3 Reasons to Blog Even Before You Are Published

The debate is wide: Should unpublished writers blog? I say a resounding YES!

Here are 3 reasons writers should blog:

1) Accountability

When you commit to blogging, you give yourself an audience who will expect regular posts. I started out participating in Memes. A meme is a “carnival” where each participant posts their own take on a particular subject and then links to all the other participants. Because I picked a couple that were weekly, I knew I had a deadline twice a week. That kept me writing on a regular basis.

2) Marketing

Even before your first book hits the shelves (or ebook market), you can build a following. While this won’t guarantee book sales, it will be a way to let people outside your immediate group of contacts that you have a book on the way.

3) Practice

A wise, but unknown, writer penned: “A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.” There is no truer advice than this. You can talk all you want about being a writer, but if you are not writing, you are just a talker. A blog gives you a chance to learn to write in small bites. A good blog post is only 300-500 words. If you have more to say on the subject, break it into multiple posts. You will get great practice at editing if you learn to limit your word count.

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Ok, blogging is also a form of narcissism…putting our opinions out for the world to see. But if we didn’t crave readers, we wouldn’t be writers. What would be the point? The words dancing constantly in our heads beg for a platform. When your manuscript is idling…the ideas aren’t coming…blog. On current events. On your favorite pasttime. On writing. On writer’s block. Whatever. Just keep the keyboard clicking because writers write.