What Do I Blog About?
Blogging is a great tool for building an audience and connecting with readers—and other writers. We spend so much time typing out words and stringing together sentences. Knocking out a blog post or two each week should be no big deal, right?
Sometimes, thinking of something to blog about feels like hitting your head against the wall. I call this “blogging block.”
Next time you’re stuck for ideas, try blogging about one of these topics:
1. What You’re Reading
As writers, we draw a ton of inspiration from the books we read. We analyze books as both a reader and a writer, considering what the author did that worked. Try blogging about the book you’re reading, but don’t make it a book review. Approach it from a writer’s perspective. Do you like the book? Why? What techniques did the author use that’s helping you connect with the story (or not)? This can be a valuable exercise for your readers and for yourself. ...
Create a Successful Author Blog
I’ve made some spectacular blunders in my blogging career. But since we learn from our mistakes, I’ve got a boatload of information now.
As Ruth and I say: “We made the mistakes so you don’t have to.”
The worst decision I made was trying to turn this blog into a monetized business blog. That lasted about six months—until my doctor said I was going to have to choose between blogging and living to see my next birthday.
This is the second anniversary of the beginning of that failed experiment, and I’ve been thinking over what I’ve learned.
My biggest mistake was that I didn’t see that an author blog has a different purpose and goal from a business blog. Author blogs aren’t about making money directly with ads or sales.
Instead, they provide a platform for your writing and a way to communicate with readers and fellow writers. An excellent one. In fact, a blog is still the best platform-building tool for authors, according to agent Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary.
The money comes later when we sell our books. The mechanics of those sales are best left to retailers like Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, etc. unless you have a huge franchise with twenty or more titles to sell, as well as mugs, t-shirts, etc.
Does that mean we’re giving away our work for free when we write for a non-monetized blog?
Yes.
But. ...
Get Blog Post Clicks [Infographic}
Blogging is a great way to build a readership and to connect with other writers and readers. But sometimes blogging feels like speaking into the void. If there are cobwebs on the comments section of your blog, check out these great templates from Raelyn Tan so you can start writing catchy, clickable blog headlines. ...
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Blogging Copyright Basics
Blogging is one of the best ways to hone your writing skills while also building a readership and connecting with other writers and readers. But copyright law can seem vague and frustrating when applied to web content. What's okay to share on your blog and what's not? Can you use a photo from anywhere? What do you do if you're not sure?
Every blogger asks these questions, and unfortunately, the answers can be confusing and difficult to find. The last thing you want to do as a blogger is unintentionally steal someone's work! Thankfully, this infographic from Visualistan makes blog law simple. Keep it handy for when you have a question about copyright infringement.
Writing the Perfect Headline [infographic]
Whether your writing a blog post, an email subject, or a freelance piece, your headline is your first point of contact with readers. The headline is your chance to say, “Hey, this is interesting. This has merit. And this is something you need to read!”
That’s a lot of pressure on a few simple words. Thankfully, Squirrly created this infographic to simplify things and help you write attention-grabbing headlines. ...
Top 3 Tools for Building a Readership
Most of us write with the intention of being read. That’s not always the primary goal. Perhaps we want to simply write the stories burning inside us. Perhaps writing is cathartic or even (dare I say) fun. But in our core, we are storytellers. We want to reach humanity with our words. And to do that, we’ve got to find a way to put our words and stories in front of those who will read them and be moved by them.
Thankfully, we live in an age of constant communication. The Internet provides infinite outlets to reach potential readers. But it’s easy to get lost in the chaos of websites and forums. It’s best to focus our attention on a few effective tools to meet and engage readers, remembering that the goal isn’t to reach as many people as possible, but to get to know people and to earn their trust through honest engagement. No one will take the time to read your writing if they don’t trust that you have something to say. ...
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