Why blog?
I’m baaaaaaaaack! The break I took from blogging about blogging here was a lot longer than I intended, and it’s GOOD to be back, y’all.
So today, let’s revisit the discussion of blogging.
Your publisher, your editor, and your best friend–not to mention that guy who heard you’re a writer and knows all about it–are all telling you that blogging is the thing to do.
Well, yes. And no.
It’s important to have an online presence.
Why? Because you want to have an audience who will buy your books. Your books–you–are a product that your publisher is selling.
Sorry if I just took all the fun out of it. But it’s true: publishing is a business. And for that business to succeed and pay writers, well, they have to sell books.
An online presence gives you a fan base. It might just be your mom, your best friend, and that person whose name keeps cropping up and may be a stalker, but it’s a start.
It’s important to note: your online presence doesn’t have to be on a blog. With all the other social media outlets, I’d advise you to discern long and hard if blogging is right for you. The answer may be no.
But the importance of an online presence remains.
Practice makes perfect.
When you write regularly, you get better at it. Period.
For me, blogging remains a way to keep my writing skills sharp. That said, not so long ago, my crit partner pointed out that a proposal I was putting together sounded waaaaaay too choppy.
“You’re not writing for an online audience,” she told me. “It’s okay to have longer blocks of text.”
So yeah, there’s that. But even so, over my years of blogging, I know I’ve gotten better at the craft in a number of ways. I can remember things better and flesh them out mentally. I have learned how to stash ideas in various places and ways. I map back to unexpected experiences in my own life to apply them to whatever topic’s at hand.
It’s fun.
This may not be true for you, but I like blogging. It’s its own form of writing. It’s current. It can be laid back. And funny. And out-of-the-box.
But…
Blogging may not be for you. There are many reasons not to blog. There are alternatives to blogging (such as guest posting).
Blogging can take a lot of time. It can be a drain on your creativity.
And you may just not feel qualified or called to it right now. That’s okay. Really, it is. I give you permission to say no.
Your turn:
Do you blog? Why?
Share your blog’s link and your reasons in the comments and let’s click around!
