers to? What matters to you, and how does that relate to your readers? Do your readers feel deeply about the same things, and could that shared feeling connect you and your readers? These are the kinds of things that would make great pillar topics for your blog.

As an example, here’s a list of some of the ideas I’ve had for pillar articles, ones that fit my expertise and the image I’m trying to create:

1.       Where do you get your ideas? How you, too, can have more stories concepts than you know what to do with

2.       Me Write Funny Someday—how to add humor to your writing

3.       Let ‘em read comics! If you want to turn kids into readers, let them read what they want to read.

4.       Who let the grownups in here? Why adults are falling in love with YA and books for kids.

5.       Let the meek inherit the earth. The geeks will inherit the stars! How geeks are taking over the world (and why that’s a good thing)

6.       Ten great fantasy novels for girls

7.       If you can’t beat ‘em, study ‘em! What writers can learn from movies and other forms of storytelling

8.       The ten biggest mistakes aspiring YA novelists make (and how to avoid them)

9.       The five best books to read if you want to write fiction

10.   The one most important thing every aspiring children’s book or YA writer should know…

11.   Why fantasy is the most honest genre of all

12.   Why are there so few funny books for teens?

13.   Stories within stories: from Scheherazade to Toren

14.   Is the magic in Harry Potter real after all?

15.   The power of belief, and what this means to fiction writers

 

Is there anything else I can do to attract readers to my blog?

Lots! You can include your blog’s URL in the signature of your emails, post on other blogs or in forums and use your avatar link back to your blog, give your blog an easy to remember name and a great description, guest blog for others, link to other blogs, and so much more. We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media has a great list of ways writers can make social media work for them.

I haven't always done this blogging thing right, but I'm learning, and I'm trying to put what I've learned into practice.  It's never too late to change.

So will your blog give your readers?

A writer's step-by-step plan for using social media

Social media is so confusing. Writers know it's important, but where do you start? Twitter? A blog? Facebook? What do you post? How often? And how does it help you sell your book?

I've read several wonderful books on the topic. Here's a rundown of their top tips:

Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman

The main thing I learned from Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents is that a writer needs a platform. It doesn't matter if you write nonfiction or fiction, it's all about your platform. So what's a platform? There are actually two kinds (three if you consider that Facebook or Twitter are also platforms, but this refers to a writer's platform).

The first kind of platform is how readers think of you when they think of you. For example, Isaac Asimov will always be known as a science fiction writer, even though he wrote many books that weren't science fiction. J.K. Rowling will forever be identified with Harry Potter. J.R.R. Tolkien will always be remembered for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Maybe in the future, I'll be known as the writer of Toren the Teller or Gilbert the Fixer. But for now, my platform is that I'm a funny writer, a Geek Goddess, and the author of humorous fiction, fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens. I also have a reputation for helping other writers out.

The second kind of platform is made up of the number of Twitter followers, Facebook fans, blog subscribers, and so on that you have. If you want an agent in today's publishing environment, you're going to need this kind of platform--but how do you get it? That part wasn't so clear, so I kept looking.

Smart Self--Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters

Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author is chock full of information and useful advice, both for self-publishers and traditionally published authors. While the author writes about the things that worked for her, she does acknowledge that other authors have succeeded with things that didn't, and you may succeed with them too. This sets this book apart from almost every other book I've read on self-publishing, which have gone on and on about why you should e-publish and how much success the author had as an indie publisher.

You'll learn why you need a newsletter, where you can create one, and what you should and shouldn't put in yours; working out a marketing schedule and a marketing plat; why you need to set both short-term and long-term goals, and what those goals can be; self-editing, critique groups, and hiring a freelance editor; what kind of prizes lead to more sales (and what kind don't); and all aspects of marketing, from social networking, blogs and blog hopping to marketing with video and paid advertising when you've earned enough to afford it.

This is one of the most helpful books I've read on self-publishing, and I highly recommend it.

Still, even though it talked a lot about the importance of blogging for writers, I still didn't feel I had enough of a grasp on the details. Yes, it mentioned that it's a good idea to post several times a week, but what good is that if no one is checking out your blog? How do you get people to give your blog a glance? And then a second glance? And then maybe subscribe? So I went looking for another book on the details, and I found a great one.

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse and Chris Garret

Although it's not writer specific, I found ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income invaluable for the depth of information it contains about successful blogging.

There are two ways to make money blogging: either by selling advertising space, or by using your blog to promote your work, for example, as a freelance writer or editor. I went through the book with a highlighter, and I ended up highlighting something on every other page.

I even put stars near some things I found particular helpful. For example, there's a list of question to ask yourself to help you better understand your target audience. There's also a section on useful blog properties, and another wish suggestions for how you can create useful blog content. It was great.

We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb

 Of course, at this point, I had learned so much I felt like my head might explode. I needed one book to help me tie it all together, and luckily I found it in We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media.

This book is awesome! And in my next blog post, I'll tell you why.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions about social media for writers, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below. I'll do my best to answer them if I can.