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A few of you may recall me tossing around this question some weeks ago, but here I am again, and I’ve decided to start a thread for it to get as much input as I can.
Should I start a blog?
I’ve prayed about this, a lot. And I’ve tried to convince that I’m really not the best person to do this kind of thing, but…well, I think God’s got other ideas.
So, hypothetical things aside, because I think I’m actually going to try this, I need to start planning for the practical: what am I going to post? What’s the blog going to be about?
I’ve got a few ideas, but if y’all could pitch your own two cents in there, that would be great.
–a daily (or weekly) devotional. Nothing too elaborate, but something with enough substance to be encouraging to those who read it.
–random drabbles, funny parodies or real-life events. (This one’s definitely inspired by @ethrynadl’s amazing blog)
–Short stories
–Poems…maybe.
Like I said, I’d love to get some feedback from y’all. Even if you’re not tagged in this first post, feel free to put in your words of wisdom.
Now for tags!
@aratrea @daeus @winter-rose @kate-flournoy @ethryndal @christi-eaton @graciegirl @perfectfifths @jane-maree @rjkWriter. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
@That_Writer_Girl_99 a blog is a good idea for anyone who wants to get published. It’s not the only way to do it, but it’s a very good way and well-tested.
I don’t have much experience to draw from yet (mine still isn’t active) but I would say your schedule sounds very plausible and to go for it.
The one piece of advice I have to offer is don’t try to project yourself as something you aren’t. Don’t think you have to be all stiff and formal and professional or people won’t take you seriously; I almost made that mistake and had a very narrow squeak of ruining my blog and exhausting myself silly in the process. The thing about a blog is, it’s personal. People don’t want to be talked at, they want to be talked to— included, and made a friend of. They like honesty. They want to laugh with you over your own mistakes, not feel embarrassed over profuse apologies and overthought concerns. You don’t have to project yourself as someone perfect who has it all together. In fact, you probably won’t be as successful that way, because really, all networking is about making friends. Building a strong community. Friends are a thousand times more likely to stick around than strangers benefiting from your fountains of perfect wisdom.
I’m kind of preaching to myself here, as I have an absolute horror of not being able to be good enough at everything I want to do, especially because I (irrationally, I know) feel like others will see that and judge me only for what I failed to accomplish, not what I had in my heart.
Anyway. I thought I’d put that out there. 😉That’s great! I would offer two pieces of advice.
1. Write about stuff you’re passionate about. This will keep you writing and attract like minded people.
2. Develop a distinctive voice. Half of blogging is offering important content, but the whole other fifty percent is your voice. This is why I follow @ethryndal’s blog, even though I don’t particularly care about most of what she writes on. Keep in mind I don’t follow anyone else’s blog except K.M.Wieland’s. You don’t have to be sarcastic though. You could be very very vulnerable. Or you could be goofy. Or you could be mysterious. Just pick something and stick with it.🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢
Thanks @daeus. 😂
@That_Writer_girl_99 I second everything those two just said. If you’re going to blog, find a place you’re comfortable coming from. Don’t try to be any other blog that you like—Be yourself. Be your real, genuine self, and don’t worry if people will find that interesting or not. They will like you because you’re a REAL person, and they can relate to that. (This is pitfall I very nearly fell into.) This regards theme as well. Like Daeus said, write what you like writing about. Have fun writing it. People will be able to tell.I know, I know, this isn’t really practical stuff, and I just used my own words for something said twice. Bear with me. I don’t have much advice on the practical side of blogging, since I do it mostly for my own personal enjoyment, and that’s not…the best place to come from. I’m sorry. All I know is the mental aspect.
INTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/
@that_writer_girl_99 *peeks in* *narrows eyes* You stole my thread title 😝
*is probably geeking out about something*
Thank you all so much!
Develop a distinctive voice. Half of blogging is offering important content, but the whole other fifty percent is your voice.
@daeus *grins* I’ve already been thinking about this, and I’ve definitely got more thinking to do before I can actually start anything. I kinda struggle with wanting to please people, and coming across as someone I’m is definitely a hole I could fall into. Thanks.
@kate-flournoy Thanks for being so vulnerable, Kate. I really, really appreciate it. I can relate a lot with what you said and I genuinely can’t thank you enough.
@ethryndal Never you worry, dear, your blog is one of my favorites. And thanks for sharing. Any advice you can share helps me a lot–trust me.Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
*sighs* That’s all you have to say? Really? *frowns*
In all seriousness…sorry. Mentally, I’ve been planning on using this title for a while if I ever felt that the subject deserved it. And it’s a cute title. You should be flattered. @graciegirl 🙂
Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
Well, I can say that after talking to a few people, having a blog is really important to building your platform. So I definitely recommend you do the thing.
Now, as for what to write, I’m not really sure. You have to make it your own and write about what you want to write about most, because otherwise, you could lose your drive and motivation to write it. Let your passion for writing drive your blog.
I don’t have a blog of my own or really read any blogs (with the exception of the Fight of Faith blog my dad had for a good while) but I’ve heard a lot about how blogs are super beneficial.
I hope to see a link to yours soon 🙂
Theater kid. Currently depressed because I can't stop listening to sad musicals.
@that_writer_girl_99 I encourage you to try starting a blog, Elizabeth! I don’t know if I really have any suggestions. Everyone else has covered it pretty well. I do have some questions that might give you something to think about.
1. What would be the purpose of your blog? What do you hope to accomplish with it?
2. What audience do you hope to reach, and how can you write content that is appealing to them?
3. Would it be a hobby, or do you want to make it into a business?
4. What would you offer that is unique and would attract readers?
5. Would you be able to post consistently?Some of these questions are only relevant if you are really serious about getting a large readership. I don’t have a blog myself, so you can put as much stock in my advice as you like. 🙂 But if you think about it, they kind of apply to novels as well.
Hope this helps!@that_writer_girl_99 Just to be clear, you don’t have to post your answers to those questions. They’re just meant to provoke thought. 🙂
Haha! Thanks for clarifying. @rjk
Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
@that_writer_girl_99 😂 Fine, I’ll be flattered.
All things considered, I’m practically at the same stage with creating a blog as you are. You’re ahead of me though in the fact that you feel this is what God is calling you to now. Me….I’m still not sure. :/
All that to say, I don’t have any real input to give. XD
‘Cept that I think you should go for it!! The ideas you suggested sound great and I can’t wait to see it if you get one!!*is probably geeking out about something*
@that_writer_girl_99, I started my own blog a few months ago, and so far I’ve found it really helpful and encouraging. What to post is definitely one of my problems too, but I like your ideas for devotionals (I can’t find nearly enough writing blogs that also do devotionals). they don’t need to be long and elaborate, just simple, and I (and others too) would find them really encouraging. Posting your short stories and poems is also a really great way to familiarise your readers with your writing and to get feedback.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. I hope you do start a blog because I’ll enjoy reading it. 😀INFP Queen of the Kingdom commander of an army of origami cranes and a sabre from Babylon.
Hi Elizabeth! As you may have noticed, I just started a blog as well. (However, I have been blogging ever since I was little, I’ve just grown older and changed the name of my blog :P)
Anyway, I think blogging is a wonderful platform to write on! For me, it allows me to have a place to put my writing, it allows me to develop consistency and also teaches me how to communicate well. Although you can learn all of these skills other places, for me, blogging has been very helpful. My parents have given good advice that when I do write, to write using personal pronouns. It comes across more relatable to people than teacher-ish.
In all reality, nobody really needs to hear my voice, but I blog to help myself clarify the things God is teaching me, as well as, hopefully encourage some others. 🙂
I hope these things help 😀 Blogging is fun 🙂
@That_Writer_Girl_99 (I dunno if anyone else has already said this, but I’ll toss my thoughts in anyways xP) All your ideas are pretty good, but also – write about yourself. Tell your blog readers about your life, what’s happening for you. They want to know. Picture your readers as your best friends, because that’s what you want them to become. Talk to them like you’re buddies. Give life updates, but at the same time, remember them. Ask your readers how their week has been. Ask them what movies they’re fanning over. Connect with them.
And yesss. Hand over snippets of your story, or short stories or just little drabbles. They can be absolutely any length and I know from experience that it can be insanely easy to build up a bunch of people who are just haaaanging until you post more snippets.
I’ve also done serial blog stories several times before, and that was really how I started out (or rather, RE-started) with a consistent blogging schedule. They were pretty fun (I’ve done three of them now), and they encouraged my readers to not silently stalk but actually leave comments – because I had them voting on their favourite option for what would happen next in the story, and they actually had some say in where it went. So if you’re at all interested in that, I would definitely say that it’s a cool and fun idea. (But it also takes a lot of work sometimes)
But again, my main point is, let your readers know about yourself. Even if it’s just a random quirky fact that you let slide in every post or so.Writing Heroes ♦ Writing Hope // janemareeauthor.com.au
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