An Author Should Be Able To Write a Blog Post, Right?

Authors are word people. That’s what we do, string a bunch of words together and hope they make sense to somebody out there in the big, wide world. Nothing stresses me more in my author life than facing a blog post deadline and having no idea what to write. I stare at my blank Word document, and the empty page mocks me. I embrace ideas as if they are the answer to my dilemma, write the posts hurriedly at insanely late hours of the night, and then delete them the next morning, tossing my not-so-good late-night ideas aside like a rejected lover.

Maybe as a blogger, whether you are a writer or not, you’ve faced the same writer’s block. I Googled the topic and found some sites to get the blogging creative juices flowing.

Author Molly Greene’s blog post: 101 Fabulous Blog Topic Ideas

Fizzle’s post: 81 Topic Ideas For Starting a Blog That Matters

Start Blogging On-line’s post: 101 Blog Post Ideas That Will Make Your Blog “HOT”

The Blog Stylist’s post: 32 Of the Most-Popular Blog-Post Ideas

Chris Brogan’s post: 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write

All you need is a basic skill at Googling to find something to write about. Right? No, it’s not that easy. When has anything about writing or blogging ever been that easy? The difficult part isn’t finding a topic on which to write. No, it’s finding a topic that your blog readers will be interested in reading. Stopping long enough to read a blog post takes time, and time is one thing most blog readers do not have in unlimited supply. If the topic bores them or doesn’t have relevance in their life, the reader is going to “x” out and watch a Youtube video about the ten rudest contestants on American Idol or read an Eonline article about the Kardashians.

It seems simple. Identify the intended readership. Write to the readers’ interests. Post your masterpiece on your blogging platform. Ta-da! Done! Watch your view stats rise to magnificent heights. Um…no.

The blogs I find most interesting relate to the craft of writing and navigating the publishing world, but my readers may not find those same topics entertaining or informative. Only another author wants to read a discussion of character development or point of view breaks or the dreaded, nasty telling versus showing concept. Even though I love other authors, those wonderful people are not my intended readership.

Okay, so I'm going to peruse the lists and blog about something, but I want to ask…Dear Reader, what blog topics get your attention and keep it?

5 Habits of Thoroughly Obsessed Writers

When I first started this blog, it had a different name. In July 2009, I called my introduction into the blogosphere "My Journey Towards Publication". At that time, I had written about 15 unpublished manuscripts that I considered complete and ready for publication. All I needed was an agent. Right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Since that time, I've gained a buttload of working knowledge about the art of writing, the thrill of publishing, and the headache of marketing. I'm not sure, but I think every newly published writer goes through the five stages of publication. Rejection. Elation. Disillusion. Resignation. Revision. (That sounds like another blog post topic for another day.)

What I want to ponder today is five obsessive habits in which most, but maybe not all, newly published authors indulge.

Ten Things That Might Surprise An Unpublished Author

You should have heard me squeal when I got the email offering my first publishing contract. There is nothing more magical to an unpublished writer than the words, “If your story is still available, we would like to offer you a contract.” My family thought I’d found a snake in the house...again.

Before my first release, I didn’t know much about becoming a published author. I thought all I had to do was write a great story. Silly me! After two years, I’m still finding out what it means to be published. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

You Might Be a Writer If... #amwriting

You might be a writer if...

1.  You stare into space as if you’re catatonic. You’re husband/son/daughter asks you, “Mom, are you okay?” You answer, “Yes, I’m just writing.” Because you write the scene in your head before you even touch your computer keyboard.

2.  You shamelessly listen to strangers’ conversations and don’t think of it as eavesdropping. No, you’re doing research for your next book and keeping a list on your cell phone’s notepad of interesting comments you’ve overheard. Then, you have no qualms about using those quotes.

3.  You wake up early in the morning, and the first thing you think about is the scene you wrote at 2 a.m. and how you could make it better. The last thing you think about before you close your eyes at night is how you’re going to write the next scene. Because you always have a work in progress.

4.  You have no problem killing someone...in your writing. You get by with murder and your readers love it. The pages of your books are littered with dead bodies and no one thinks of you as a serial killer.

5.  You often talk about your characters lives as if they are real people, and your family responds to your comments as if you are completely rational. Because to respond any other way elicits a snarl from you. Your family is almost as familiar with your characters as you are.

6.  You talk about plot, point of view, characterization, motive, goal, and conflict incessantly, and your loved ones just smile at you and go about whatever they were doing, knowing that you are in your writer’s zone. It’s like getting a non-verbal pat on the head.

7.  You worry about how you could have made your last book better...even after it’s published. Because no matter how long you’re in the business, there is always something new to learn about the art and craft of writing.

8.  You consider writer’s block to be worse than having a root canal. Worse than constipation. Worse than a recurring nightmare. Worse than that sinking feeling you get when you misplace your purse and you think you left it on a bench in the shopping mall.

9.  You embrace the idea that you’ll never be normal. You know you think differently from most people and you’re okay with that. After all, when it comes to fiction, normal is boring. Twisted is better.

10.      Your husband refers to your computer as Precious because it is never far from your side. If you misplace it, you suffer a panic attack. You obsessively back up your work...just in case your computer dies. Your computer is your best friend and you don’t think that’s sick.