Since most of you who read this blog are writers, or want to be writers, I’m assuming you all have blogs.
My turtle has a blog, so if you don’t and you want to be a writer, you are nowhere close to being one. In other words, start a blog now. For those who blog regularly, I thought you might find this useful.
One of my favorite bloggers is Melissa Lafsky of Opinionistas.com. A former lawyer now full-time blogger (who has a great story by the way), although not a travel-blogger she writes so brilliantly we can all learn a thing or two from her.
She recently did a talk on BlogTalkRadio on finding yourself through blogging and unlocking self expression online.
The talk is actually a disappointment as it drags on too long, without enough substance. I only listened to all of it because I’m a Lafsky fan. So if you don’t want to listen to the entire 30-minute show — here are the key points that Lafsky gives to fellow bloggers on blogging.
– Write about what you think you shouldn’t write about (that’s the meat people want to read).
– Write something true, be authentic, and in doing so open up a dialogue with yourself
– Think about what thoughts/opinions of yours you want to put out into the world when you choose what to write
– Have a goal when you write and think about your readers
– Good content rises to the top
– Avoid rage-blogging
Simple thoughts that we all know, but always need reinforced.
Be careful! Blogging can actually ruin your career.
I have been a writer for more than 10 years and now that I have added pro-blogging to my resume, my career seems to be in worse shape than ever. The sad fact is that blogging pays so little that serious writers can only devote a fraction of their time to it and some writing skills start slipping under the constant time pressure.
I am in the strange position of not being able to give up blogging, and that’s not because I find the release from editors so pleasing.
I have to recover some of the income from the months I earnedd 66 cents, The trouble is the blog is now paying a little more than $200 per month and if I spent that time on other forms of writing, the pay off could be greater.
I disagree that you need a blog to be a writer. You said it yourself – your turtle has a blog. There are millions of blogs out there. Some are great. Most are lame.
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Jan 15, 07 – God, the holidays are crazy! I’m just now winding down… credit card is not though! More soon!
Nov 27, 06 – I’ve been so busy lately with the ribbon show – my one reader knows what I’m talking about – ha ha! Hey, if you’re out there, leave a comment! I’m going to write up a series of posts about ribbons soon. Did you know there is this one kind of ribbon made of bluegrass that is super expensive? I can’t remember how much it is, but I’ll post it soon, so stay tuned!
Oct 2, 06 – Sorry I haven’t been writing much lately. But I saw this thing about blogs on CNN and remembered how much I like it – more entries coming soon for sure!
Sept 17, 06 – So I decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon! I need to write more, so this will be the perfect chance. I’m totally excited about this! I’ll probably post about 3 – 4 times per week. Should really get those writing juices flowing.
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Some writers can handle blogging and doing “real†writing at the same time. Whether because their blogs actually help them form a platform as an expert, or because they just write so dang much that they can handle the extra work, it’s fine for them.
But others do perfectly fine just focusing on their main interest, whether that’s articles, short stories, novels, essays, etc. I don’t know if it’s wise to encourage people to blog who didn’t already want to do it. We don’t really need any more blogs by turtles, if you know what I’m saying…
Kate and Anon:
Some interesting thoughts here. I think, if you are a budding writer, the freedom of blog writing allows you to write in your voice about whatever you want. People read it and it fuels your motivation to write better, and more. It also forces you to write regularly. So I don\’t thing it\’s a waste of time, or that it will ruin your writing career. In fact I think it will help you find your own voice.
For those who are established writers, I suppose a blog isn\’t a must for them. Nevertheless, when I read an article online in say, the Guardian, I immediately want to know more about the writer. When I can\’t find a website or a blog about him/her, I do get disappointed. This is why I think blogging is a new minimum.
I suppose it all depends on why you write, and what you want to make of your writing.