The HEA Cafe

A question I struggled to answer for myself:

a lot of writers are asking themselves Whether ’tis nobler…. oh no, that’s something different.

But really, why do we blog? I assume that for some it is a way to unburden things to the world generally. I mean it’s not all about promotion. Look at the success Miss Snark had.  She got no business from her blog, because as far as I know, no one knew who her name. Maybe one day the secret will be revealed. And perhaps that was part of her success. But what was that all about?

Miss Giggles falls into that category only worse, she can be vicious, I hear. When I seriously started thinking about “why blog” I labeled these conflict blogs. They anonymously say all kinds of things that no reasonable person would say to your face, you hope.

Then of course there is self-promotion. There is the blatant kind by Jenny and Bob and good luck to them I say. They offer a service to writers, and writers are also readers. Lets face it, there were thousands of members of RWA who checked into and learned from it. It was humorous and never cruel (unless to each other). They did a wonderful blog course on writing

And there is this amazing group blog with my American Title 2 sisters, where we cheer each other up, support each other and tell the world what we are up to.

Then there are niche blogs too. For example historical writers who get together to talk about their works and the era they write about, Wordwenches springs to mind with some pretty hefty names.

There are Drunk Writers — yep, they are friends of mine and they talk about the writing life, their goals, and their thoughts and have a few laughs.

Oh and another question, do you need your own blog, if you are part of a group blog?

But if I did have a blog, who did I want to read it? Did I want to be a promoter or a teacher or simply a commentator on life? Readers, I thought. I wanted readers who would eventually buy my novels, and enjoy them, but with whom I created a rapport, something a website could not do.

So —To Blog or Not to Blog?

Blogs, if done faithfully, are interactive and constantly updated, which is a plus. but you have to do them faithfully, which means work.

What could I do that would be interesting to my readers, that I could maintain on a regular basis, that would also promote my writing business?

It is my experience that people who read regencies are as fascinated with the era as I am. I decided to name my blog Regency Ramble and to share my research.

Blogging can also be art form if you use it as a diary, lifewriting, it is known as in the literary world. It can be also be a tool to reach out to others with similar interests. Whichever way you decide to use it, do your research, decide on your target audience and give that audience something it wants.

The blogging experts say that:
If you can identify who your target audience is, you are well on the way to answering the question simply –yes– blog.

Michele Ann Young