writermag.com • The Writer | 29Despite all I’ve shared above, plenty of writers
blog and blog well. It might be a fine choice for
you, too, and while there are many well-known
reasons why (it’s a resume/hiring tool, networking
opportunity, and writing practice; and through it,
you can build self-discipline, document your life,
learn new things; etc.), here are three of my favor-
ite writing-career-related reasons for blogging:
1
It builds a brand.
“My blog has been around for 21 years,”
notes Scalzi, “and has seen the rise and fall of sev-
eral generations of social media. [My blog’s]
entirely in my control, and I decide what gets
posted there. Having control of a site means hav-
ing better control of one’s career.”
It’s important for writers to be findable on the
internet, and those who can effectively control
what people find have a stronger brand. A quality
blog can be part of that brand by clearly demon-
strating your ability to write well, your profession-
alism, and your knowledge. A website is also an
online property that you own, unlike social media
profiles, where an author’s reach can be dramati-
cally affected by one tweak of an algorithm – or
lost entirely if a platform fades from popularity or
goes under. The readers who read what you write
in your blog become part of your platform – how
big of an audience you have. It’s something indus-
try folks yearn for more writers to have.
2
It gives your career definition.
By posting every Monday at my blog since
April 2018, I’ve expanded my writing career in
three key ways:
- Many picture book writers, illustrators, edi-
tors, and agents are now aware I exist. - I continue to better understand what makes a
good picture book work, which is helpful as I’ve
wanted to publish a such a book for some time.- I have a very good sense of the picture book
landscape since many of the top presses regu-
larly send me review copies.
Plus, I don’t think I’d have one of the top kidlit
agents in the business without my blog, and I
have many new picture-book-loving friends as a
result, too. Those were all part of my “why do
this?” wish list I made long before I bought the
URL and fired off my first post.
My blog helped me redefine who I am as a
writer. To put it plainly, for two decades, I’ve been
known as a writing generalist who’s written
poetry books, novels, textbooks, anthologies,
illustrated humor, and more. These days? I’m as
likely to be thought of as a kidlit person, which is
exactly where I’d like my career to be.
- I have a very good sense of the picture book
3
It creates opportunities.
Scalzi is surprised at how unintentionally
beneficial his blog has been. “I’ve sold several
books through it,” he explains, “dozens of posts
have been reprinted elsewhere, and readers have
turned into friends and business associates – not
through a grand strategy but simply because I
wrote what I felt like writing about, and people
came to read what was there. Serendipity happens
on a fairly regular basis.”
•••If you’re determined to take the plunge into the
world of blogging, my top tips are these: plan
and be realistic. If you see an opportunity in the
marketplace and you want to fill it – and you
can do so without sinking your other writing
efforts as a result – go for it. But as Friedman
warns, “for most writers, I find its demands and
compromises to be too much and sometimes a
distraction from the writing they really want to
be doing.”
If you decide to blog regardless, let me know.
Maybe we can swap guest posts?Ryan G. Van Cleave is the author of 20 books and a frequent
contributor to The Writer. Visit him at RyanGVanCleave.com &
OnlyPictureBooks.com.All news about
blogs, though,
is not all
discouraging.