A Writer's Guide to Successful Blogging, Part 4

Remember this series? Thought it was time for another installation. If you missed the previous posts, it's not too late to catch up. So far we've discussed the overall theme or subject of your blog, time management tips from Dean C. Rich, and the important detail of live links.

Today we'll be talking about some important things all writers need on their blogs (besides blog posts, obviously).

Subscription options

Note I said optionS, plural. Occasionally I'll come across a Blogger blog where the only option to subscribe is to follow with Google Friend Connect. That's okay, but it's not enough. I follow that way, but to be honest, I rarely look at my blog list when I sign into Blogger. I sign in to post on my own blogs, then I log out. I like to subscribe to posts via email, and also occasionally using feeds. Every reader is different, so you want to make sure you have plenty of options for each of them.

• Google Friend Connect (for Blogger blogs)
• RSS, Atom, or other feed services (in Blogger, go to Layout, click add a Gadget in whichever sidebar/area you want it to appear, and then select Subscription Links)
• Email - in Blogger, this uses FeedBurner to deliver your posts via email to subscribers (follow the same instructions as above, but select the Follow by Email option)

Email

You should absolutely have some sort of contact info on your blog. You can put in on a separate page/tab, or you can add it right on your homepage (see mine? top left corner). At the very least, this offers readers a chance to send you a "love your blog!" email if they so desire. But think of this: have you ever had trouble commenting on someone else's blog? I have. Blogger especially has a tendency to be picky about comments. One of my readers who couldn't comment on my blog dropped me an email to let me know she appreciated one of my posts.

What if someone stumbles across your blog and wants to talk to you about a guest blogging opportunity? Or what if an agent/editor/someone who you'd just die if you missed the opportunity to hear from wants to get in touch with you? You never know when someone will need to get in touch with you through some method a little less public than a blog comment, so go ahead and put up your email address.

Privacy concerns? Of course, that's natural. You can set up an alternate email address specifically for your blog, then connect it to your regular email so you can check both at the same time. Or if you use Hotmail, like I do, you can set up an email alias - it's not a separate email account, just an alternate address for my existing account. This way I don't have to worry about checking a separate account.

One tip: to avoid as much spambot mail as possible, put your email up as such: YourEmail[AT]provider[DOT]com or some other way that disguises the fact that it's an email address to anything but a human reader. I didn't do this at first, and after the tenth or so email about getting my degree or ordering high quality replicas of whatever, I changed it.

Social Media buttons/widgets

Do you tweet? Have a Facebook fan page?  Belong to some other social site you'd like your readers to know about? Check with each site and/or your blog host to see if there is a button or widget you can add to your site that will direct your blog readers to those locations. Twitter, for example, offers a few different options. You can have a simple button, or you can have a widget that displays your most recent tweets.

Remember, it's all about making it easy for your readers to keep up with where you are and what you're saying.

Post sharing options

This seems like a no-brainer, but I've seen plenty of blogs that don't have this. If someone likes your post enough to share it on Facebook, don't make them open a new tab/window, sign in, copy/paste the link into their status and hit send. If they're in a hurry, they might not share at all. With share buttons, it takes a fraction of the time to post a link to FB, Twitter, or any other number of sites.

In Blogger, you can access this by going to your layout, then clicking edit in the box where your blog posts go. Check the box for "show share buttons" and you're all set!

"My Writing" section

If you're published, have a dedicated place on your blog to show off your work. If you have books for sale, you can put the covers and links in your sidebar. You can have a separate page or tab that lists links to anything you have published or available for purchase.

If you're NOT published, don't worry. If you feel so inclined, post a few paragraphs as a sample, or include blurbs for what you're currently writing or querying to agents. You can also not do this. It's up to you.

All of these features will help your readers find and share your content with ease. There is one last thing I want to mention, and that's comment moderation options. Everyone has their own take on this, and reasons for why they do what they do, but here's my two cents:

I don't have comment moderation, I don't use captcha authentication, and I do allow anonymous comments. I want my blog to be a dialogue. Why would I put up any barriers for people who've taken the time to read and then leave a comment? You might get a spam comment now and then, but they're easily deleted (I haven't had one in quite some time. Blogger's new spam filter is pretty good about catching them). I don't moderate comments partially because I don't want the hassle of having to approve them all, but mostly because I kind of hate when other people use it. I hate not knowing if there are additional comments before mine that I'm not seeing because they haven't been approved yet. Those comments might say something interesting that I'd also like to respond to. I also like to keep up with the conversation on a post I take time to comment on, so I'll click the box to subscribe to follow-up comments. If there are four comments in the queue before mine, I'm pretty sure I don't get notifications for those, so I won't know to come back and check the discussion unless someone comments after me.

That's my opinion on the issue. You'll do with the comments what you think makes sense for you. But as for the other things, I hope to see all those features next time I visit your blogs, if they aren't there already.

Are there any other features you think are must-haves for writers who blog?

A Writer’s Guide to Successful Blogging, Part 3

(You can read part one here and part two here.)

In this installment of the Successful Blogging series, we’re going to talk about one small – yet vital – aspect of blogging.

This is the Internet we’re on, and this is the Information Age. So many things are available at the click of a mouse, and naturally we’re accustomed to having them readily so. We Google things we want to know and can find the answers pretty quickly.

However, if a reader has come to YOUR blog because you purport to have some sort of information they want, you’d better have it right there, ready to go at the click of a mouse.
What the hell am I talking about, you ask?

I’m talking about LIVE LINKS, folks! It amazes me how often this is overlooked. If you have an interview with a new author on your blog, you should have a live link to a marketplace (such as Amazon) where it can be purchased or a site like Goodreads where people can read reviews. A link to the author’s website and/or blog is important, too. If you’re discussing an issue you heard about from some other online sources, it’s a good idea to link to those resources so your readers can read the same thing you did. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to link.

Wrong: No link at all. Don’t make your reader leave your blog and go to Google! You brought up the article/product/website/whatever, so you should provide the link!

Wrong: www.fromthewriteangle.com <---- You can’t click that link! Don’t make the reader open a new tab and copy/paste the address.

Wrong: www.fromthewriteangle.com Yes, you can click that link. But don’t link to a general homepage if what you really want to direct people to is a specific page or entry. You need to insert the permanent hyperlink (permalink) to the specific page. If it's a specific blog post, you can right click on the post title, then select Copy link location. Or just click on the post and copy from your browser. DON'T FORGET to use the permalink when you tweet about your post, too! Don't direct people to your homepage and expect them to know which post you meant.

Wrong: http://www.fromthewriteangle.com/2011/08/digital-publishings-plr-plight.html You’re probably beating your head against the computer screen, saying But that’s the direct link to the page you want people to see, which you just said we should use! Yes, yes it is. But it looks ugly, doesn’t it? Just sitting there in all its full-length glory. It can get especially ugly if you have a really long link, like the ones for a product on Amazon. Keep everything clean-looking. Instead of saying “Here’s a recent post on Private Label Rights” and then slapping the link on the end in parentheses or something, link the relevant word(s) in a sentence.

Right: “I read a post on Private Label Rights that really made me think.” See, doesn’t that look better? And you don’t even need to know the fancy code for that (although I could teach you if you really want.)

In your Blogger editor (and most other blogging platforms), you’ll see an icon that looks like a chain link – that’s your hyperlink button. Just highlight the word or phrase that you want to be a clickable link, click the hyperlink button, and type or paste the URL that you want it to point to. Voila! That’s all there is to it. That one tiny step will help your blog look clean and professional, and will ensure your readers have a hassle-free link-viewing experience.

Happy blogging!

A Contest Conundrum and a Blog Award

Last week I promised you all a fabulous contest here at Jello World... you may have noticed that I haven't posted said contest. Here's why:

I can't find the prize book! I know it's here, somewhere, shoved in one of the boxes still left from the move. Since I couldn't find the book I wanted to use, I figured I'd use a different erotic short story collection that I recently purchased. I just had to read it first. It's not that long, so I read it over two days. But although most of the stories were good, they weren't all as great as the book I can't find. And I don't want to give an inferior prize!

Then I thought of this other book I have that might work. It's not erotica, but I think anyone considering writing erotica should read it. It is, quite frankly, shockingly gross in some parts. I have to admit, though, that it was a pivotal book for me in terms of my attitude about writing erotica and my thoughts on what is sexy, and so forth. It's a book that challenges you to examine your thoughts and beliefs about women's bodies, standards of beauty and hygiene, and how those types of things may or may not affect the way you write about sex and sexuality.

So where's the conundrum? It's here: Do I give away a short story collection that is good, but not necessarily great, or do I give away a book that is NOT sexy, and that some may find downright distasteful, but that I think could prove valuable to an aspiring writer of erotica?

What do you think? I'll be thinking on it a little more before I post the contest. If I find the other book in the meantime, I'll continue with that as the prize, as originally intended.

Next order of business: I've been graced with the Liebster Blog Award! It was bestowed upon me by my friend Dean at The Write Time. Thanks, Dean!

What is a Liebster Blog Award, you ask? It's an award to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

In the spirit of the award, here are my top five picks for blogs/writers you should all check out! There are a couple here that I'm shocked don't have 200 followers yet!

1. Join Riley Redgate In the Jungle as the talented teen gives her take on everything writing, with wit and wisdom beyond her years. We share a bizarre affinity for Rebecca Black's "Friday", and that should be reason enough for you to check out her blog!
2. Author Maxwell Cynn muses on the art and business of writing with tips for writers and reviews for readers. I'm two-thirds of the way through his steamy sci-fi novel Cybrgrrl and it is HOT! He's slowing it down on the social media front at the moment, gearing up for a fall release of a new book, and working on Cybrgrrl 2.0.
3. Go Crossing the Helix with R.C. Lewis to learn about her adventures in YA and more. Chances are you'll learn something interesting, as her posts often draw from her non-writing life as a math teacher to deaf students. Math geek + word nerd = R.C. Lewis
4. Peruse The Elephant's Bookshelf, where Matt Sinclair discusses his cherished books and stories, and invites you to share yours as well.
5. Let Calista Taylor guide you through A Steampunk Reverie. Cali has plans to release her first novel, Viridis, in the near future, and I assure you, you do NOT want to miss it! If you like steampunk (even if you don't know what that is, you'll love this) and steamy romance, this is for you.

Go forth! Visit and follow these blogs! Tell them JLo sent you ;-)

A Writer's Guide to Successful Blogging, Part 2

Today's Successful Blogging topic is all about time management. You can get so sucked into blogging and social networking that you lose sight of what you're supposed to be doing in the first place: writing! Or, you can be such a good little writer, churning out word after word, that you kinda neglect your blog until it has tumbleweeds and cobwebs. How do you find the time?

One of the best features to take advantage of (on both Blogger and Wordpress, as well, I'm sure, as other blogging platforms) is advance post scheduling. You can get your post(s) all set up and ready to go, then schedule them to post at the desired date and time. So if you have a particularly productive day where you hammer out four posts, you can schedule them and have extra time later on. This also helps with my second point:

Pick a schedule and stick to it. Even if it's just "I'll post on the first Monday of every month", that's fine. It gives your readers something to look forward to. I know, I know. Believe me, I know what you're thinking. But do as I say, and not as I do on this one, mmkay? Maybe one of these days I'll take my own advice here haha.

To finish up this post, I've invited Dean C. Rich, writing friend extraordinaire from AQC, to tell you how he's found the time to blog. He's quite the busy man, and he's only been at this blogging thing for about a month and a half, and he's doing well. Check out his blog for a new time management tip every Thursday.

Take it away, Dean!

J. Lea Lopez has become a great cyberfriend. I met her in the forums and Wednesday night chat sessions at Agent Query Connect. I am honored to be a guest blogger on her blog.

I’ve set up a blog of my own, and I have a very full plate. I have three children at home, one is a dancer, two sons in show choir, and all three play instruments. My wife works full time and I am a general manager working 60+ hours a week. So yes, I have a very full plate.

J. Lea and a few others at AQC suggested, no scratch that, urged, well no not urged, insisted on members setting up a twitter accounts, and a blogs. (Oh Dean, you make it sound like we were cracking the whip! *wink*) You must have a platform. I thought no way can I do a blog, twitter, write, and keep up with my professional life and family life.

However, as a writer you need a platform. You need to be involved in a writing community. AQC is a great place to start.  (I will blog about that on my own blog another time.) The community taught me to twitter. They got me to blog. Slowly I am building a following. I was very hesitant to blog, but my friend J. Lea really helped me get started. She suggested I build the blog but not tell anyone about it until I was more comfortable. So I hinted to my friends at AQC that I was working on it, and I even managed to build some anticipation to the “unveiling” of the blog. Twitter went from 10 AQC friends to over 100 followers. My blog now has 13 followers, seven are friends I’ve made from AQC, but the others have just arrived. So I will say I’ve some success with my blog and twitter. I am making some great friends doing this. (And if I may interject again, Dean, with his 13 lovely followers, consistently has more comments on his posts than I did at that stage. Or even now, with 68 followers. Ahem. Just sayin'. :-P)

I know J. Lea has already talked about auto post, (this works great for me!) I like routines. Routines help me get so much done! The ebb and flow of the week gives me a few windows to write for my blog.  It also helps to post a schedule on the blog. This makes you accountable to your readers.  Accountability is important, it introduces self discipline, and forces you to make a commitment to your blog, and your readers. (Eventually you will gain readers.)

My goal is to post at least one item a week. To achieve my goal I decided to be true to the blog's theme, Time. So for me the only thing that is an absolute with my blog at this point is Thursday’s Time Tip. I must post a time tip every Thursday. Although my blog has room for other things I am committed to posting once a week. Eventually I may post themes on other days of the week, but I've left that open right now. I do have plans to expand the blog in the future.  I currently have slots for tips on writing, excerpts on my work, as well as essays from my life, a get to know you type thing.

The important thing is to make up your mind to do something, then build a way to make it work.

15 minutes for twitter a week. 20 to 40 minutes a week to write at least one post for the blog. Auto post will make it happen at the same time every week. Find a rhythm, a routine, stick with it and some level of success will come your way.

Happy blogging! 

SheWriter Blogger Ball!

The fabulous Meg Waite Clayton is hosting a blog meet-and-greet of sorts for SheWrites.com members, so I thought I'd introduce Jello World to other SheWriters. For a list of participating blogs and instructions on how to get in on the action, click the bookcase above! I've got my dancing shoes on and am ready to twirl around on the arms of various bloggers so that we all might say How do you do? So without further ado, here is my introduction to me!

I am an aspiring novelist, with a few short pieces published in online venues (click the My Writing tab above for titles and links!) I write mostly commercial women's fiction and erotica. I love networking and socializing online with other writers... probably too much. In addition to SheWrites, you can usually find me lurking around Agent Query Connect, where I moderate a critique group, or occasionally posting snippets over at Fictionaut.

I have a penchant for jello (hence the blog name) and sometimes compare it to both life and writing. My adorable dachshund occasionally makes an appearance on the blog, although she's kinda pissed right now because we moved across the state, and therefore has not been especially adorable or cuddly. Writing (and reading!) erotica is tons of fun for me, but I have pet peeves about what currently passes for good erotica. I tend to develop writerly crushes on folks, and when I do, I'll promote their writing/blog/whatever with reckless abandon. All of these things - and more! - you will find if you stick around Jello World for a while. So, welcome! I look forward to meeting the rest of you!

WPHC9P6BTVA8

A Writer’s Guide to Successful Blogging, Part 1

Last night on Agent Query Connect, we had a fabulous chat about successful blogging. It was so awesome it inspired me to create a series here to recap the discussion and touch on some of the topics we didn’t get to cover.

We spent a good deal of time talking about branding. Your blog is a way to develop your brand as a writer. It doesn’t so much have to be about you as it does have to say something about you. It should give the audience a sense of your personality (because Voice is not just for manuscripts and queries anymore, it’s for blogs, too!), it should have content that will make people come back again and again, and it should not – I repeat, NOT – be one giant advertisement for your book(s). After all, how many times would you visit a blog where the posts only say things like “Buy my book!” or “Read this review of my book!” or the thinly veiled “Here’s some advice on writing… and see how I put it into practice by BUYING MY BOOK!” I mean, seriously.

Your blog should have some sort of theme, focus or niche that it fills. It doesn’t have to be super-narrow in focus, but you want some cohesion. Utterly confusing randomness is not a good idea. If you blog about your current book one day, rant about your in-laws another day, post a political manifesto yet another day… well, there’s nothing for your audience to rely on. They’ll never know what to expect from your blog. While you might think that’s a good thing (Yeah! I wanna keep ‘em guessing! That’s fun!) it can get old real quick. My time is precious, and I don’t always have a lot of it, so instead of reading your scattered blog, I’ll end up visiting other blogs where I at least have some idea of what I’ll be getting.

So how do you begin to develop your brand via your blog? Newer writers especially may be thinking they have nothing to offer the blogosphere. I’m not a writing expert, I just started! I’m not published. I’m still learning. What the heck would I blog about? For starters, never discount your position on the path to publishing. (Ooh, love that alliteration!) There are plenty of people who are at similar levels, or not even at your level, who would love to hear about what you’re learning, techniques you’ve picked up along the way, etc.

Of course, there’s no rule that says as a writer you have to blog about your journey to publication. Many do, but there are other aspects. What are some social issues you tackle in your stories? (Bullying? Date rape?) Or more concrete events or ideas that you write about. (Does your main character love classic cars?) Also, think about your non-writing life. What are some other passions or hobbies you have? (Music, food, etc.) What’s a unique skill set you have? (Can you solve any crossword puzzle in ten minutes flat? Can you sing?) What’s your day job? (Graphic designer? Teacher? Bartender?) Do you know a lot about a random topic? (Are you fascinated with kitschy art?) Use these answers as a starting point for finding your unique take on what would otherwise be just another writer’s blog.

Still unsure? Would you like a few examples? Of course you would! Shout out to some of my Agent Query Connect peeps: here are three blogs that have voice and a brand that you can count on time and again.

• Ink Rock – This brand-spanking-new blog belongs to Stephen L. Duncan (Twitter: @stephenlduncan), who started last night’s AQC chat down the road of defining your blogging niche when he described Ink Rock for us. In his (paraphrased) words, his plan for Ink Rock is to become the Anthony Bourdain of the literary world. Who wouldn’t love that?
• Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire – Anyone who’s gotten to know Mindy McGinnis (aka bigblackcat97 on AQC, @bigblackcat97 on Twitter) can tell you that she is spunky and a ton of fun, and her blog reflects that personality. She has interesting interviews and great writing advice and insight, and chances are you’ll laugh more than once while reading her blog.
• Greenwoman – Michelle Simkins (Twitter: @Green_Woman) was in our AQC chat last night and was worried that her blog wasn’t focused enough. To which a bunch of us chimed in with “We love your blog!” She is a self-described “writer, knitter, gardener, radical homemaker.” And she’s funny! (Search #queenofhashtags on Twitter for even more fun.) And you’ll find little bits of all those things on her blog. EDIT Jan. 2012: Michelle's new Twitter handle is @MichelleSimkins, and she's now blogging at http://flowersandfbombs.wordpress.com