Writers Who Blog - Guidelines

For writers, blogging can be one of the most engaging, and often frustrating, activities. Blogging can be a tremendous boon to a writer, however, if that writer knows how to use that blog effectively. When it comes to blogging, there are a few things that writers should keep in mind:

Know why you are blogging. If you are a writer who is blogging to showcase your writing talents in order that someone will hire you to write for them, you will approach blogging very differently than if you are blogging to try to make money from a blog. This isn't to say that the writer who is trying to make money won't ever be hired by someone that reads their blog, or that the blogger trying to showcase their talents won't make any money from their blog. It just means that you need to keep your primary purpose for blogging in focus.

Understand the medium. Blogs are, by their nature, written in a very personal and casual manner. This doesn't mean that you have to share all sorts of personal information in a blog. It does mean, however, that you will usually want to use an informal voice when blogging. There are exceptions to this principle, but for the most part, blogs are designed to be an interaction between writer and reader.

Use blogging to meet other writers. Blogging presents a great opportunity for you to connect with other writers in your field. Getting to know these folks will allow you access to their experiences and their advice.

Realize that blogging doesn't always pay off. While the potential is certainly there to make money blogging or to find a place to sell your writing by blogging, it doesn't always happen. Blogging requires a great deal of hard work and at least a little bit of luck.

Good writing alone won't make a successful blog. You've got to be able to market your blog, and to have something of an eye for graphic design if you are going to succeed blogging. Some of the most well-written blogs on the Internet have no visitors because the blogs are not visually appealing or because the blogger isn't marketing the blog effectively.

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