A Dedicated Website

Okay, so I haven't had a dedicated website for myself in years. If you typed in elanajohnson.com, the magic monkeys behind the Interwebz would redirect you to...this blog!

But, over the past couple of weeks, I've decided to buy web hosting and make some websites. This is mostly because I have two personas now, and I'm publishing a lot of books, and I feel like I need a more permanent landing page for my fans.

While I was doing all that (which is actually kind of fun for my right and left brains!), I contemplated what to do with this blog.

See, I've been here for years. Eight to be exact. I've loved interacting with all of you. I have scads and scads of (I think) helpful articles about publishing, marketing, querying, and yes, losing weight. Ha!

At first, I thought I'd migrate them all over to WordPress, one post at a time. I was actually getting on today to redirect people over to the new blog site!

But I just can't do it. I've loved this little corner of blogdom, and I don't want to leave it. I have neglected it for a few months, but hey, writing and publishing a new book every 11 weeks can cause some virtual neglect.

I am determined to get back to blogging. I love doing it, and I've been learning lots of new things. And I'm going to do it here. I'm just going to link from my new website back to this blog. I think that will actually make things easier, and things won't get lost.

But, if you want to check out my new website, please do! And if you're interested in my adult romances, you'll have to check out Liz Isaacson's website. She's me. But with a different name. :)

What have you been doing this summer? I hope it's been better than building websites while your kids swim with their friends. Just sayin'. 

Would You Be Less Impressed?

Okay, so today I'm talking about a touchy subject--at least for me. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, and I'm interested to see/hear your reactions.

I swear this isn't a brag-fest, but I've done a lot online over the past few years. I co-founded the QueryTracker blog, where I contributed for over a year and a half. I co-founded WriteOnCon, a free online writer's conference. I wrote an ebook that is a guide to anyone who wants to query literary agents, and I offer it for free. I have critiqued hundreds of query letters for free. I co-founded the League of Extraordinary Writers, where I've contributed for over a year and a half. I co-founded the Bookanistas, an online support system and book recommendation group.

I've blogged five days a week for over two years. I commented on literally thousands of blogs. I tweet. I facebook. Heck, I think I even have a MySpace account.

Impressive, no?

I also write novels. Things have been becoming clearer and clearer to me over the past few months. And it's this: What I love most is what I do least.

Sure, I quit blogging for QT over a year ago. I cut back my blogging to three days a week. I don't comment on blogs the way I used to/should. I gave up critting query letters for free a long time ago. And right now, I'm considering some radical changes that will further free up my time to do more of what matters.

More time with my family. More time for myself. More time for my novels.

The pressing question is this: Would you be less impressed?

I honestly want to know. In this wide world of blogging, have we allowed ourselves to get carried away? Have we somehow deluded ourselves that our blog matters? That we can't write good books without blogging? That people will be disappointed in an author if they don't have a blog/Facebook/twitter?

Are we less impressed by the author who doesn't have an online presence?

Be honest, now. This is me. I can take it.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

Dude, if you sort of sing that in a sing-songy voice, you'll be right with me.

So I've been giving this a lot of thought. You know, the I've-been-stewing-over-this-change-for-about-three-months type of a lot of thought.

I've put it off. Put it back on. Talked to a few people about it. Kept even more in the dark. Complained via IM. Took all that back.

You know the drill.

But today, I'm going to make the change.

I know you're all on the edges of your seats, wondering what I could've possibly been squirming about for months.

Here you go: my blogging schedule.

I just can't keep up. I can't keep up with writing my posts, and I can't keep up with reading everything out there. I can't even keep up with simply reading the blogs of those who comment on mine.

So, in an attempt to A) free up more time for myself, B) write better blog posts, C) visit your blogs as much as possible, D) ease my guilt, and E) write two more books by the end of the year (that's right, baby! Two more books in three months!), I'm going to change my blogging schedule.

From now on, I'm only going to blog on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. So, uh, I guess I'll catch you on Thursday? Yeah, Thursday.

What's your blogging schedule like?

Your Jerry Seinfeld Skin

So an alternate title for this post could be "Fake it Till You Make it" but I'm a huge Seinfeld fan, so yeah.

Today we're going to talk pretend. I'm not sure, and I didn't spend time looking online (I am just that lazy, or maybe I'm drafting a novel...), but I believe it was comedian Jerry Seinfeld who once said that when he steps on stage, he pretends.

He has to. People are expecting him to be funny. Even if he's had a bad day, gotten in a fight, etc.

I sometimes feel like this is what we have to do online. We want to put our best foot forward. We should want to be on our best behavior.

And, we have to fake it until we make it. You want more followers? Think like Jerry Seinfeld. More comments? Jerry Seinfeld.

He puts on his best act every time he steps on stage. Your blog is your stage. Are you putting on your best act? If you do, people will come.

A Campaigner Introduction

Okay, so last week I found out about something awesome. A platform-building campaign, put together by Rachael Harrie. (You can click here to read more about it, even though the deadline to sign up has passed. You can click here to see who signed up, and hey, you can still visit their blogs and follow them and stuff.)

I decided to sign up, maybe because I'm insane. (The jury is still out on that one.) (Group 12 and group 22 rep-re-sent!)

And today, I thought it would be fun to introduce myself to the people who are new here (and everyone else). So here goes:

The basics:

• You say my name E-lay-nuh.
• I have a book out. It's called POSSESSION. It's a YA dystopian novel, published by Simon & Schuster.
• My second book, SURRENDER, comes out next summer.
• I teach elementary school.
• I have two kids.
• I also blog on Fridays at The League of Extraordinary Writers with four other dystopian/science fiction debut novelists.
• I am a co-founder and co-organizer of the awesome online children's writer's conference, WriteOnCon.
• I wrote a free e-book called From the Query to the Call. It's all about writing query letters, researching and submitting to agents, and how to handle the call when it comes. You can download it here.
  

The quirks:

• I like Adam Lambert so much I cut my hair like his. No lie.
• I am terrified of all animals with more legs than me, as well as all ducks, geese, and snakes.
• I adore all grape-flavored things, especially soda.
• I own and wear a shirt that says "Living in a van down by the river." If you don't know what this means, I feel sad for you.
• I have an unhealthy attachment to bacon.
• My favorite movie is Two Weeks Notice.
• I like writing query letters.
  

What my blog is:

• Commentary on the publishing world, with a splash of real life. My real life. My experiences in the publishing world.
• Random posts about movies, music, and the occasional snarky list.
• Bookanista love for amazing books I've read.
• A lot of parentheticals (obviously).
• Book giveaways.
• A way for me to meet and interact with other writers.

So welcome! I will be participating in Random Acts of Publicity this week, with some awesome book giveaways! If you're looking for a blog post, please feel free to join me in this RAP. More details will be on the blog tomorrow.

So, did you learn anything new about me? If you're in my groups, let me know! I've been to all your blogs, but I'm still matching names with blogs with faces.

Oh! And the winner of THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE is JENNY S. MORRIS! Email me (elanajohnson(at)gmail) and I'll get this out. Congrats!

New Year's Resolutions

Okay, so I know some of you are frantically checking your Google Cal right now, trying to figure out if you missed Christmas and hey, why isn't it cold outside? Because, duh, Elana, resolutions happen in January.

For you.

See, my husband and I both teach school, so we function on an August to August calendar. When we start a new school year, it's a new year. Thus, resolutions.

1. I spent some time on the blogosphere on Monday. It caused a mini panic attack. Okay, not a mini panic attack. A full-blown, massive, what-have-I-been-missing? panic attack.

So resolution #1: I will get back to reading blogs. Your blogs. I'm sorry.

2. I've spent the last three years sitting at my computer, writing books. Publishing is a very up and down business, at least for the author. Yay! She likes my book! Let's go celebrate with cakes and chicken pot pies and bacon.

Boo! They hate my book. I can't cook dinner. Let's go to Wendy's and I'll eat two junior bacon cheeseburgers and forget about that person.

You can imagine where this is going.

Resolution #2: I will take better care of myself. I have been doing this for about 3 1/2 weeks already, and I've lost 11 pounds.

3. I have been writing for almost 4 years now, and I wrote a lot of books in the first 2 1/2 years, and not so many in the last little while. In fact, I've only written one book in the past 18 months.

I have scheduled time for writing, 9 - 11 PM.

Therefore, resolution #3: I will write another book by December. 

Do you have any resolutions at this time? Do tell.

The Blog Post That Isn't Really a Blog Post At All

Okay, so I had something epic planned for today, and well, it didn't pan out. Maybe next week. Maybe never. That's the best part about publishing = there are always surprises around the corner.

And since I'm currently in "summer mode" and/or catching up on forums and/or prepping for a phone call tomorrow and/or panicking about ALA, this is the blog post you get.

Just for fun, here's a little snippet of a chat from last night:

Me, Tuesday 8:03 PM: Yeah, so now I have to find something to blog about. No idea.
Her, Tuesday 8:07 PM: Um... something about being flexible? Lol
Me, Tuesday, 8:09 PM: Spew! I also need something for Friday. I am so over flogging right now.
Me, Tuesday, a few seconds later: Flogging!!!!! LOLOLOL
Her, Tuesday, 8:20 PM: Flogging, bwahaha.

Yeah, the story of my life.

I can't even think of a question to go along with this non-post. Maybe... is blogging like flogging? Sometimes? Maybe?

On Platform

Okay, so I did a presentation this weekend about building your blog into a platform you can stand on.

There are a couple of questions that always come up during the presentation:
1. What do I blog about? (I've answered that here.)
2. Does it work? (Meaning, if I put in all this time and effort and WORK to build my blog, will I get tangible results?)

I think people want me to tell them that yes, they'll get $25,000 more on their debut deal if they blog. Or that their publisher will give them a 9-copy floor display because they're obviously awesomesauce because of their X-number of followers.

But the fact is, I can't tell you that. The tangibility of an online platform is well, intangible.

I can tell you my beliefs.
1. I believe that certain elements of my marketing are enhanced because of my blogging efforts.
2. I believe that MTV asked me to blog for them because of my blogging experience here.
3. I believe that blogging has brought me more than $25,000 more on my debut deal. I've done what I set a goal to do: make meaningful connections.

And that's priceless.

Literary agent Sara Megibow also spoke at the conference. My absolute favorite part: She said something along the lines of "You have to figure out how to make your platform work for you. The answer is NOT not to have one."

And she's so right.

What do you think? Are you working on your platform? How's it going? What do you still need help with?

I will be on The Appendix, a writing podcast manned by authors Sarah Eden, Robison Wells, and Marion Jensen! And what are we talking about? Platform. Blogging. Go here. Subscribe through iTunes. Hear me tomorrow.

Without Blogging

Ah, the blogosphere. The biggest timesuck known to man. Oh, wait, that's twitter. But seriously, couldn't you blog all day long? Reading, commenting, reading, writing, commenting...

Anyway, I just wanted to throw out a post on the value of blogging too. Some things that I wouldn't have without blogging:

1. WriteOnCon. The organizers, of which I am one, met through blogging.
2. My beta readers. Yup, mostly met on blogs.
3. The Bookanistas. I've never met a single one of them, yet they send me sweet stuff in the mail and are a huge support to me through email. All done through blogging.
4. Sleep deprivation. Okay, so I sometimes miss my bedtime to write/read blogs. I'm cool with that.
5. The reason I check my email and smile. All those comments, and people I can email back? LOVE that.

I was going to try for ten, but man it's been a long week, and my brain is all fried from Sinutab.

What have you gained from your participation in the blogosphere?

Blogging Tips

Wow. This week has been epic. But next week is going to be EPIC. Make sure you come back for some major Epic EPICness, okay? Okay.

Today is the last day of The Blogging Trifecta. It's been a good run. I could give a million (okay, maybe not a million) more tips on blogging. I'm not going to. I think you've got the gist of what I've done and continue to do. So I'm just going to leave you with a few things.

My Best Five Tips:
1. Poach.
2. Be Authentically You.
3. Write Short Posts.
4. Give Back.
5. Make Reading Your Blog Easy.

That's it. If you make your blog enjoyable and fun and easy to read, people will come enjoy it, have fun, and come back again.

What are your top five tips for blogging?

What Do I Blog About?

In case you didn't know, Jennifer Daiker, Alex Cavanaugh, and I are blogging about blogging this week. Before we go any further, I feel impressed to share this poster from despair.com.

I LOVE THIS. Sometimes I really think it's true. Sometimes I'm sitting in my writing lair (aka at my lame card table), writing blogs, and I think, "There's no way anyone cares about this."

I worry about the post for days. I edit it mercilessly. I postpone it. Then I finally let it go live, and it becomes my most popular post in weeks.

So. Just know that we all go through the holy-brown-cows-what-do-I-blog-about?

Well, my take on this is simple. ANYTHING.

No, really. You can blog about personal things. Writing things. Outlining. Revisions. Causes. Your dog. Your fears. Even nothing. (Hey, they made an entire sitcom out of it. Ever heard of Seinfeld?) Blog about whatever you want.

The fact is, what you bring to your blog that no one else can bring, is YOU.

Y-O-U.

So let's move on to what the real problem with blogging is. In my opinion, it's not knowing what your purpose is. Let's examine.

Question: Why are you blogging? To get the word out about your book? To meet new people? To build a brand?

*cue personal stuff*

Here’s why I blog. Name recognition. If I held up a blue bag and said the items inside this package go great with milk, would you know what it was? We know. They have a brand. We can sing songs from our childhood about brand names. (Oscar Meyer, Big Mac, etc.) It’s all name recognition.

I want someone to be in a bookstore, browsing books and go “Oh, I’ve heard of this girl.” simply from seeing my name (and/or my title) online. That’s why I blog.

I want people to know me.

Now that doesn’t mean I tell them everything. I don’t name my children by name, or talk about my job that much, or discuss anything too too personal (unless it relates to writing). That’s not what people want.

Have you seen that Seinfeld where George is talking about all his worlds colliding? You can probably separate the parts of your life too. Teacher-Elana. Mom-Elana. Cook-Elana. Sister-Elana. Etc. Well, there’s a Author-Elana too. And that’s who people want to see. I dispel writing advice. I give query letter advice. I give blogging advice.

I let people inside my life. I show them my fears about publishing/writing. This is how friendships are made. It’s how relationships form. Through the emotional. Let people in a little bit. Not much, just a little.

You can share what you like. Things like TV shows and artists and stuff like that. It really only takes one or two things to make you distinct. Me? I talk about dying my hair a lot (Monday, baby!). And Adam Lambert. And Glee and Survivor. Don’t be afraid to do this.

I just want to pause here for a minute. I think this is a truth, through and through. You can disagree. But I think when you're blogging, you’re selling yourself, not your books. And when you stop and think about blogging like this, you should have a million things to blog about.

Okay, moving on. Other things you can blog about:

1. Books you’ve read – this is a great way to show support of the industry. Note that I do not get very many comments on book review days. Doesn’t mean they’re a waste of time – especially if the author of the book knows I’m doing it.

2. Things you’ve learned – I’ve been blogging about outlining recently. Not really giving advice, just things I’ve learned. Topics like this are great conversation starters, and that’s what you want. A place where people feel like they know you and can talk to you.

3. WIP Wednesday/Truthful Tuesday – if you can’t think of anything, fall back on these. At least they’ll help you get your content up for the day.

4. Blog chains – find or form one, and participate in it. For new bloggers, this is a great way to learn how to blog and how to respond to comments.

One more thing: If all else fails, POACH. That's right. If you see something you like on another blog, adapt it to yours. Don't copy word for word (duh), but adapt and give credit.

Okay, I've gone on long enough. Jen, Alex, and I are going to be conducting a little experiment. We'd like as many people to participate as would like. We're calling it The Great Blogging Experiment (yeah, we're that lame) and it'll take place on Friday, September 24. We're assigning a topic, and all you have to do is post on Sept. 24 on that topic.

The point? We'd like to see just how different every post is. We'd like to see what YOU bring to the topic. (Which is YOU, of course.) I'm willing to bet one kidney that there will not be two posts exactly the same, just like there are not two bloggers that are exactly the same.

The topic: Writing Compelling Characters.

Sign up below!



Whew. With all that out of the way, what do you like to read on a blog? What don't you like to read?

Leaving Your Mark Behind

Okay, so today is Day Two of The Awesome Blogging Trifecta. Check your parachutes. Jen, Alex, and I are attacking COMMENTS. Be sure to check out their posts/opinions too. (Note: Alex will post on this tomorrow.)

So comments. We all want people to appreciate our words enough to leave a comment. We think it's a sign of our success, a way to indicate the worth of our blogs. But is it?

Quick Answer: YES.

Here's why. If you don't inspire something inside of someone, they won't feel like they need to leave their name behind. And if they feel obligated, it's not the same as genuinely evoking something inside of someone. Those comments you can feel.

So, how do you do that? How do you move someone to comment?

1. Comment--sincerely--on their blog first. I'll admit that my own comments are the first stop for me. I open my comment box and click on your name to get to your blog. I really try to get to everyone. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. (See Special Note below.)

*small personal aside*

I refuse to feel guilty if I don't make it. Sometimes I don't get on my own blog until 8:30 or so, and the post has been up for 3 1/2 hours, and I'll have 35+ comments. What would your first reaction be? Mine is usually: holy-overwhelmed. There's no way I can keep up.

I might make that an email day, but not everyone has allowed blogger to show their email...and you should. Just sayin'. I might try to work through my comments ten at a time. I do as much as I can before I run out of time and/or I just can't do any more.

One more thing: When I was actively building my blog (and I still am, I'm just not as Nazi about it), I probably left 75 - 100 comments/day, Monday - Friday. I steadfastly refuse to blog on the weekends. I don't read, I don't comment.

*end personal aside*

2. Ask questions. If you give someone something to answer, they might be more willing to leave a comment. I almost always ask a question. Some of you answer it, some of you don't. Either way is fine with me, I'm just trying to give people something to respond to.

3. Share something personal. People read my blog for me, not necessarily what I have to say. (We're talking about "What to Blog About" on Thursday, so stay tuned!) People want to make a connection with another person. I don't want to wax poetic what to blog about here, but consider letting some of yourself show on your blog. I generally get more quality comments when I do this, even though it terrifies me to let you inside my head.

How-To-Get-More-Comments-Tip: POACH. When I was actively building my blog, I had a goal to get to 10 lesser-visited blogs* every week. How did I find them? I poached from other people's comments. You should poach from mine. It A) gives you a new blog that maybe you don't follow and B) if you make an effort to comment regularly on that new blog, they'll probably come to yours.

Tip #2: Visit a new blog every day for one week and leave a comment. Then make an effort to go back at least one/twice a week until they're yours.

Do you have any tips about getting comments that I haven't covered? I know I've asked this before, but what inspires you to leave a comment here, or on another blog?

*lesser-visited blog: A blog that has great content and a great author, but has none or almost no comments. If you're the only one who leaves a comment there, do you think that person's going to remember your name? You betcha.

**Of Special Note: You must only do what you can do. No more, no less. If you don't have time to open a billion blogs and leave a comment, don't. And don't waste a single second of your life feeling bad about it. You can only do what you can do. That's it. I'm merely sharing what I did, and what's worked for me. If you have the time and inclination, you might try it.

Special Note #2: Tomorrow I have a special launch with a killer giveaway, so I won't be blogging about blogging. But you'll wanna be here anyway so you don't miss out of the frawesome!

Blogging Trifecta Explosion!

Okay, so today is Day One of The Awesome Blogging Trifecta. Strap in. Jen, Alex, and I are attacking FOLLOWERS. Be sure to check out their posts/opinions too.

So. Most of us have that little widget with the tiny heads. We judge our worth, the worth of our blogs, on how many little heads we can get in the sidebar. We can't pinpoint why, but we're desperate for more tiny heads.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why? Are we all really just junior high kids with bigger bodies and more money?

Quick answer: YES.

Okay, so with that out of the way, let's examine how the popular kids do it.

1. "To have friends, you must first be a friend." This philosophy (which I'm sure your mother said to you as often as mine did to me) applies to blogging. If you want more followers, follow more blogs. 9 times out of 10, you'll get a follow-back.

2. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Yeah, we're taking a big of wisdom from Disney today. If you leave sincere comments, you'll most likely get the attention of the blog author. They're most likely go to your blog. They'll most likely follow you.

3. "The pen is mightier than the sword." Dude, if you want more people to follow you, give them what they want. Politicians tell the voters what they want to hear. Popular kids flatter the right people. So it is with bloggers. Give people good content, and they'll be yours forever. (And, uh, for the official record, the same is true in writing. Give readers a gripping story, and they'll read your books forever--and tell their friends.)

4. "If you build it, they will come." Let's face it. Blogging is WORK. If you think followers are just going to fall into your lap, you're wrong. If you think you're going to get a buttload of comments overnight, you're wrong.

It. Takes. Work.

*cue personal story*

It's February 1, 2010. I'm at Olive Garden, ordering desserts for myself and six or seven of my writing buddies. My treat. Why? Because I've just hit 500 followers on my blog.

Look over to the widget. Now back to me. To the widget. Back to me. I have over 1400 now. Just a short seven months later. That's a whole lotta followers in seven months. I felt like it took me half my life and liver to get 500. Why?

Because I worked my freaking tail off. And I didn't stop. All through the winter and spring, I worked. I left comment after comment. I followed blog after blog. I built it. They came. I'm still building it, day by day, post by post, email by email. I don't anticipate stopping.

Building a better blog is work.

*end personal story*

So there you have it. Each day this week, I'm going to leave you with my dirtiest, darkest secret for how I've built my blog into an online platform. I'd tell you not to tell anyone, but hey, I'm posting it on my blog! Tweet away!

Getting-More-Followers-Tip: POACH. That's right. Poach from other people. I have a lot of followers. Theoretically, they're all writers/readers/lovers of books in some way. You should be poaching from me. Click on my widget and let it open up. Then click on each little tiny head and see what links come up. If they have a blog, go to it. Follow it. Rinse. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Who do I poach from? (I have no shame, keep this in mind.) Nathan Bransford. Rachelle Gardner. Pretty much anyone who seems to have a lot of followers (Shannon Messenger, Lisa/Laura Roecker, QueryTracker, The Blood Red Pencil) or who has the same base of followers I want (Candace Ganger, Alex Cavanaugh, VR Barkowski, Talli Roland, just to name a few).

So there. Don't judge me too harshly.

And do you have anything to add? How have you gotten more followers?

**Of Special Note: You must only do what you can do. No more, no less. If you don't have time to open a billion blogs and follow them, don't. And don't waste a single second of your life feeling bad about it. You can only do what you can do. That's it. I'm merely sharing what I did, and what's worked for me. If you have the time and inclination, you might try it.

Dig Deep

So it's Labor Day weekend. It seems like everyone in publishing is off the grid. I sent in my outlines and my sample pages. I had to dig deep to get those suckers done.

I am projectless. I'm going to have to dig deep for something to work on.

I sent off my author photos. I got the auto responder that my editor is gone until the 7th. I had to dig deep to finally push the send button on those babies, let me tell you. It'd almost be better if my face wasn't on the book. #dangIalreadysentit

And so I am languishing. Reading. Making *gasp* dinner!

But I have big plans for this weekend. That's right, my pretties. I asked, you answered. And now I'm going to have to dig deep to find the answers. I know, I know, enough riddles!

Remember Monday, when I asked you to tell me what your blogging woes were? Well, I found myself talking OUT LOUD to the computer. "Yeah, good question, you just need to..." and then I'd stop.

I realized I could do an entire new series on blogging. (Which BTW, I've done many posts on blogging, which you can check out here. And Alex Cavanaugh just did some great ones too (a three-part series, linked in the bottom of this post). And Jody Hedlund's done some...ahem. Anyway.) So instead of you all just listening to me blather on (again), I recruited new blood.

*rubs hands together*

Jen and Alex will be joining me next week for a week-long series on blogging. That's right -- a TRIFECTA BLOGGING EVENT! Get excited!! I think it's going to be uber-awesome to see their opinions on blogging and try to mesh them with my own. And, feathered friends, we have a little experiment we want you all to participate in... so watch for that for sure!

There's only one problem: I've got to dig deep to find what I want to say. I know it's buried there. But I don't want to repeat what I've already said, and I don't want anyone to go away from the week feeling worse than they did before.

I'll find the words. I'll unearth them. I always do.

Which leads me to today's question: What do you have to dig deep to find?

Help A Sistah Out

Okay, so I'm preparing for a class I'm teaching at a conference in a few weeks. It's called "Building Your Blog Into An Online Platform" and I have a lot of ideas, but I'm wondering about a few things. Maybe you guys can help me out.

What questions do you have about blogging? I want to hear from beginning, intermediate, or advanced bloggers. (Let me know what you think your level is in your comment, okay?)

What's the hardest part for you?

What's the easiest part?

What do you wish someone had told you when you started?

What do you want to know now?

Basically, I want to hear your concerns/questions about blogging. I imagine a lot of the attendees will have the same ones.

Thanks, all!

Why Blog?

Why do you blog? I've been reading some anti-blogging posts as of late (not sure why, maybe they're just on my radar?), and it's made me think about why I blog. I know some of you don't blog, some of you are thinking about blogging soon, some of you blog and wish you could do better, and some of you are old pros.

But I think a good self-talk is a good idea for everyone, every now and then. So today ask yourself: Why do I blog?

I blog because:

1. I love the blogging community. I've found crit partners, amazing friends, and outstanding connections through my blogging endeavors. (And hey! Remember my first fanboy?? Well, I've got a fangirl interview up with Magan Vernon. Go read it -- and then follow her!)

2. Every author needs to use social media to promote their book, but I find authors who only blog about their books, their release dates, their whatever whatever, to be annoying. I don't want to be that blogger. Of course I'm going to talk about my book here. And I'll post my cover, and my release date, and all that jazz. But it will never be the ONLY thing I do. Bloggers who do that come across as disingenuous to me.

So I've started early, so that you all know that I'm here for you as much as I'm here for my book.

Why do you blog? Why don't you?

Blogging For You

I told you I was gonna come back to this. Well, I really am. Today. I've heard some people say they started blogging as a way for them to get what's inside of them, out.

Okay.

So maybe I did too. Remember how I didn't tell anyone about my blog? Or that I was anonymous? Yeah. It was for me. I was terrified to have anyone else read my inner-most thoughts, mostly because I was afraid people would think I was lame or not smart enough to blog or whatever.

Let me just say that I do think you must enjoy blogging. Anything you do for an extended period of time must be enjoyed, or else you'll quit.

But that doesn't mean I'm still blogging the same way I was two years ago. Many things have changed. I've changed. So my blog does too.

Let me outline the ways my blog is for me:
1. I like doing it. A lot. I benefit from this.
2. It's an excellent promotional tool. I benefit from this.

So really, my blog is all about me. But I choose carefully what I say here, because I want you to feel welcome and comfortable and appreciated. And with MY attitude in THAT place, then what is enjoyable for me (hopefully) becomes enjoyable for you too.

Imagine you're at a big table, dining with your bloggy buddies. You don't hog the conversation do you? Read from your novel every second or anything like that. No. You laugh and joke, talk about real life a little, things you like a little. You ask questions about other people to get to know them. You share some of your life, some of your writing, some of yourself.

You invite them to do the same. And that's how you can enjoy yourself at dinner. That's also how you can enjoy yourself while blogging. It's all about you, but there has to be a place for others at the table.

What do you think? Are you enjoying it? Are you leaving room for other people to enjoy it too? I think that when we enjoy it, others will feel that and keep coming back. So if you're blogging for you -- keep it up! Just leave a little room at the table, okay? Okay.

Things To Think About re: Blogging

Okay, lean in a little closer. Closer... closer... Okay, that's a little too close. *grins* (And I should send you like, a dollar if you know that movie.)

More secrets today. Are you ready? Some of these are not really secrets. Maybe just things to think about. Things that might make your blog easier, faster and more entertaining to read.

Let's start with the basics.

1. Your blog layout.

• Dude, consider carefully before you use a black background. I used to have a dark bluish one, and I loved it. But I realize it's hard on the eyes, and I like light backgrounds much better.
• Absolutely no neon type, please. I'm begging.
• How big is your font? Too small, and I'm skimming from second one. I won't squint to read your blog.
• Look at your white space. Consider the principles of design found here. (Yeah, I teach these in the computer lab. So sue me.)
• Look at the length of your paragraphs. Huge blocks of text intimidate me. They make me think I'll be stuck on your blog reading and re-reading that monster graf for the rest of my natural life. And that's never good.

2. Your blog content.

• We've discussed having and sticking to a schedule.
• We've talked about posting meaningful content for your target audience.
• Lastly, consider the length of your post. I try really hard to stay under 300 words. I'll freely admit I skim uber-long posts. Susan R. Mills, Shannon O'Donnell, Jessica Nelson and T. Anne Adams have fabulous blogs with short posts. Check them out if you're not already following. They say a lot in a little.

3. Your blog audience.

• Be yourself. Share a bit of personal stuff without going overboard on the big 3: Religion, politics or sex. Right? Right. Remember your blog audience. 
• Rants should be saved for private Skypes, chats or emails. Remember your blog audience.
• Share about your book, successes and whatnot without shoving it down our throats. We all want to celebrate, but we don't want every giveaway to be your book. We don't want every post to be your book signing schedule, etc. Remember your blog audience.
• Give your blog audience what they want. Don't know what they want? Figure it out. Then deliver. For this, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time. You can insert anything you want for "street sweeper." Writer. Blogger. Whatev.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tell me what you like about blogs. What do you think of mine? How are you doing on your blog layout, your blog content and your blog audience? Do you consider all three of these things? If not, dude, maybe you should...

I'm going to address something entirely different next week (or whenever I feel like it): "But my blog is for me. I started it for me."

So feel free to leave me your OP on that too. You know I won't hold back!

Now Take Your Functioning Blog And...

...Make it something people want to read. Every day. They'll want to come back and comment. They'll have your blog address memorized so they don't have to be reminded by their Google reader or sidebar or dashboard that your blog exists.

Easy, peasy, right?

Uh...

Okay, so you've set a goal. You've chosen a schedule. You're posting meaningful content.

Now what?

Bring more readers to your blog.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?

I mean, that's what we want. We want readers to come, enjoy themselves (and not just cuz we're droning on about biting ducks), feel inspired to leave a comment, and then -- COME BACK tomorrow.

I'm going to share a couple of dirty little secrets with you (and hope you don't feel badly toward me because of them) that have helped me increase my blog traffic, make my blog followers swell and hopefully turned my name into one people recognize.

DLS #1: Follow blogs like there's no tomorrow. See how I have like 965 followers or whatever? *whispers* I probably follow twice that many blogs. Or at least 1200.

No seriously. I don't read them all every day, but I follow A LOT of blogs. Following is almost reciprocal. You follow me, I'll follow you.

Now, I'm not quite getting 950 hits on my blog every day. So not everyone is coming to read. But you know what? It sure makes me look popular, doesn't it? *insert snarfing here*

DLS #2: Comment. I've found that commenting is almost always reciprocal. I comment on your blog, you'll come comment on mine. I try really really (REALLY) hard to do this for all of you who comment here. Sometimes I make it. Sometimes I fall short. But I try.

We've discussed commenting to death here and here, but if you want more comments, you must comment more yourself.

Major tip: Right now, all you've got is your name. It's free. Spread it far and wide, wide and far by leaving your name everywhere you go. In the future, when you've got your name on a book, people will go, "Oh, yeah. I know that girl. She's scared of ducks." Or something.

Which leads me to...

DLS #3: Use your name as your blogger handle. It's name recognition, which is how you start to brand yourself. I've started meeting quite a few writers in real life. What's the number one thing they say to me after I say, "I'm Elana Johnson." They go, "Oh, you comment on my blog."

Me: *nodding* "Yes, yes I do." (See DLS #2)

It's like we already know each other, except they still can't pronounce my name right. But as I told someone over the weekend, I'll answer to almost anything!

DLS #4: Breed authenticity. Okay, this is the hardest one, I think. But I gave up a long time ago trying to be someone I'm not. You can't force humor. You can't force your voice. You just have to sit down and let yourself flow from you.

You are the only you out there. You're the only one with your name. You're the only one who can write your blog the way it should be written. So you must listen to yourself and be yourself and build a name for yourself that is different from everyone else.

Super easy, right?

I could go into a personal story here, but I'm worried this post is already freakishly long. So I'm going to torture you with more waiting. Hey! This is publishing. Get used to waiting.

I'll come back to this topic of breeding authenticity in a week or two. Next week I've already got something super exciting planned. And I'm taking tomorrow off the blogosphere unless, like a meteor hits the earth or something equally shocking.

But what do you think of my dirty little secrets? These specific ones are designed to increase your blog readership. I have more that relate to other areas of my goal. Many more. I'll spill them another time. In the meantime, start following, keep commenting, get your name out there and search yourself for who you really are.

Okay?

Okay.

What Comes First?

And I don't mean the chicken or the egg. But that would be a great discussion, right? *snarf*

No, today, I want to talk about what comes first for you when you go to put on your hats. We've been having some interesting discussions about commenting and whatnot. So today, I'm interested to find out where blogging falls on your list.

I don't want blogging to consume the time I have to spend on my other writing. I want to have a (mostly) clean house. And clean clothes to wear. And friendships. And relationships with my family. And there's nothing better than going out to dinner. I also work outside the home.

So where does blogging fit into that? How in the world do we find time to blog?

I've been thinking about this for a few days. In fact, tomorrow, I'm going to talk a bit more about how much time you could devote to blogging and the rewards you'd reap. But today, I'm going to say this:

I want to live.

In real life.

With other people.

So that comes first.

Watching Survivor with my DH comes first.
Going to dinner comes first.
Pushing my kids on the swings comes first.
My writing comes first.
Keeping my house in order comes first.

And I will not feel guilty for living before blogging.

What comes first for you? Do you sometimes feel guilty (like I do) if you can't get to every blog on your list? Why do we do that to ourselves?