I was just talking to a writer friend of mine who said she doesn't blog because that would take time away from her writing. That's true, but that's assuming she writes a lot, and regularly.
Some writers I know do get up in the morning, sit down, and put in a good day's work.
Most writers I know slack. Everyday life distracts us and derails our trains of thought. We're certain we can't write coherently unless we have a certain uninterrupted block of time in which to write.
So what does this have to do with blogging?
I've found that blogging rhymes with unclogging for a reason. Well, actually, there is no reason, it just does. But anyway, blogging--regular blogging--blogging on a schedule--has gotten me in the habit of writing every day. It's gotten me in the habit of being able to organize thoughts quickly and get them down and get them out. It's gotten me in the habit of thinking of writing as packets of thought. In fiction, the packets just connect to each other to form a story arc.
And I love reading other people's blogs. I like sampling their writing and getting peeks into their worlds--real or created.
So, in the end, I have to say that blogs are definitely a use of a writer's time, but definitely not a waste of a writer's time.
6 comments:
Marian,
I really only have mornings to write, so that three-hour period is very precious to me. But since I've started my blog, I've discovered something you haven't mentioned: the feeling of accomplishment that comes from crafting a blog post and seeing it out there for everyone to read. So even though it takes away from my writing time, I think it's worth it.
All the best,
M.T. Logan
If blogging is a waste of time, it's a good one. As a freelance writer, I like the instant gratification of seeing my work published and out there for readers (I hope). And like Marian says, it's great practice for organizing thoughts and putting them down on paper?--well sort of...
Is there a way to correct an error other than deleting the entire post (which I just did)?
Happy writing,
Monti
MaryMontagueSikes
I believe any kind of writing is well worthwhile and never a waste of time. So whether you work on your novel or a blog post or an article for a magazine, they all have their benefits.
As a book marketing coach, I always advise my clients to set up a blog and blog regularly, even if it's once a week. The biggest benefit, outside of creating smaller works, is that blogging helps increase your internet identity. That's how people find you online.
In fact, outside of your website, your blog is the next greatest tool you have access to. Any writer who wants to make a dent in sales and increase website traffic, which also leads to more sales, should have a blog.
All the best in success.
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
bestselling author & book marketing coach
Monti, the only way to edit a comment in blogger, once you've posted it, is to delete the comment and start over. :-) Maybe one day Blogger will allow comment editing.
Cheryl
Well, blogging helps me clear my head of stuff I don't want clanging around in there when I'm working on a writing project. It's also helped me network, get links from other folks, and helped me with writing discipline overall. And I don't think folks need to blog every day...just two or three times a week gets many folks to those benefits. I don't want to sound like a blogging zealot, but it's manageable after all the work of setting it up, IMHO. And if you're interested, my blog is transplantportation.com. I write about writing and other things over there. Thanks for this post!
Great comments, everybody! I agree, it's very satisfying to complete a project, however small, every time you post. And when you run into people in town and they say, "I made that dish you posted on your site and we loved it" or "I thought I was the only one who remembered that movie", that's a big payoff! :)
MA
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