Writing a fiction blog is fun and rewarding. Having an active reader base can help motivate you to keep writing and can even help you transform your fiction into cash. Writing a good fiction blog, however, takes planning and careful design.
Plan Ahead for Your Blog
Plan out your blog before you advertise it. Choose your characters and outline the plot. Decide how often you’re going to post, and be realistic. Aiming for once or twice a week is usually a good idea, but quality is more important than quantity.
Write several posts before you publish any of them, so that you’re always a little ahead in case you can’t write for a week or two.
Design Your Fiction Blog
Choose a blogging website and design your blog. There are many free blogging websites, such as Blogspot and Livejournal.
Make sure the design of your blog is clean, attractive, and readable. Use neutral colors for the background, like white, tan, or light gray, and make sure the text is in a readable, standard font, like Times or Verdana.
Write a short summary of your blog and put it somewhere prominent on your blog, so new visitors can quickly figure out the premise of the text.
Search stock photography websites like www.sxc.hu for banner artwork. Open your website in several different internet browsers to ensure it is formatted correctly.
Incorporate Multimedia Into Your Fiction Blog
The Internet facilitates the incorporation of multimedia into writing. Consider adding photographs to your posts.
You can also create an online persona for your character at a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, or put links in your entries to other sites or blogs.
Advertise Your Blog
Once you’ve set up your website and published your first entry, advertise! Send the link to your family and friends; post it on your Facebook or Twitter.
Comment on other blogs, leaving a link to your blog; many will reciprocate. You can also trade affiliate links with other blogs by posting their link on your blog in an exchange for a link on theirs.
Track Your Readers With Google Adsense and Analytics
Install Google Analytics to track your visitors. See how many visitors you have, which web site they were referred from, and how long they stay on your website.
If you want to earn money from ads, consider using Google Adsense. Google Adsense displays relevant ads and pays you when visitors click on them.
Create Community Around Your Fiction Blog
Create a sense of community around your blog. Respond to comments, either from the position of your fictional character or as the author; visit the blogs of your commenters. You can also stimulate visitor interaction by hosting contests or asking questions.
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Rebekah Richards - Rebekah Richards has published fiction and nonfiction in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Brandeis Law Journal, Where the Children Play, ...
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