What Works for You?

I try to visit a lot of blogs. Most of them are writers but not all. The writers are in all stages of their careers and the content of their blogs vary.

A few of them use their blogs mostly to promote their own books though all of them feature fellow authors now and then. Often they share snippets of their work in progress or of a completed book.

Some writers use their blog to share information about writing, publishing and promotion. Sometimes links to other sites are included. Blogs like these are great for other writers no matter if they're published or still finding their own path to that destination.

Some blogs are composed of a variety pack of author promotion, reviews, and even contests and trivia. I'm terrible at trivia but I always feel victorious when I get even one answer correct.

Other blogs can be a surprise every day with personal tidbits, sharing of opinions and philosophies and any other old thing.

I enjoy all those types of blogs. My blog is a bit eclectic. I sometime promote my own books or someone else'. Usually I have something to say about writing though it's generally only my opinion or taken from my experiences since I don't consider myself an expert in any writing area. Once in a while, I'll do a blog that isn't about writing at all though I generally don't get too personal. And I've vowed to use my blog more to thank and promote friends' books.

Cate Masters has helped me so many times as I navigate the murky waters of being a writer. She's very prolific and also tackles a number of different sub genres within her books. I've shared a table with Cate at a few local book signings and she as gracious in person as she is online. Betting It All, her recent novella release, has one of the loveliest covers I've seen in a while. Check out her blog and the current blog hop she's running.

I believe if you're going to stick to blogging and post regularly you have to do what works for you. Don't try to copy a blog that is very successful but has features you won't feel comfortable writing about. Be comfortable and blogging will be enjoyable and easier.

So what kind of blogs do you visit? How would you categorize your blog? Do you know Cate? Isn't she lovely?

A: Atta Girl, Atta Boy

A:  Most of you are here because you joined the A to Z Blog Challenge.  And it is a challenge to come up with all those blog posts and then visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.  On top of that, many of us are still working on another part of our jobs as writers, parents and dozens of other professions.  It's a lot.  And what do you get out of it when you're done?

We do things for different reasons.  Some we get paid for.  Some we do out of duty or a sense of obligation.  There are even things we do because they're just fun.  So why would we subject ourselves to this massive commitment of blogging for a month straight and spending hours visiting other bloggers?

If you do this challenge right, you're going to gain followers.  You're going to find a lot of interesting blogs you want to continue to visit long after April is over.  On your travels around the blogosphere over the next month, you're going to learn lots of stuff.  Some is just plain interesting and some will help you in your career.  You may gain some interest in your book if you're a writer.  All those are great things.

But when May rolls around and the challenge is over, you may find the most valuable thing you have is a great sense of accomplishment and the glow of personal pride.  You will have fulfilled a promise you made by signing up for the A to Z and you will be proud of it. As well you should.  There won't be a trophy or a zillion dollar contract.  All you can be sure you'll get is an 'atta girl' or 'atta boy.'  But there will be hundreds of us saying it to you.

Today is the first step in earning the reward of completion of the A to Z Challenge.  Good for you.   Now get out of here and go visit someone else. 

Up and Running.

I finally got my personal laptop back in the game.  It's running faster than ever thanks to some simple advice from the great guy at the computer fix-em-up shop.  I wish I could tell his boss t give him a raise.

After a few days of using my slow desktop, I really came to understand how irritating word verification can be when visiting blogs.  It's just one more step, but that one more step cuts into the time I've set aside to visit blogs.

On the other side of the coin, I've heard lots of chatter lately about malware and spam finding its way unto blogs and disrupting or even destroying lots of work.  I guess having the word verification can help prevent some of that.

I use Norton protection on my personal computer, but the guy at the fix-em place told me it does really slow down a computer.  He gave me some advice on what to use instead when my subscription expires.  It's amazing what talking face to face with an expert can do for understanding something that usually causes me lots of confusion.  In the world of writing, we call that networking.

I wish I had the time to network a little this fall by attending a big writers' conference.  But I have neither the money nor the time.  Face to face can really help clear the fog of confusion at times. 

At least I still have all my bloggy friends to network with online.  They've helped me so much by answering questions and providing links to even more information.  And now that I have my laptop back, I'll be cruising along at high speed to visit them more often.

What was the last memorable face to face networking opportunity you had for your writing?

Fix It and Forget It

I really enjoy blogging though I've had trouble commenting on some of my favorite blogs while I'm working on the old desktop. Blogger keeps insisting I have to sign in over and over again on any blogs that require verification letters.

I try to prepare the blogs for an entire week ahead of time, usually on Saturday or Sunday, and then schedule them.  Each day then I can spend time visiting other blogs and not worry about creating posts for my own.  I don't always get the entire week ready, especially if I have an event occurring I will want to post about.  But I do love when I have three or four blogs all ready to go.  It reminds me of my beloved crockpot. I fix them up and then forget them until the hour they're cooked and ready to consume.

Do you prepare multiple blog posts ahead of time? Do you use a verification code on your blog?