5 Reasons to Keep Blogging

I have a confession to make. With other projects (both billable and otherwise) crowding my work days, I’ve thought several times about giving up this weekly posting habit. After all, blogging is no longer “cool.” And it’s hard to believe it will raise my visibility enough to attract a lot of new readers. So is there really any long term gain in creating a new post every Thursday?

(I’ve written about this before. Back in 2012, I said that blogging is “creatively satisfying. It gives me the chance to share my thoughts and views with others, worried only about communicating an idea and not whether that idea will sell.” That is still true.)

After a lot of consideration, my answer to whether this weekly effort is really worth it is still a firm “yes.” Here are five reasons why blogging will remain an important part of my weekly routine.

1. Blogging helps me figure out what I’m really trying to say. Sometimes I start off with a small kernel of an idea and it develops into something completely different; then I have to edit until it communicates that new thought quickly and clearly.
2. I get to complete a project each week. Writing a novel, it’s often hard to see any real progress from all those words placed on all those pages (or, in later stages, removed from all those pages). Billable projects often have completion dates that are weeks or months away and somewhat out of my control. No matter how many bigger projects I have going, writing a blog post gives me a weekly hit of that drug called “done.”
3. I get to try out titles, story lines, and characters. I know you all want the best for me and my books, so this blog has become a safe zone to try out ideas out that might not be ready for prime-time (or worthy of more effort).
4. It helps me hone my voice. Eight years of blogging (as well as other writing) has taught me a lot about how to get a sentence to bend into what I’m really trying to say.
5. I make it into your inbox once a week. These blogs keep me engaged with readers, even when the next book is still a long way from finished.

The next time I start doubting the value of blogging, I’ll return to this list. How about you… did this spark any other reasons why we writers should keep blogging? Let me know in the comments below. (Meanwhile, thanks for giving me the excuse to get my weekly fix of “done.”)