Are you cranking out luminescent strokes of blogging brilliance only to have no one notice? Tired of blogging your fingers off only to have your posts disappear into a black hole?
Do you feel like:
Why bother?
Is this blogging thing really worth it?
What’s the point in trying so hard if no one ever reads or reacts to my content?
Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel.
Here’s Help
Don’t toss that towel. Cuz help is on the way.
In this brief video, Cristian Mihai of The Art of the Blogging explains why no one is reading your blog and what you can do about it. Hint: It comes down to two words. Do you know what they are?
Cristian explains here. Give it six-ish minutes. You’ll learn a lot. I did.
Well, it was mostly me. I can’t help it. As a Border Collie mix with loads of love, I’m all about sunshine! And all things brilliant, shiny, and bursting with good cheer! I’m also highly intelligent. Loquacious. Loyal and protective. Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall felines in a single…
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Sunshine Blogger Award. Nominated by Hiker Babe. Who loves to explore The Great Outdoors. Plenty of positive vibes there! Also great info and inspiration about hiking, camping, and treating nature with respect.
What’s a Sunshine Blogger Award?
The Sunshine Blogger Award is given by bloggers to other bloggers. It honors bloggers who are “creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.” (Aw, shucks. That’s me all over, dontcha know? Did I mention that I’m also shy, modest and retiring? Thank you, Hiker Babe!)
The Sunshine Blogger Awardisn’t a self-congratulatory pat-on-the-back paw shake. (Like the neighbor’s cat, if ya know what I mean.) The award means you spread the word about writers you love with your readers! That’s a win-win for everyone. Yesssiree, Lassie! (See bottom of page for details.)
“Sharing some sunshine,” Kimber-style.
The award also comes with some rules, ‘natch.
Sunshine Blogger Award Rules:
Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
Notify the nominees about it by commenting on one of their blog posts.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or your blog site.
And now, on with some sunshine!
Our answers to Hiker Babe’s Questions:
1.Your favorite book?
Man! That’s like asking a mom which kid she likes best! But if you insist, here’s a “short” answer:
I’ve long maintained that some of the finest writing in all literature is Children’s Literature. Any writer who can grab and keep a child’s attention for an entire story is doing something right. Examples?
Misty of Chincoteague and King of the Wind
Prairie fires, rampaging grasshoppers, scarlet fever, and Christmas candy in the Little House books.
Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series.
Aslan and Narnia. Black Beauty. Peter and Wendy.
The Velveteen Rabbit.
The Little Prince.
The Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke.
Perennial favorites? Most anything by John Eldredge. Corrie ten Boom. Elisabeth Elliot. Gary Paulsen and Max Lucado. For uplifting, inspiring stories of hope and grace, Richard Paul Evans is right at the top. Ditto Debbie Macomber and Jan Karon.
I also confess a certain fondness for Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel as well as a curious little monkey befriended by a man in a yellow hat.
2. Describe a recent reading or book-related achievement:
In 2018 I surpassed my Goodreads Reading challenge of reading 365 books in one year. My final total: 383 books. Mostly from the local library.
3. Favorite comfort food?
Tiramisu. Raspberry white chocolate cheesecake. Onion rings. Chocolate anything. Cobb salad. Dilled salmon. (Not necessarily in that order.)
4. Favorite place?
The library! There’s also a sweet little mountain inn in western Washington that the hubs and I adore.
5. A Pet Peeve?
People who keep interrupting me when I’m reading! Or writing!
Like, “Can you not see that my nose is buried in a book? That I’m in deep concentration here, 98 miles beneath the Marianas Trench? That I’ve sailed to the end of the world, jumped off, and hove to in another galaxy? That I’m on the rim edge of another Stroke of Sheer Brilliance that you’ve just possibly derailed forever?!” Puh-leeze!
6. What would your ideal day look like?
Is that a trick question? Cuz it could literally go “16 ways from Sunday.” (Kimber says “Limit it to three.” So here goes.)
Possibility 1: Curled up in my living room recliner with my snuggly blankie, a roaring fire, a steaming mug of hot cocoa and a good book. With Kimber snuggled onto my lap, of course.
Possibility 2: Any day in The Great Outdoors with the hubs and Kimber. Especially at Mount Rainier National Park. Cuz most any day at Mount Rainier is better than the worst day most anywhere else. (Don’t ask how I know that.)
Possibility 3: Any day with Kimber the Magnificent. Listening to Andrea Bocelli or Chris Tomlin tunes and doing most anything to avoid scrubbing the tub.
7. Favorite Quote(s)?
Man! That’s like asking a mom which… oh, never mind. That’s hard to narrow down. But in the running would be:
“All children, except one, grow up.” (If you don’t know this, kindly look it up.)
“We can beat these guys!” Coach Herb Brooks, 1980 U.S. Men’s Hockey Team
“Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt” – Yours Truly
8. What do you love most about blogging?
I love connecting with other readers and bibliophiles, fellow bloggers and writers. Ditto sharing ideas and inspiration and supporting each other.
9. Why do you your write/blog?
Writing is part of my personality. Embedded in my DNA. “Writer” is who I am, not just what I do. Basically, I write because I can’t not write. Ever since I was a little kid.
I also love the challenge of trying to convey sometimes complicated, intricate thoughts, emotions, events and/or experiences with words. It’s a never-ending challenge, both frustrating and joyous – especially when you finally reach that Aha! “light bulb” moment! Know what I mean?
10. Have you published any books? If so, what genre?
Yep. I’ve authored and published over 25 books. I *specialize* in what one wag dubbed “excruciatingly insightful prose.” I’m not quite sure what that is. Can I get back to you on that?
11. What book moved you to tears?
Wow. There have been many over the years in this category. Everything from Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows to Marley and Me. (You may detect a slight canine bias here.)
I first read this remarkable book in 1969. Some 50 years later, this true story of an orphaned lioness and the two humans who loved her enough to set her free remains one of the most powerful, poignant stories I’ve ever read. It includes overcoming overwhelming odds. Triumph. Tragedy. Tenderness. Hope and loss. Also vivid, evocative descriptions of East African flora, fauna, and people. Born Free has it all. (Shoulda bought stock in Kleenex.)
On a similar note, Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa also qualifies.
Nominations
Kimber here again. Here are Mom’s and my nominations to keep the love flowing. (We’re still working on coming up with 11. But here’s a start):
Eleven questions for these exceptional bloggers to tackle:
1. How long have you been blogging?
2. Why did you start a blog?
3. How has blogging affected your life?
4. Describe your biggest blogging challenge
5. Your favorite book genre?
6. Describe your version of The Perfect Vacation ($ not an obstacle)
7. How do you defeat writer’s block?
8. Are your family and friends aware that you’re a blogger? What do they think?
9. What’s the best writing or blogging advice you ever heard?
10. Describe your blog in 10 words or less
11. Dogs or cats? (Inquiring Kimbers want to know!!)
By the way. The whole point of the Sunshine Blogger Award isn’t to keep it to yourself. It’s to share it! And spread some blogging love. So, nominate away, friends!
Whew! Is it dinner time yet? “Askin’ for a friend.” Thanks again for reading. Happy blogging and full sunshine ahead!
Most everyone who’s anyone is singing the praises of social media when it comes to growing your blog. The amen corner is full of “absolutely!” and “imperative!” when it comes to using Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and/or Instagram, etc. to jump-start your blogging traffic or increase book sales.
But is social media use helping or harming your writing?
Answer: It depends. Here are some possible boons and banes.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOONS:
Speed and convenience. You can publish that great American novel yesterday and trumpet your magnum opus all over the world today via your Facebook page or Twitter account. Or sooner.
Ease. Social media applications are generally straight-forward and easy. You don’t have to have an advanced degree in computer science to figure it out and plug in.
Accessibility. Unlike paper and pen or hard copy, you can update your social media outlets from virtually anywhere – email, mobile phone, blackberry, etc. You don’t even need to be near a computer.
Maximum exposure with minimal effort. Many social media platforms offer an option to link to your other accounts so that posting in one venue generates an automatic message in another. (If you activate this option, just be sure that what you’re tweeting about will also be of interest and appropriate elsewhere.)
Cost. There’s no need to invest in paper, ink, or postage when using social media to promote your expertise or your work. You can open a Twitter or Facebook account for free.
SOCIAL MEDIA BANES:
Quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. Social media is quick, convenient, and cursory. You can cover lots of ground with minimal effort, but social media is the online equivalent of “a mile wide and a quarter inch deep.” Cultivating the kind of relationships needed to successfully market yourself or your work takes a lot more than a one-sentence status update or a 140-character tweet.
It can be deceptive. Writing and blogging take time, energy, and effort. You may feel like social media-ing yourself all over the place is boosting your writing/blogging career, but in the final analysis, only one thing can do that: writing.
It’s distracting. What’s easier – tossing out a 140-character tweet, or cranking out a full page of prose, correcting spelling and punctuation, sharpening your POV, or creating several pages of meaningful dialogue? The ease and accessibility of social media can seduce you away from the real work of writing.
Time spent on social media is time taken away from actual writing. Like the above, if you’re spending half your day Facebooking, linking, or retweeting and devoting twenty minutes a day to revising that troublesome chapter or rounding out that one-dimensional character, you’ve jumped the tracks. You’re a writer, not a tweeter. Prioritize your time accordingly.
In Sum
Social media can be a boon and a valuable tool in your marketing arsenal when used properly and advisedly.
It can also be a bane, a glitzy distraction that gobbles up huge quantities of time and creative energy that should go into your writing.
Bottom line
The answer to the “help or harm” question depends on you. Balance is the key. Use it wisely.
How do you balance your writing/blogging and social media use?
New to blogging? Been at it awhile? Trying to figure out why you’re not getting any new readers, likes or comments?
Maybe you’re making some blogging mistakes. We all do it. What separates “the wheat from the chaff,” so to speak, is who identifies and learns from those mistakes and who doesn’t.
So let’s start with 7 common blogging mistakes. Then we’ll discuss how to fix them.
Tired of “what I’m doing while stuck at home waiting out the coronavirus” posts?
Me too. I’m lookin’ for posts with a little more meat on their bones, if ya know what I mean. But what to write about?
If you’re staring at the screen and wondering what to blog about while the clock ticks, here are 10 blogging topics you might consider tackling:
1. Creative Ways to Stay Connected
“Stay at Home” orders are the order of the day. How do you stay connected with friends, family and colleagues while practicing social distancing at the same time?
Do your readers know about video communications like Zoom and Skype? Videoconferencing with GoTo Meeting? Give them the skinny on Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Videoconferencing is part and parcel of today’s workplace as many companies are seeking to accommodate work-from-home options. Here’s a list of 10 meeting tools and products for your organization.
A lot of classic literature has a lot of pages. What interesting, engaging classics can you recommend to help occupy the heart and mind while you’re stuck in doors?
Compile a list of long books that are worth the time. (Anything but Proust, or Bleak House, okay? On the latter, you’re better off watching the TV mini-series.)
4. Homeschool Helps and Hints
Homeschool blogger? If so, you may be experiencing a huge boost in traffic right now. So carpe diem! Seize the day and crank out some practical dos and don’ts. Where to find good curricula. How to keep kids on task. Setting realistic goals and expectations. (We homeschooled for years. I might jump in.)
5. Most Effective Relief Organizations
Many people are struggling and turning to relief organizations for help. Do you know a relief organization with a track record of efficacy and ability? Blog about it! Include a donation link and contact info.
6. A Little Levity, Please?
How ‘bout a roundup of some of the best coronavirus memes that’ll tickle your funny bone? Dispel some of the gloom with a little cheer.
7. DIY
With some store shelves bare and panic buying spread like wildlife, now might be a good time for a DIY post. Ideas:
Put together a list of downloadable or other sources for soothing sounds: breakers on a beach, rain on the roof. Bird calls. AC/DC. (Well, okay. Maybe not AC/DC. But you know what I mean.) And how ’bout some golden oldies?
9. Cooking and Recipes
If this is your jam, your readers are probably looking for easy, comforting meals they can put together from what they have on hand. Whip up some recipes using pantry staples. Include substitute suggestions. Don’t forget kitchen projects to keep the kiddos busy!
10. Remember Rover
Pets can get stressed out, too. Research and write a post about how to identify and counter stress in your dog. Include creative ways to keep Rover occupied and exercised if you’re stuck in doors.
Of course, whatever category you choose depends on your niche and your interests. But writing is therapeutic. It may be “just what the doctor ordered” – not just for you, but for your readers, too!
Forget that ticking clock. Get busy blogging instead!
Have you run out of blogging steam? Feel like you’re talking to nobody? Struggling to find your writing voice?
Back when I was young and foolish – about 20 minutes ago – I thought the best way to vaunt into the exclusive echelons of “serious writer/blogger” status was to mimic The Best. So I tried sounding like John Steinbeck, Anton Chekov, Charles M. Schulz and company. (Well, okay. Maybe not Chekov.)
But every time I sat down to write I’d think, “How would Hemingway or Jane Austen or Charlie Brown approach this?”
It was one of the dumbest things I ever tried. (Not counting the time we poured gorilla glue into ‘Steel Neil’s’ football cleats just before the big homecoming game or the time I left Reese’s peanut butter cups inside the tent in the middle of bear country. It was unintentional, honest!)
Not the Case
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But that’s not quite the case in the writing/blogging biz.
We all have authors we return to again and again, like favorite relatives or another slice of raspberry white chocolate cheesecake with extra hot fudge. Nothing wrong with that. Ditto studying great literature and technique.
But trying to mimic another writer, imitate their rhythm, pacing, or style is like trying to nail jell-o to a tree. It can’t be done and wearing raspberry goo all over your face is just plain silly.
Say It Your Way
Let’s face it. You’re one of a kind (you can take that any way you want). No one sees, hears, experience, processes or records life like you do. What you may think is insanely funny, for example, others may see as …. not. (Trust me on this one.)
Another writer may describe the proverbial “dark and stormy night” as “dark and stormy.” You may call it “a hundred-year monsoon blowing from the bowels of oblivion in a coal miner’s shaft at midnight during a lunar eclipse.” (But I sincerely hope not.)
The bottom line here: Your writing voice in unique. No one else can express what you can. So say it your way.
Besides, relying on someone else’s style or approach is a crutch. It reveals a lack of confidence and imagination. Or skill. Maybe all of the above. It’ll also suck the life out of your own writing style and keep you from finding your own voice.
No Short-Cuts
Developing your own unique writing style and voice may seem daunting. That’s because it is. But there are no short-cuts. Part of what makes a great writer great is that they’re willing to stumble and fall and get up again and keep marching. Consider:
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies was rejected by twenty publishers.
Commenting on The Diary of Anne Frank, one “genius” sniffed, “The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”
Book one of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potterseries was rejected by a dozen publishers.
Ms. L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Timewas rejected by 26 publishers before finally breaking into print. It went on to win the 1963 Newbery Medal.
And so on.
Hard Work
Writing is hard work. It requires insight, sensitivity, growth, maturity and discipline. As you grow as a writer, you may collect stacks of rejection letters and unsolicited “critiques” from barely literate peasants who wouldn’t recognize quality writing if it walked up to them on a street and shook hands (trust me on this one, too).
Don’t despair.
With practice, you’ll learn to sort through the “advice” that’s worth heeding and to smile politely when someone introduces himself as a “writer” because s/he’s invested nearly 19 whole minutes in the craft.
It Takes Time
Learning to express yourself on paper and engage an audience takes time. Do you think I became this brilliant overnight?! Not!
So be patient. Keep plugging. Practice. Expand and experiment.
If non-fiction has you worn to a crackly crisp, try poetry or an adventure novel or short stories. If you get really, really good at fiction, run for Congress.
Whatever you do, be willing to learn and accept constructive advice. As you study, struggle and practice, you’ll build writing muscle. Stamina. Depth. Perspective. Clarity and originality.
Learn from your mistakes. Take a class at the local college. Enter some writing contests. Ask a trusted friend or family member to read your work and provide honest feedback
There are no short cuts, no “silver bullets” to finding your voice as a writer. The instances in which a body falls out of bed and wakes up in “serious writer” territory occur about as often as the last Ice Age.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Becoming a “serious writer” takes time, experience, training, teachability and a willingness to learn, grow and mature. And practice, practice, and more practice.
Power tip: A generous dose of humility doesn’t hurt, either.
So, dust off that keyboard, warm up those fingers and get going. You may have to “color outside the box” and exercise some mental muscles you didn’t know you had. But growing your own writing voice is worth it. The best way is the Nike way: Just do it! Like:
We write to expose the unexposed. Most human beings are dedicated to keeping that one door shut. But the writer’s job is to see what’s behind it, to see the bleak unspeakable stuff, and to turn the unspeakable into words – not just into any words but if we can, into rhythm and blues. You can’t do this without discovering your own true voice, and you can’t find your true voice and peer behind the door and report honestly and clearly to us if your parents are reading over your shoulder. — Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
What’s your biggest challenge in finding your writing voice?
Do you know what you’re doing when you’re blogging? Ever wonder if all that time and effort is worth it? You have things to say. Share. Express. But you’re not sure if anyone’s listening?
When I first started blogging, I had no idea what I was doing. I heard that blogging was The Way to develop a sturdy online presence and convert blog readers into book buyers.
I’ve been writing professionally since the 1980s. And yes, blogging is writing. But it’s a specific kind of writing.
For one thing, no one has the time or the patience to plow through the blogging equivalent of War and Peace. You only have a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention. And keep them reading.
So, your content can’t be just good. It has to be great. But what qualifies as great blogging content?
Whoa! Hold on there, pardner! Before sashaying into today’s post, check out part 1 byclicking here.
That’s okay. I’ll wait.
So. When it comes to blogging mistakes and what not to do, I learned that “A list” bloggers – those with tens of thousands of readers – have one thing in common:
Pages & Paws 