Thoughts on Blogging

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I somehow let ten years of blogging slip by last year, but I’m noting my eleventh now. Well, it also slipped by about a month ago, but at least I’ve sort of remembered the anniversary.  :)

It doesn’t really seem like eleven years.  It seems like it’s been a while, though.

I know I didn’t have much of a plan…just that my publisher was very pro-blogging and blogging in 2008 was what everyone seemed to be doing.

I did actually list what I planned to cover in my first blog post.  And I stuck with some of it: sharing resources, most notably.  But I’ve rarely posted a book review here (as I said I would).  Mostly because I’m a terrible reviewer and am much better at endorsements.  There were plenty of posts on balancing writing and parenting, another area I said I’d cover, although now my kids have grown up and need a lot less parenting at 22 and 18.

Is blogging necessary?

When I started out, I know that agents and editors saw blogging as very necessary.  Now there are so many social media platforms that I’d say a writer should just do what they’re most comfortable with and what they can best keep up with.  Although, I’ll point out that having an active blog can really help with a website’s SEO, maybe making it easier for readers to find you and your books, even if your blog is directed to writers.

What to consider, starting out:

The first thing to decide is whether your blog is for readers or writers.  I’ve seen some that are directed at both (some days for writers, some days for readers), but I think that’s tricky.  I started out from day one blogging for a writing audience for a few reasons.  The main one was that I felt more comfortable writing for writers.  But it was also easier for me to write for writers.  Also, I wanted to be part of the writing community by finding and sharing resources and hearing other writers’ tips.

For further reading, industry expert Jane Friedman has an excellent post, “What Should Authors Blog About?” The cool thing is that she separated the various blog models by levels of difficulty.

Finding a community:

This is probably one of the harder things about blogging at first.  No one wants to feel as if they’re writing into a void.  But if you visit and comment on other blogs regularly and respond to comments on your own blog,  you’ll slowly start building your community.

Staying sane:

I miss the writers who have stopped blogging.  Most have just had a tough time keeping up with the blog while balancing work, family, and writing demands.   Here are a few tips to help make blogging easier:

Keeping an editorial calendar helps.  Brainstorm post topics and then create a simple schedule.  Mine is just a list with my post dates for the month and the topic of the post.

Blog on the same day/days.  This helps your blog readers keep up and know when to check in.  It also can help you remember to blog and maintain a habit.

Consider slow blogging if you’re having a hard time keeping up.  You don’t have to blog every day.  Writer Anne R. Allen makes a solid case for the benefits of slow blogging.

If you’re a blogger, when did you start?  Is your blog different from when you first started out?

Photo credit: Evan-Lovely on Visualhunt.com / CC BY