Are you political on your blog?

My advice? Keep a separate blog from the one that's writing related. Like you said, it doesn't matter what you say, you can alienate a lot of people. Alternatively, you could draw people you don't want to your blog, and either way, it would get in the way of promoting yourself as an author.

Oh hell yes. But not on my writing blog which I don't have and would keep separate. Definitely.

No politics on my blog. I'm all about peace and love. Politics would destroy it before it even gets off the ground.

Yes, I am political. But I'm also economical, social, historical, and etymological.

Yup, I'm political. But I blog about a variety of topics, politics being one, and I can't see anyone radically right leaning being into my fiction, either.

Nope. I'm Northern Irish and know better. My blog is about writing. But some of my facebook posts are a little political (but mostly only to my friends, not my public ones.)

People know where I stand politically but I keep it off my blog. I got bogged down in it on Twitter a bit ago and regretted it because it was distracting from my central message so I created another Twitter account not associated with my main one.

Another friend of mine has a section of her blog that discusses politics so it's not front & center.

Kind of? I sometimes discuss social issues so politics does seep in. I've got a pretty obvious liberal/feminist slant, but aside from openly opposing the trans-exclusionary bathroom laws I haven't made any specific political claims. I haven't had any trouble for it, though I also have a pretty small readership.

morngnstar said:

I want to blog, but I would inevitably be political. No matter what you say about politics, you will alienate as many people as you attract. I feel like I, with my radically centrist views, would inevitably draw ire from both sides. Does being political help or hurt your market?

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Being political IS my market. I know what I like to write about and read about and I've always been political and so is my blog without apologies.

There's more than enough blogs out there for fans of fuzzy kittens, baby pics and bad poetry. If you're a fan of those kind of things, I hope you will find blogs which meet your need for that. I don't do that and I've been at for eight years, so it works for me and those who follow me.

You'll have to find out for yourself if you want to be a writer who speaks their mind AND their truth, or someone who doesn't. It's really that simple.

I hate politics and try to not talk about them to my friends, let alone on my blog. But I agree with the "blog with no apologies" stance. I talk about whatever the hell I want on my blog. Anyone who hates my views probably won't like my stories, and vice versa. So I say be yourself and do whatever you want.

I talk about politics in my blog insomuch as I discuss political movements and interactions, and often oppression - I think to a certain degree it's fine to mention or acknowledge your political views or discuss issues/lives/events that other people are intent on politicizing, but going into great detail or writing politics pieces, especially if you're a genre author, could turn some readers off. It's all about balance.

It definitely helps to think of yourself as an author, as a brand, and decide if that's a brand that has room for political discussions or not, in line with what your ideal career looks like!

I suggest keeping your writing blog free from politics unless you're writing stories that deal with this topic since, as others have said, this can alienate a lot of people. You can start a separate blog if you really want to write about politics.

I went unapologetically political.

My writing has political and cultural themes amid the smut. It would be hypocritical of me to keep those out of my blog, for fear of offending someone.

I don't personally on mine, but politics really doesn't blend well with what I write about anyway, so there's not much point to my including them anyway. If we're speaking really broadly in terms of "writing blogs," I guess it depends on who you want reading it. Some will enjoy you waving various political flags, others won't, as you mentioned, OP.

I think having a separate blog for politics or other specific topics like that one is a good idea. At the very least, it's pragmatic-- it helps keep you from running off track with a blog focused around something that is not politics.

I can't imagine not speaking about politics in a blog. As a gay man, politics directly affects my civil rights. If I have a blog, I'm not about to pretend that I am straight as not offend potential readers, so there is also no reason to hide my political beliefs.

I've been thinking about it, but so much of a "in your face" kind of way. Then again, my blog is like a personal/lifestyle one, so I'm not worried about potential readers.

Your blog is your own, you can do what you want with it. That said, bear in mind that if you do get political, you will alienate a significant proportion of readers. If I read a blog post supporting Trump, for example, I'd never buy or read a book by that author, not only in protest, but because I'd assume the writer's an idiot.

You can keep politics and writing separate by writing two blogs, if you have the energy for that much unpaid writing. Or you could confine your rants to FB or another "friends only" venue. I have two FB pages: my personal one, for friends and family, where I rant nonstop, share political information, and unfriend anyone who voted for the devil. My author FB page is all about my books, and publishing in general. Keeping them separate lets me vent without losing readers.

I would keep politics separate from your writing blog, in order to keep the interest of readers who may not agree with your political views.

Underdawg47 said:

I can't imagine not speaking about politics in a blog. As a gay man, politics directly affects my civil rights. If I have a blog, I'm not about to pretend that I am straight as not offend potential readers, so there is also no reason to hide my political beliefs.

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Does having a blog mean you're suddenly obliged to share all your beliefs? Who would have one if it meant the end of privacy? There's nothing wrong with a blog that adheres to a particular topic---the craft and business of writing, say, as mine does---and does not touch on the million other aspects of the writer's life. I have VERY strong opinions about lots of things, including politics and religion--and there are venues where it feels not only okay but necessary to share those views. I agree with you that we have a positive obligation to speak out against racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, gay-bashing etc. whenever and wherever we encounter them. But that doesn't have to involve your blog. You get to choose the topics there.

Barbara R. said:

Does having a blog mean you're suddenly obliged to share all your beliefs? Who would have one if it meant the end of privacy? There's nothing wrong with a blog that adheres to a particular topic---the craft and business of writing, say, as mine does---and does not touch on the million other aspects of the writer's life. I have VERY strong opinions about lots of things, including politics and religion--and there are venues where it feels not only okay but necessary to share those views. I agree with you that we have a positive obligation to speak out against racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, gay-bashing etc. whenever and wherever we encounter them. But that doesn't have to involve your blog. You get to choose the topics there.

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I wouldn't say we were obliged to share beliefs or politics, but if religion, politics or controversial topics were becoming a major focus in my life, I wouldn't be afraid to share it once in a while.

Barbara R. said:

Does having a blog mean you're suddenly obliged to share all your beliefs? Who would have one if it meant the end of privacy? There's nothing wrong with a blog that adheres to a particular topic---the craft and business of writing, say, as mine does---and does not touch on the million other aspects of the writer's life. I have VERY strong opinions about lots of things, including politics and religion--and there are venues where it feels not only okay but necessary to share those views. I agree with you that we have a positive obligation to speak out against racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, gay-bashing etc. whenever and wherever we encounter them. But that doesn't have to involve your blog. You get to choose the topics there.

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The issue is that for people who are members of minority groups, like LGBT people, avoiding "being political" can mean staying closeted and not talking about parts of their lives that they may be proud of and that may be significant for them. For me, being queer and trans isn't just an opinion or a belief--it's who I am. It affects me as a person and a writer. It affects my stories. There can be so much pressure to stay closeted, and I don't want to bring that into my writing life. I choose to not let people bully me into hiding.

Only on my political blog.

Good point, Dancing! I wasn't advocating caving in to bullying, only keeping politics out of a writing blog. But if your writing and politics and gender identity overlap, that separation is neither doable nor desirable.

Of course, in that case your readers probably already know where you stand and are unlikely to be turned off by advocacy.