THE ARTFUL BLOGGER
If I learned anything at KidLitCon 2010 in October, it was that to build a following and to attain success, a blogger must post frequently and consistently. “Never on Sunday,” warned bestselling novelist Maggie Stiefvater, a blogger out-dazzling every other. Consider that she managed to post an original painting every day for two and a half years, and, along with the two other Merry Sisters of Fate, has knocked off a weekly short story for quite a spell. But I digress.
The fact is – it’s been almost three months since my last blog entry. So much for the power to put what one learns to practical use. There are reasons for the lapse, noted in my next post. First, however, I’ll cite for fellow bloggers the elements in blogs that, according to the experts, win hearts and minds… and repeat-readers. Here’s the list:
*Keep it short. It’s only possible to read lots of blogs (which bloggers do) if each is brief. Someone suggested that a post has to be read in two minutes or less before the internet rambler gets ready to click away from your site, no matter how scintillating.
*Make it snappy. Not too reflective. Conversational in tone. Humorous when possible.
*Post at the same time every week, multiple times each week if you can. Mondays are good for traffic.
*To ensure that you don’t spend too much time creating any one post, use an egg timer.
*Use keywords related to your subject matter to draw in newcomers.
*Actively seek exchanges and make connections. Leave comments when you visit other blogs. At your site, answer every comment.
*Keep a specific audience in mind (teen readers, middle grade gatekeepers, fellow writers) with regard to subject matter. Match your tone to their sensibilities. Think “pout” for teen readers and “smiles/happy endings” for middle graders, one writer suggested.
*Make the blog user-friendly, including in sidebars your brief bio, your picture, your links (email, Facebook, Twitter, a website), blogs you actively follow, and, if you have one, your brand or graphic and book cover(s). Keep track of your stats (number of visits, etc.).
A look at this list may convince you that you’ve mastered the art of blogging. On the other hand, it’s clear to me that I’ve pretty much broken all the rules in the blogger’s bible. My earliest entries in 2009 morphed fairly quickly into essay-like reflections on the writing/querying process or on content in the book-to-be. I spent so much time crafting posts, there was precious little left in the allotted timeframe to visit favorite blogs or to post weekly. Some of my most popular posts (WordPress.com keeps stats) drew visitors interested in “angels” or “hip hop,” not likely to return — at least not until a book materializes.
I’m still on the road trip to Shangri-La (aka Publication), but from now on, a periodic “post” card from me will have to do. I’m absorbing all the info –- takeaways for a new and improved blog that supports a book launch; tech tools that serve book promotion around publication and that make school visits at a distance possible; sites like Kidlitosphere Central to frequent. I’ll be tinkering with a whole new format for a tween audience down the road. But, first and foremost, I’ll be writing – well, actually revisiting and revising three manuscripts that have promise. I’m def on a roll here.
Photo by Kathleen Kimball-Baker; Bruce Nauman/Philadelphia Art Museum
KidLitCon’s zeitgeist of mostly thirty-something, white, female uber-bloggers gave me pause. Did I want to spend my immediate future immersed in reinventing my blog or in a major revision of my book for an agent. “Of course, writing books is more important…” was a throwaway line during one of the sessions, but it was the prompt I needed in order to choose to do the latter, asap. Actually, a book list on a blog mentioned at the conference inspired the revision. This work in November (and flying monkeys in December) kept me from posting here until now. But more about that tomorrow. After my long silence, thanks for stopping by.
