10 Tips to Jump-Start Your Writing Blog

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with research? Right now my favorite topic is social media. I am fascinated by the way we devour it. So many platforms, so little time! Some of them I’ve embraced willingly, like Facebook. Pinterest? I’m addicted. I love collecting things, and hoarding is perfectly acceptable there. Others I’m slowly adding to my repertoire.

This obsession has grown from my realization that using social media is vital to writers. Sadly most of us can’t just rely on our lovely words to land us an agent or a publishing contract, so we go to work on our author platforms. It can be a daunting proposition, but it doesn’t have to be as frightening as we think.

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Starting Your Blog

The first step, if you don’t already have one, is to start a blog. Don’t worry, it’s much easier than you think. There are lots of great tutorials out there. Two of the most common free blogging sites are Blogger and WordPress. I use Blogger, but we use WordPress for the collective writing site ReadWriteMuse. There are pros and cons to both. It’s really a matter of personal preference.

I must admit that I put off starting my blog for far too long. I was worried about whether I would have something interesting or relevant to say. Now I know that I don’t have to be an expert on everything. The old adage “write what you know” is true here more than anywhere. The struggles and journey you are taking as a writer give you many topics to explore.

Determining Your Goal

The key is determining the goal of your blog. Do you want to tell stories of your life like a journal or a writing sample? Or do you want to share your experiences in a way that other people can use the information themselves?

I follow a beautifully written blog by a writer who is chronicling her journey as a single mom. It is very personal and not a blog that is followed by a lot of people. Strung together as a whole it would make a powerfully moving book, but I don’t think the intention is to grow a platform.

If your goal is to establish an author platform, then you must write posts with your audience in mind.

Finding Your Audience

Don’t worry – writing for your audience isn’t as painful as it sounds! As a writer, you probably have already found your voice. Your personality is important, and blogging can be as informal as you are.

The important point to remember is incorporating points that your readers can take away with them. Tell them about your struggles, but show them how your fight can help them in their own battles. You know much more than you think! Those quirky things you do that help you write – they just might give someone else that breakthrough they’ve needed.

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TEN TIPS TO JUMP-START YOUR BLOG:

1. Make an interesting bio page with a professional picture. Fun or interesting is okay, but you don’t want to look crazy here.
2. Always use images in your blog posts. Visuals are what draw the eye, and you must have an image so you can pin your post to Pinterest, or post to Facebook, or other visual platforms. Visual break up your text and keep readers' attention. Be sure you have license, like Creative Commons, for the picture. (More on using images in my next post.)
3. Whenever possible, use headers to break up your text into sections. People skim through blog posts, and this attracts their eye to important parts of your post.
4.  Always cite your sources. Be sure you have permission, like Creative Commons license, for an image and cite the source. Share from other sites, but be sure you link appropriately. And when you have a few posts up, you can backlink to related content on your own site.
5. Use short paragraphs. They are easier to read and force people to slow down. Long paragraphs can make people skip ahead or stop reading altogether.
6. Be consistent and post regularly. You don’t have to post every day, but make yourself a schedule and stick to it.
7. Make sure you have social media sharing buttons on your page so that people can share your posts. Good ones to start with are Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, and Stumbleupon. Be sure to share your own posts.
8. Display your own social media links on your blog. You want your readers to follow you on other platforms as well.
9. Use tags. Tagging helps people locate posts. Use popular hashtags as well.
10. Answer every comment. Engaging with your readers and starting a discussion is crucial.

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Take these tips and go blog away!

I’m going to continue posting about social media and writer platform in the upcoming weeks, so if you are interested in the topic please follow my page.

Let me know: How has blogging impacted your writer platform and your social media presence?

Related articles:  

• 6 Spectacular Free Photography Sites for Your Blog
• How to Spice Up Your Author Platform on readwritemuse.com

Let's Jump In

What’s holding you back? Are you afraid to be wrong? Afraid you’re not good enough? Afraid you can’t make everyone happy? Afraid you will fail?

Me too. But we can’t stay here. We have to jump in.

I know, let’s do it together. We’ll hold hands. Just like when we were kids, afraid to jump in the water. Together we can do it. Together we’re strong enough.

Let’s jump in. We can do it. We will keep each other from sinking.

We are strong enough. We are good enough. Remember when we held hands as we stood with our toes peeking over the edge? We never plummeted like rocks to the bottom. We always burst through the cold water into the sparkling sunshine, laughing and sputtering with the joy of success.

Jump in with me.

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Are You Hearing Voices?

What is it about being a writer that makes us constantly question our identities? Why do I hear that nagging little voice in my head that tells me "you're not really a writer"?

How often do you hear that voice? Published and unpublished authors alike are prone to fits of self-doubt. Listening regularly to that voice can seriously shake your confidence and derail your writing goals. Here are a few tips to help you silence that disparaging creature.


1. Listen to the Voice

The first step to fighting that belittling voice is to find out when it is most likely to come and what it usually says. Are you just feeling negative about your writing, or is there a larger pattern?

A Swedish mental health study in 2011 showed that, of people in the creative arts, authors had the highest rate of depression, anxiety syndrome, schizophrenia, substance abuse, and a 50% higher rate of suicide than the general population. (Read the article here.)

Depression has a voice and is very persistent. Its strategy is to isolate you and bombard you with negative thoughts. If you think you might be depressed, here is a link to a depression self-test.

I suspect most writers are like me, and it's more an issue of self-doubt. I don't hate my writing or myself. I just feel that somehow I'm a fraud, and one of these days the "real" writers will find out. Whenever I tell anyone I'm a writer, the little voice immediately hisses "No, you're not!" in my ear.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe the next step will help.


2. Find Some Cheerleaders

Your cheerleaders can be many different people. Friends and family are a great support. Even if they don't understand why you write (or what you write), as long as they back you up and are there when you need them it can be a huge help.

Two of my cheerleaders: my daughter, Emilia (right), and her best friend.

Another great cheering section is other writers. If you don't belong to a writers group that meets in a physical location, meet up with writers online. There are lots of great Facebook groups who welcome other writers. I belong to a couple and they are always there to encourage me when I'm feeling down or just want to vent. And they have wonderful advice, too.

Sometimes knowing you're not alone is enough to quiet that voice.

Most importantly, you have to cheerlead yourself. This leads us to the next step.

3. Talk Back

So you've listened to the nasty comments of that inner voice. Now it's time to use your writer brain to come up with some witty responses. I'm serious. You have to talk back to that voice to make it shut up.

When you tell someone you're a writer and the voice says "Fraud!" you better have something locked and loaded. You don't have to say it out loud. (Feel free! I bet a lot of us talk to ourselves already. Writers.)

If you don't want to worry about being witty, just be persistent. Every time that toxic voice says that you're not a writer, you tell it: "Yes, I am!" Every time. Tell it to shut up. Swear at it if you want. I won't judge.

Don't just talk back to that nattering in your ear, but declare you are a writer whenever you can. Even if you don't feel like one yet. Even if you are a beginner. Even if you aren't published. If you've read this far, you are a writer.

I've been reading a lot of Jeff Goins lately, and I have been really inspired by his book You are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One). To my amazement I found out that Jeff felt just like me!

"When I started writing, I had all sorts of anxiety. Who was I, pretending to be a writer? How could I possibly call myself one when I hadn't even written a real book, hadn't been published or paid for my work?"

 Jeff talks about a pivotal point in his writing life after getting advice from Steven Pressfield (author of The War of Art, another amazing book). Steven told him, "You are (a writer) when you say you are." Jeff writes:

"So I started saying I was a writer. I put it on my Facebook page. Included it in email signatures. Everywhere I could, I wrote that I was a writer. It was kind of ridiculous, but something crazy happened as a result of this campaign. It actually worked.

Before anyone else called me one, I believed I was a writer. And I started acting like one." 

So get out there and declare you are a writer. Tell that little voice to take a hike!