This article was originally posted on About Freelance Writing on August 29, 2011.
If you are a writer, you should have a blog. A blog is an online representation of you and your writing, which will allow people to get to know you better personally and professionally.
You can use it to document your knowledge, skills and your experiences.
It can also help to brand you as a writing expert in your favorite genres.
Following are 13 more reasons why writers should blog:
- Get read by more people. As you know, the purpose of writing is to get read. Blogs give you access to a worldwide reading audience. Your online fan base can easily expand to international countries with a little creativity in your promotion strategies.
- Get feedback. Be warned – this feedback could be positive or negative depending on the person delivering it. Use this information to improve your stories; develop different angles on topics; and start new topics. Also, you will find yourself growing a “thick skin,” which will help you professionally and personally.
- More visibility and credibility. The more often people see you, the more they will trust and follow you. This consistency lends to your credibility. People will get to know you, your style of writing, and your dedication to your craft.
- More creativity. While writing allows you to paint pictures with words, blogs allow you to add images, videos and audio to really add life to your stories. Or, you can use these multimedia tools to tell your story.
- Sometimes you just feel like writing. Blogs are online journals, so this is the perfect place to express your thoughts. They don’t have to be related to the theme or topic of your site, but they should be uniquely you.
- More freedom. You have the freedom to say what you want, how you want and when you want on your site. There are limitations when you work for others as employees or freelancers.
- Become an expert and resource. Blogging will make you both depending on the topics you share and the information you give. As long as you provide original content on your topic and add value to your readers, they will return. They may even bring others with them.
- Your blog could serve as your website. As independent professionals, writers should have an online presence. To not be online is to have an invisible enterprise. Blogs are a cost-effective and easy way to develop and maintain that presence.
- Promote your work and report your progress, challenges and successes. Keep others abreast of what’s going on with your projects. If you are writing a book, document your journey to completion, including the challenges and successes. Journalists can report their newest stories or announce experts they are seeking. Grant writers may gain new clients based on the information they share. Writers of fiction may gain new fans. Sharing such information could bring unexpected resources your way.
- Develop a consistent writing schedule. Although blogging is very time consuming, you should come up with a consistent weekly schedule that you can realistically stick with. This consistency will help build your credibility because your visitors are checking you out to see how well you do and how often you do it.
- Publish unpublished works. Not all of your written successes will be accepted by publishers and magazines. Instead of letting disappointment set in, put your works on your blog. They will at least be read by your audience. The feedback provided will help you turn your work into something greater. Just because it wasn’t accepted initially doesn’t mean it won’t be accepted at all. And, you never know who’s reading who could help you get your work published.
- Write your book. There is a book in all of us and blogs are a way to write them. Your genre doesn’t matter. Unless you actually start a blog to write a book, this option would not immediately occur to you. However, as you continue to write, you will find certain themes and topics that recur. It is at that time you will have a light bulb moment. You will also have a purpose and focus in your writing.
- Build Relationships. People of all professions and interests are visiting your site and you just never know who’s live you are impacting or who could impact yours. Be sure to respond to all comments and to give love to the people who give love to you.
Above are 13 reasons why I think writers in all genres should blog. You will not only gain credibility as a writer, but you have another outlet for expression and an additional tool for building fans. Most importantly, your time and commitment invested will eventually result in profits.