I'm blogging to practice writing. I'm working on creating articles in a short period and posting them. It's been going well and I'm getting better each time.
I could never understand blogging
- Thread starter Hublocker
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Six minute story - which just happens to be the best comedy ever about a blog and what can happen if you have one. Story 66 - by David Cunningham.
(Cautionary tale here, Hublocker!)
(Cautionary tale here, Hublocker!)
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I started blogging because I was thinking about publishing and I wanted to build a platform. I kept blogging because I realized that 1. it's fun and I rather enjoy it, 2. It's helped me consolidate some of my thoughts on writing (since I mostly blog about craft) and 3. It helps set me up with books to beta read.
I would argue that building a platform is a bit different from the "teens in a garage band" analogy (funny though it is). I'm not hoping to be discovered, and I don't expect anyone to stumble onto my blog and throw me a book deal. In fact, I don't even post fiction there. It's so that should I ever decide to seek out an agent, I can use the fact that I've got a platform (albeit a small one) as an extra selling point. It basically shows that I'm able to do my own promotion and that a few people already know who I am.
I would argue that building a platform is a bit different from the "teens in a garage band" analogy (funny though it is). I'm not hoping to be discovered, and I don't expect anyone to stumble onto my blog and throw me a book deal. In fact, I don't even post fiction there. It's so that should I ever decide to seek out an agent, I can use the fact that I've got a platform (albeit a small one) as an extra selling point. It basically shows that I'm able to do my own promotion and that a few people already know who I am.
Blogging provides me with instant gratification that makes up for the intense patience required to write books. I'm still pretty new to it overall. I don't have a ton of readers. But every time I post something, I get likes and views. I see people searching for my topics and finding my older content. I occasionally get new followers, and I've even received messages from people on the other side of the world thanking me for some of my blogs. It's cool that my advice could travel that far and make an impact like that. It fuels me onward on my quest. And it's great, because as a bonus, some of the people who like my views on life will also be interested in my novels.
Three words known very well in the academic world: 'community of discourse'.
I write for a living: book art text, marketing copy, and technical documentation. I write for fun, too, and none of it is wasted effort. The second I hear anyone talk about the humanities not having an immediate return-on-investment, I know they don't understand the *point* of humanities study (writing in particular).
I blog for various reasons: a writing platform, a ranting platform, a blog series about red flags in publishing, essays about art and fine craft, a 19-year catalog of my book art sculptures, and political essays. Whatever catches my eye. I don't directly monetize my blog, I don't keep a set posting schedule, and I don't care if it gets read by more than a dozen people.
Everyone's mileage is different, when it comes to the blog question. What works for me will make someone else pull their hair out.
I write for a living: book art text, marketing copy, and technical documentation. I write for fun, too, and none of it is wasted effort. The second I hear anyone talk about the humanities not having an immediate return-on-investment, I know they don't understand the *point* of humanities study (writing in particular).
I blog for various reasons: a writing platform, a ranting platform, a blog series about red flags in publishing, essays about art and fine craft, a 19-year catalog of my book art sculptures, and political essays. Whatever catches my eye. I don't directly monetize my blog, I don't keep a set posting schedule, and I don't care if it gets read by more than a dozen people.
Everyone's mileage is different, when it comes to the blog question. What works for me will make someone else pull their hair out.
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I blog about my rare cancer. There's not much info out there about it, so I'm adding to the resources for others to find. (This blog is not listed here at AW). I guess it's just a humanitarian gesture.
It also helps me keep track of what's happened in regards to my treatments and is a storage place for me to put related links.
The websites with info on my disease are mostly academic and medical journals. Some are hard to wade through, with all the medical terms to look up and all the histological and chemical info to try to understand. My blog is about my own journey through this strange territory. My hope is that it helps others who are searching for what to expect on a personal level.
Listening to it now ... may have to go back and listen to some of the others. Cool site.
I blog because I was already writing blog-post-type-things for my own reference and amusement. Putting in online doesn't waste much more time and it's good to "have a platform". Apparently. It's also easier than emailing my whole family every time something happens with my writing career, because most of them read it.
I am not a blogger, but I love blogs and subscribe to seven or eight on various subjects. I find value in blogs because they give up to the minute information and they are usually short enough to read on a break or at lunch. And yes, these blogs have sometimes led me to invest in something the blogger is selling or endorsing. I've felt comfortable doing so because over the course of reading a blog for several months, I have come to feel a connection with the blogger, which has given me confidence to make a purchase.
Keep on blogging. I'll keep reading.
Keep on blogging. I'll keep reading.
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