I'm with Lynn Simpson; I'm also still learning about the business side of writing. I've had modest publishing success to date and have a ways to go in developing my skills as a marketer, etc. One thing I do know is it's important to build a readership if you want to get anywhere.
I blogged about this last year, but this is the perfect time to bring it up again - the A-Z Blogging challenge, which is set every April. The brain child of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out, the challenge is in its seventh year, with well over 1,600 participants.
During the month you write 26 posts, each
beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. April 1 is A, April 2
is B, etc. No posts on Sundays. You can write to a theme or about whatever comes to mind. You can plan your posts ahead of
time or fly by the seat of your pants. The idea is to get your creative
juices flowing, to visit other bloggers who are participating, and for
new readers to come your way.
For fun, I googled "A-Z Blogging Challenge" along with "Business of Writing," and discovered that at least two authors have used A-Z to address the subject. Start here for the first of Helena Halme's series of posts, and here for the beginning of Carrie Butler's.
And if you'd like to sign up for this year's challenge, it's not too late. Type your details into the Linky you'll find here.
Godspeed, fellow bloggers!
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Susan's website can be found @ www.susanbarclay.wordpress.com
If you haven't heard of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, it's high time you did! The brain child of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out, the challenge is in its sixth year, with well over 1300 participants.
Basically, the ideas is this: during the month of April, write 26 posts, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. April 1 is A, April 2 is B, etc. No posts on Sundays. You can write to a theme or you can write about whatever comes to mind. You can plan your posts ahead of time or fly by the seat of your pants. The idea is to get your creative juices flowing, to visit other bloggers who are participating, and for new readers to come your way.
This is my fourth year of A-Z'ing and the first where I actually had the work complete by April 1. That freed me up (in theory) to visit more blogs than I had before and to enjoy and reply to the comments left by readers of my blog, Notes from Innisfree. This year my theme was 'living with less', aka de-cluttering/simple living.
I find the challenge a great way to keep my writing fresh and to give myself a break from my routines. In February, I talked about methods I use to stimulate ideas and creativity. A-Z fits by acting as a writing prompt and allowing me to read blog posts from different viewpoints or on topics I know little about. Another great thing about it is the opportunity to add new followers and meet new friends. At the end of the month I never regret writing my way through the alphabet.
Next year I hope you'll join me. Let's A-Z together!
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For more of my writing visit my personal blog (click above link) and my website, www.susan-barclay.ca
