Let me preface by saying I am far from anti-blogging and anti-websites. We have clearly moved into a new era where this has become a standard. However, with that said, I want to work today with the questions, "Are you Blog Worthy?" and "Are you Web-site Worthy?"
These two issues are two pet peeves of mine and the irritations come in a wide variety of areas and come from businesses and writers alike. No, this is not a Scott's Rant but it is something worth ranting about.
Having a Blog can be a useful tool for marketing exposure. Get a following and people will go anwhere with you. The key, however, is to have something worth following. I am constantly amazed at writers, (editors and agents too) that have a blog but do nothing with it. Some set one up and never do anything with it. The same message remains for several months. Others (I see this with writers more than anything) simply blog about what they did that day.
I understand why they do it. Maintaining a Blog is tough work. You have to come up with something daily to talk about and it has to be worthy. Telling us you went grocery shopping is simply not worthy. In essence, you have turned your blog, which should be a professional tool, into nothing more than an extension of your Facebook or Myspace Account.
The same goes for websites. These should be a tool to provide information and spur on business for your writing or your company. If the agency is A) Hard to follow; B) Hard to navigate; or C) have nothing on it that can help or guide, then there simply is no point to it. For you new writers, sure, it is important to have a website, but only after you have actually written a book and sold it. I hate to break it to you, but agents and editors simply don't go following your website to see if you are worthy.
For you new writers, I would simply encourage you to spend the time (and money if you pay someone) on building a website or blogging and use it for your craft. You might be amazed to find the quality of your work improving significantly.
Scott
This is a really good post. There have been a few times that I have connected with another writer enough that I want to see what else they have going on... only to find out what they had for breakfast. And while it might be infinitely fascinating to hear about someone's cheerios, I would find it more intriguing if I heard about the words they put to paper before breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with what to post on my own blog so I know it isn't easy. But what I have discovered is that if I have theme days (ie- Breakout Novel on Monday, WD writer's prompt on Friday, etc.), the blogging is so much easier and more fun. Because not only am I writing, the practice makes me better. Or at least I hope so.
Thanks for the post, Scott.
Are you blog worthy? Sure, any blog is worthy if it is of worth to any one person, writer included. Are you follower worthy? IMO, a better question. How do you get follower worthy? Do you want to?
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great post, Scott.
ReplyDeleteI struggle to know what to write on my blog, I figure it's better to write nothing than complete dribble.
I'm keeping it solely about my writing journey and trying to add a new post each week. Although I can't say much for the last couple of weeks.
However you've inspired me - I'm off to add another post right now :)
There are quite a few blogs I follow - including this one - because they are informative and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI have a writing blog and a website (so it's ready should I get published). I spent quite a bit of time getting it right - time I might not have in the run up to publication.
And the discipline of blogging each week improves my writing.
Have you come across the opposite? A writer whose entire oeuvre resides on his blog? I'm one of those.
ReplyDeleteThe temptation is strong to publish instantly, this very day, to the whole world. The downside is that though the potential readers are enormous, the actual ones are few. I don't care about the lack of income. I wouldn't pay to have my work published, but don't expect to earn anything either.
You could tell your readers from me that you can learn an enormous amount from this form of publishing. I don't feel I'm ready to publish anything in book form (though I do have one in circulation, that I was commissioned to write).