Author, Jodi Sykes: To Blog, or NOT to Blog...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of building up your social media presence as a writer. Time to move on...

Today's topic?

Blog. Blog. Blogging!

Are you a writer? Journal-er? Avid scribe? If so, then you're already ahead of the game. Here's some ideas to get you started:

The most important word of advice is to

Drum roll please...

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW!

Do you have a hobby or skill that you'd like to share? A topic that interests you? Something that you can offer to others who may want to hear your friendly words of advice and inspiration? If so, then that's what you need to write about! Make sure its something that makes your heart soar. Otherwise you'll find yourself as bored as your readers, and you'll have a stagnant blog to boot.

Before you decide to hit the keyboards, you must choose a domain name - prepare a list of possible names for your blog site. (If you're a dedicated writer, I'd suggest getting a domain of your own name. You can also secure other website names that may resonate with you and reflect your hobbies and interests.)

Do a Google search on the domain names that you've picked to see if there are others out there in the vast internet galaxy. You'll want your blog to stand out, so if you find similar ones, you may wish to choose something else.

Once you've made your mind up, you'll need to do research on who will host your blog. Here are some of the top contenders, but also plan on doing additional searches to decide which one is best for you:

After you've paid for your domain name, it's time to start blogging! I've heard countless writers complain about the following things to me when it comes to starting a blog:

I don't have time to blog!

Who is going to want to read my blog?

It's too much work!

Blogging is B.S.!

There's no need to blog because
my book will sell itself!

Blah, blah, freakin', blah!

Yes, I've heard it all, and this is only the condensed list of complaints. My answer is always this -- you know for a fact that whenever you're trying to learn a new task or skill, there will be a few quirky bumps in the road to overcome. But, once you get the hang of it, you'll look back and wonder what all your bitchin' was about to begin with! PROMISE!

Does it take a commitment to maintain your blog? YES it does!

You need to decide if you'll contribute daily writings or one or two times per week (or month.)

When I first started my blog, Living La Vida Lymphoma, I kept the momentum up on a daily basis. The feedback I received made me realize that there were others out there who needed the daily bits of inspiration that I was dosing out to them. Two months later, I found myself wondering if I could keep up the pace. Then, my darlings, I discovered that I could pre-write my blog posts and schedule them to be published on a set date and time! Voila! That removed the stress aspect from wanting to continue blogging but, also not wanting to let my followers down.

Now I blog when I feel like it -- first thing in the morning. If I'm sapped for energy, I may wait until I have a creative burst and pop out a whole month's worth of blogs within a few hours. Then, my entire month's worth of blog posts are ready to go! EASY BREEZY!

So, should you blog?

If you're a published author, it is imperative that you have your own author blog with links to your books and information about projects that you're working on. Links to interviews you've done -- anything to keep your faithful readers wanting to get inside your head! They love you and you should be thankful they want to follow your every move.

And if you're a budding writer and want to share your message with others, then just DO IT! It'll take hard work and dedication, but your words will become immortalized, and, who knows? You may just inspire others along the way!