Blogs

When writers are starting out, the first tidbit of advice they receive is to start blogging.

Honestly, this is great advice because it is an easy way for a writer to force himself/herself to write constantly. The problem with blogging is that starting out can be a daunting task, and when writers get overwhelmed, they often quit - and that is a true shame. The reason why writers become overwhelmed is that they don't understand the blogging process. They have concrete ideas on what to write; they just don't know where to write.

Before writers set their pens or keyboards to any blog, they need to ask themselves one question:

"What type of blog suits me?"

There are basically two options: the community blogging site or the single blogging site. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

A community blog offers a built-in fan base where other writers on the site are willing and ready not only to encourage you and read your work but also promote you as well. A well-run community site should be adept at social media and willing to push your work out which will in turn build your brand - which I know sounds businesslike - but it's essential in today's world. The downside of a community site: You share page space with other talented people who might or might not get more attention than you. You have to realize on community blogs that Tweets, Stumbles and Facebook posts that go out into cyberspace are not all about you. There might be days when "your best post ever" has been blown away by a photo of an elephant talking to a car salesman with a caption that reads, "Tell me what do you need for trunk space?" It's sad, but it's true.

If you have a single blog, you have a lot of work cut out for you. There is no riding the coattails of more established writers plus the social media is all your responsibility. Social media is not easy, and it is time consuming. The upside to a single blog: you get to be the one and only writer. You are the star! You get to experiment with your writing and let that blog be the place where you push the envelope and try out that edgy material that will make your mother cry in shame or your fellow PTA members blush with embarrassment.

As a single blogger, you can join blogging networks, which can offer a sense of community without the commitment. That might help you get your work out, too, but you have to be diligent in keeping those connections strong. Let's face it: Blogging is not for the weak. It is the most important weapon in a writer's arsenal. Your posts possess the capability to take you to other publication opportunities or to books or to videos or to podcasts or to wherever your dreams want to go. In today's digital world, blogging is the first step on the long journey for all writers.

Before you decide how or where you want to blog, think about long-range goals. Are you hoping to publish a book or develop a screenplay? Are you to hoping to become a media maven? What your goals are now should direct you to what type of blogging you want to do.

Will your goals change? Absolutely. Can your blogging platform change? Absolutely. As you venture past the blog and into other spheres of writing, you will look back and appreciate your blog as the jumping-off point that allowed you to become the writer you always wanted to be.

- Donna Cavanagh

Donna Cavanagh, part of the 2014 EBWW, is a humor entrepreneur and founder of HumorOutcasts.com, an online humor magazine that features the work of more than 100 writers, screenwriters, filmmakers, actors and stand up comics. She is also founder of HumorOutcasts Press/Shorehouse Books and is co-host of Write Out Loud for the URBusiness Network. A veteran journalist who detoured into humor writing, Donna considers humor as "our best weapon against the challenges of today's world." Her books include Life on the Off Ramp, which was a finalist in the USA Books Contest, Try and Avoid the Speed Bumps, and her latest,A Canine's Guide to the Good Life.