Blogging
What is blogging? What is Twitter?
A blog is an excellent medium for sharing your writing, whatever your genre may be. Some bloggers use their websites as a way to simply write something daily or a few times a week, and others use them to post pieces of their writing, like a poem or a chapter from a book they're writing. Some established writers use blogs to keep their fans in the loop about their lives or upcoming projects. Twitter is part of a form of media called "microblogging," and it's also a form of social media. Twitter (and social media in general) is a great way to promote your blog and maintain an online presence without committing to sharing large amounts of text daily.
How can a blog help me with my writing?Practice makes perfect! Writing a little (or a lot) each day will help you develop your voice and make completing a longer project more manageable. If you're having trouble with writing daily, Poets&Writers.org has a writing prompt section called The Time Is Now, and Writer's Digest offers weekly prompts, here.
A blog can also help you: Network Make online contacts; you never know where they'll lead! Eventually, you can start a blogroll of writers you follow-- and you may end up on a few, yourself. Receive Feedback Posting your work online and asking others for feedback can feel less intimidating than walking into a room of strangers. You can think of your blog as a sort of virtual writing group. Gain Exposure A number of food writers, like the Pioneer Woman, Bakerella, and Deb of Smitten Kitchen, used their blogs as a jumping off point and now have published cookbooks and other works. The Bloggess turned her blog into a New York Times best-selling book. Other authors, like Sherman Alexie and Bonnie Jo Campbell (who has an author website as well as a personal blog), use their blogs to keep their fans updated. Google your favorite writers, and you're likely to find their websites or blogs. |
Find out moreStill not sure if blogging is for you? Need a better understanding of Twitter before you create an account? Check out these resources for more information:
Blogging for Dummies by Susannah Gardner Learn the basics of blogging, from how to create a site to gaining a following. The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein Two experts walk you through how and why to use Twitter. sixrevisions.com Browse through blogging articles and get some insight on what it takes to create and maintain a blog. Ready to start?
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