Some Hard Truths About Blogging

June 22, 2018 / Sheila M. Good, Author/ Edit

When I began blogging, I will admit I had no idea what I was getting into. I just wanted to write.

I discovered a few things along the way:

• Blogging is hard work.
• It takes time, lots of time.
• Blogging and writing my novel was a difficult balance.

P. S. Hoffman has written a great article on this very subject. 5 Ways an Author Blog Could Kill Your Writing (and What to Do Instead). Here are some highlights.

1. Blogging is a huge investment in time and effort.
2. It robs you of valuable writing time.
3. If you want to write a novel, blogging teaches the wrong skills.
4. Blogging is “information heavy and story light.”
5. If you want to build your storytelling skills — write stories. Readers want to read your stories.
6. Author blogs don’t sell books.
7. To blog well, you must love blogging.

I enjoy sharing with my readers my stories and the tips or resources I come across as I strive to learn the craft of writing. I discovered, however, that to focus on my novel, I had to put my blog on the back burner.

At first, I felt guilty for abandoning my readers, even if for a short while; but, I had to decide — Did I want to be a writer or a blogger? The answer was clear, I wanted to write. I set aside the focus on my blog and for more than three months, turned my attention to my novel. It is now complete and out to beta readers and editors.

For now, I can focus on sharing some of what I learned during the process of completing my novel and what happens as I go through the process from draft to publication.

The question is still an important one to ask? What’s your goal? Writer? Blogger?