Are you a fiction writer stepping into the big world of beginner bloggers? Writing a blog can seem intimidating and foreign compared to writing your latest short story or novel. You may even wonder if creating a blog is necessary for you when you want to publish novels. Well, the answer is yes, it is necessary!
Reason to Blog #1: Building Your Ideal Audience
Your author platform is the hub for your work, and the online home where your ideal readers can visit you. It’s a good plan to start building your ideal audience now, so when you are ready publish your novel you’ll already have readers lining up for the first copies off the presses.
Reason to Blog #2: Author Platform Relevance on the Internet
To keep your author platform website alive, you need to be providing consistent and fresh content. Your readers want to read relevant, helpful, and interesting posts on your blog. Whether it be a short story, insight into your novel, or a how-to post on writing their own novel, you need to keep your readers interested in your work.
Plus, you’ll get to provide entertainment or information to a great tribe of people!
Reason to Blog #3: Community & Communication
You get to connect one-on-one with your readers through comments and your emailing list.
And if that wasn’t enough, with a blog you have an excuse to connect with your favorite authors and influencers via interviews and even collaborations.
Reason to Blog #4: Future Business Opportunities
If one day you wish to start a larger business around what you have learned as an author, you will already have an audience to pitch ideas to and even sell your product.
There are so many benefits and opportunities in blogging you don’t want to miss. However, I know the struggle and doubt associated with becoming a blogger.
You will face difficulty and fear, but your goal is absolutely attainable and worth every second of hard work! So to give you a boost, I’ve curated seven blogposts from knowledgeable bloggers, leaders, and my personal online mentors who know what creating a successful blog takes.
Kick back and read one or all seven of these articles for beginner bloggers on finding blogpost topics, blogging tips, mistakes to avoid, and more so you can reach your full potential as a blogger.
1. Topic Ideas For Beginner Bloggers
50 Blog Topics for Fiction Writers by Jenn Hanson-dePaula on MixtusMedia.com.
Stuck on what to blog about? Jenn has compiled a list of 50 fabulous blogpost topics for fiction writers to get you started.
You shouldn’t wait until you publish your novel to get readers interested in your story. Hook your readers now so they can’t wait until your novel is released!
2. More Blogpost Ideas
10 Topics Authors Can Blog About – That Readers, Writers And Bloggers Will Love by Elira Barnes at EliraBarnes.com.
Still struggling with brainstorming good blogpost ideas? Elira has compiled 10 topics which unpublished and published writers can use to create useful, relatable, and fun blogposts.
Use these topic ideas to jumpstart your next brainstorming session!
3. Writng a Good Blogpost
How to Write a Good Blog Post by Five Design Co. at FiveDesign.Co.
Once you have a blog topic, how do you write a good blogpost? Mel the founder of Five Design Co. addresses questions like why you should be writing for one ideal reader, where you should put a call-to-action, how to use your sub-headings, and more.
Don’t just write a piece to publish, but publish a blogpost which will promote and grow your author platform.
4. 5-Step Template
How to Write a Blog Post: The Simple 5 Step Template by Joe Bunting over on TheWritePractice.com.
If you are struggling to write a non-fiction blogpost, this post is for you! Developed from the 3-act story structure, Joe bunting shares his simple five-step template to writing an interesting blogpost which solves a problem for your readers. I have used this template myself and have found it super easy to use and well received as a blogpost format. Give it a try!
Related: How to Hook Readers on Your Novel, and Keep Them Hooked (I used Joe Bunting’s five-step template to write this blogpost.)
5. Quick Blogging Tips
25 Blogging Tips for Newbies and Veterans by Jeff Goins on GoinsWriter.com.
Want a quick list of tips you can implement immediately to improve your blog? Experienced blogger Jeff Goins reveals 25 golden tips on content, format, community, blogging goals, and more you don’t want to miss.
Related: What You Need to Know About Starting a Blog
6. Mistakes Beginner Bloggers Should Avoid
Blogging Gone Bad: 7 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make by Michael Hyatt on MichaelHyatt.com.
Wondering what not to do in blogging? Well, here are 7 mistakes you should avoid making according to the founder of Michael Hyatt & Company, plus fixes to keep readers coming back to your blog for more great content.
7. Building an Active Community
10 Ways to Build an Active Community on Your Blog by Melyssa Griffin over on MelyssaGriffin.com.
Blogging is for your readers, so building an active community on your blog is essential. Growing your tribe creates a helpful and supportive community where likeminded people can accomplish their goals together, and be an audience for your future books + business plans.
In this blog post, entrepreneur Melyssa Griffin shows you ten ways you can begin building your blog’s active community immediately.
The Level Up Challenge for Beginner Bloggers
There you have it! Now, with all your new knowledge there is a challenge. Take one lesson or tip you have learned and put it to use immediately. Brainstorm blogpost ideas, start writing a blogpost, or implement whatever cool trick you want, doesn’t matter. Just act!
Don’t let your blog collect dust because of doubt and fear. Believe me, it doesn’t do any good. Start blogging immediately so you can graduate from the beginner bloggers to the professionals in no time.
Now, get off my website, sit in front of a blank page, and get crackin’ on your next blogpost!
Related: Want A Writing Career? You Need 6 Things
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S.J. Siedenburg is a thriller & fantasy novelist, an editor, and a bibliophile with a passion for stories and helping writers finish their novels. She’s the author of the guidebooks Character Presentation, Before the First Draft, and the How to Write a Novel online course. Six of her short stories have been published through writing contests. Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5