Blogging Advice from a Burgeoning Blogger

I've been writing in a personal journal twice a day for a month now. When I first started the entries, they were a way to dump raw thoughts about my writing journey: ideas, successes, failures, and especially lessons learned about the process as a baby author.

I've never blogged on a regular basis. When I built my website, I had every intention of monthly posts on my favorite book I read from the previous month. That lasted all of two entries. Mainly because I just read too much, and it's hard to pick a favorite even on a monthly basis.

But I know there's a huge difference between private journaling and public blogging. With the nine or ten LinkedIn newsletters I subscribe to, the writing and editing sites I visit every day, and my own writing experiences from my college days, I tend to wonder what I have to say on a regular basis that would be any more unique than what other, more experienced writers discuss.

The joy, though, of switching one's mindset to full-time solopreneurship is the freedom to explore what works for me and what doesn't. This article is less about general tips about blogging, and more about personalizing those tips to work for your goals, both in the short-term and far into the future.

Topic

As mentioned above, the topic you choose to blog about should have some direct relationship to your business. Current projects, recent educational ventures, or even marketing tips you've picked up from fellow content creators that you can apply to building up or maintaining your business.

I'm a reading addict, a burgeoning writing addict, and a multi-dog furmom. Those topics can bring an innumerous number of topics to talk about with the public. They're a chance to show off your personality as well as your knowledge. As long as you're passionate about the topic, that will come across in the blog you publish.

Regularity

Coming back to those newsletters I mentioned above, I receive both weekly and monthly issues. To the creators who can pump out content on a weekly basis, I commend you. I find that I often know a little bit about a lot, so until I can start planning out a month or more in advance, the monthly blogs would work best for me. There is that difference between copywriters whose job it is to push out content at a higher frequency that editors at every level who spend the majority of their time assisting writers in creating content (fiction or nonfiction). Your blogging schedule should be appropriate to how it fits into your business schedule and your personal schedule.

Tone

You can tell when I'm excited to talk about something. My eyes light up, my hands start moving around with a mind of their own, and I probably talk at a much faster rate. Putting that passion into writing means figuring out the best tonal approach: super-geeked fangirl or professionally knowledgeable editor/writer. When it comes to picking the tone for your blog, consider the message, the intent, and the audience. Have a target reader or target audience in mind, so you can tailor your writer's voice to them. Not everyone will like your content, regardless of tone. And that's okay. You're not writing for everyone.

Shannon Scott is the founder and owner of Shannon S. Scott Editing Services, where she works tirelessly to deliver top-notch service through fiction developmental editing and proofreading. Shannon opened her business with the intention of working with self-publishing and independent authors in the LGBTQIA+ romance genre. She also is experienced in business communication, proposal, and technical documentation editing. Shannon offers free consultations for each of her editing services. You can fill out a Consultation Intake form here!