Friday, June 17, 2011

Blogging



As embarrassing as it is, I must admit, I forget to blog here at Voice from the Heart for a couple of months.

I go and check on my fellow bloggers. I look at the site, and think, “Oh, I’ve got to get my blog done.” But do I? No, I forget.

Life takes over, people get married, kids graduate from High School, the dog needs a bath, laundry needs to be done, and of course there is eating, which often requires cooking. Sounds like an author’s regular excuse not to write. It does transfer over for those involved in blogging.

There is always an excuse to forget and not put your butt in the chair and write. The dog is a good reason not to find a subject to blog about, or the kids and cooking. Then there is the big question mark as to why the blog isn’t successful, and you’re not published. It’s like talking about what you’d do with the money you’d win in a lottery, without actually playing.

You have to play to win at anything, it doesn’t magically drop out of the sky and land in the lap and there is instant success. You get a million hits on the blog, and the book hits NYT list. Nope you’ve got to blog, you’ve got to blog about subjects that people want to read, and you’ve got to write, a lot and all the time.

 Blogging is something I do a lot. I’m with The Naked Hero, www.thenakedhero.com and The Writers guide to E-Publishing, www.thewritersguidetoepublishing.com To say I shouldn’t be forgetful about my commitment to blog here at Voices from the heart, is a understatement. Every week, I come up with two blogs sometimes more often if I’m covering for a partner in one of the sites, or guest blogging somewhere.

Blogging is a commitment that has to be upheld if the blog is to be successful. I can’t say how many times I’ve never returned to a blog, when I noticed it hadn’t been updated at least once in a month. To keep my interest it has to be at least once a week.

When blogging first took hold, I heard many authors say, “I’m not going to bother. It’s just another fad.” Well that ‘fad’ is bigger than ever. Everyone seems to have a blog, celebrities, politicians, sport figures, newscasters, and of course writers. There are absolutely millions of them. So how does one stand out against the others? Commit to a subject manner, stick to it, and be honest. The competition for readers is thick. It’s like being a in a foot race with an Olympic runner, and you haven’t trained in ten years. Does sound discouraging, but keep it up, and you’ll attract the right people over time, who like what you have to say, can relate, and will come back.

Blogging isn’t for everyone. You literally have to come up with something to say about something, know what you’re talking about, and don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Sounds easy, but it’s not always. So I’ll try harder, because this blog does mean something to me. How long did it take me to write this, maybe 20minutes.
So do you blog? Is it like trying to write a novel, with plenty of excuses?

11 comments:

Mona Risk said...

Excellent blog. I better not forget to blog tomorrow!! After all when we blog we promote ourselves and our books, and when we comment we support our fellow writers, and they'll support us. Remember the monkeys: Scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Commitment is important to success. I've only been blogging a short time. Voices being my first. I recently joined two other blog groups--Castles & Guns and Kitchen Excursions. I have reminders setup in outlook to nudge me a few days before each due date.

Jill James said...

A committment to anything is worth keeping. I've heard lots of people complain when an author's website isn't up to date. They don't want to see what book you published 5 years ago, they want to know what is out there now.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I blog right here on the 28th of each month, and over my own blog at joanleacott.ca every Saturday morning. Right now, I'm using cross-posts from to fill in the blanks on my own blog, but I'll soon run out and have to get creative. I've got a list of random blogging ideas all ready to go.

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Excellent post, LA, and so true. Life does get hectic and good intentions fall by the wayside. I tell myself, "I'll do that then.." and of course it rarely gets done. I'm trying to create a new habit: Do it now. I'll be posting here soon as a new contributor and I couldn't be happier.

Lee Lopez said...

thanks Mona, I thought I was the only one. And I love the new look.

Lee Lopez said...

Dawn you're so right, and here I am late in responding!!!

Lee Lopez said...

Jill You know I agree,it the commitment that makes it all work. And I'm with you I won't return to a site if it's not updated.

Lee Lopez said...

Joan, I had two blogs up yesterday plus this one. It can get crazy.

Lee Lopez said...

Vonnie, If I don't do it right away it doesn't get done. So I can't put things off.

Josie said...

L.A.,
It's so difficult to set aside time to blog because life is insanely busy. And, with school out and my 16 year old daughter caught up in lifeguarding and swim meets, I don't see a respite until the fall.

Hopefully, I'll continue to remember my own commitment to this blog on the 8th of each month.