Blogging: Why Every Writer Should be Doing It

It can sharpen your writing skills, promote your work and transform your sales.

 

You've heard about it, read about it and it seems that everyone is at it. But what exactly is it? For the uninitiated, a blog is ‘a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your readers can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not’ (from http://www.blogger.com/tour-start.g).

 

A blogger is someone who has a blog and blogging is the act of updating your blog. Your blog can be updated as often or not as you wish. This might be daily, weekly or monthly. Blogs can be about anything that takes your fancy. Whatever you write about is entirely up to you. Some blogs are created for a specific purpose while others are self-indulgent exercises. There are no limits to the number of blogs you can have. Blogs are free, very easy to set up and the fact that they offer instant publication on the web makes them the perfect ego booster for many yet-to-be published writers.

 

It is an oft-repeated fact that more blogs are created than read. But some blogs acquire a dedicated following. One of the most infamous bloggers on the Internet is Jeremy Weate, an English man married to a Nigerian and living in Nigeria. His blog is an attempt to make sense of the complex dynamics of Nigerian society. Another blog was set up to create a forum for book lovers to discuss books. I have two blogs. www.christianwriteruk.blogspot.com was created so that my fans could follow the development of my book projects. I was inspired by Kate Mosse, Co-founder and Honorary Director of The Orange Prize. Her websites http://www.mosselabyrinth.co.uk and http://www.labyrinthbook.net/home/index.asp were created specifically for Labyrinth, the book she was working on, which has since been published to critical acclaim. My other blog, www.myspace.com/christianwriteruk is my cathartic attempt to make sense of my life, sins and all.

 

The act of expressing yourself knowing that whatever you write will be published instantly for the world to read forces you to be more articulate in your writing. For those desiring an avenue to showcase their writing to the world without the expense and IT know-how of a personal website, a blog is the next best thing.

 

Every writer needs a website. It enables you to connect with your fans and also showcases your work to potential publishers. An editor would rather have a website address that she can peruse at her leisure while surfing the Internet than an attachment which has to be printed. Remember, editors are drowning in paper so the less paper they have to deal with, the better.

 

Blogging is like reading in that the more blogs you read, the better sense you have of what is involved. I read my way round many blogs and eventually settled on a few that I read regularly. These blogs were a community in their own right with other blog links. I would start reading a blog, note the blog links on that blog and make sure I visited them and that is how blogs build up a following; with links. I've noticed that people only put links of the blogs that they read regularly on their blog and that is a lesson for you; you must update your blog regularly. Blogging also prepares writers for the vagaries of publishing. Many novice writers believe that they cannot write under pressure citing the need to have angels playing the harp in the background first. Mature writers understand that deadlines do not respect man - or angels. They know that they have a job to do and get on with it. Knowing that people are visiting your blog expecting fresh content is enough to whip any writer into action. Remember, sending an editor your blog link knowing that the blog has not been updated for three months is very unprofessional.  

Whenever I plug my books, I provide a direct link to my publisher's website. It goes without saying that the more people read your blog, the more they'll want to know more about you and your work. I've lost count of the number of people that have stumbled on my blogs, liked what they've read and bought my books. During my recent book tour to Nigeria, I met several people who told me they read about the tour from my blog. Blogging works. I've got the book sales to prove it. 

 

Decide from the onset what the purpose of your blog is. If it's meant to showcase your writing skills, then ensure it does just that regardless of what you write about.

 

Time management: how often do you think you'll be updating your blog? Be practical. Blogs consume time. If all you can do is once a week, then once a week it is. Don't set yourself a target of updating it several times a day if you know you wouldn't have the time.

Do your research. Read other people's blogs. This will give you a sense of what to expect.

 

Blogs you may be interested in:

This article first appeared in the JanFebMar 2007 issue of Christian Writer & Reader e-magazine