I wasn’t always a confirmed blogger. In 2011, I signed up for a free Blogger (Google’s platform) website, taking that plunge only because my former publisher forced me to. He swore it would help get my name out there and give me a regular platform for my opinions.
The posts I wrote for that first attempt at blogging were pathetic attempts to write about current affairs and politics as a journalist, which is something that has never interested me. I was lucky if I managed to post one piece a month and had no readers or followers.
It didn’t take long for me to realize I could not write on the subjects my publisher wanted, and quit writing posts altogether. However (and I hate to say this because we parted ways rather messily), my former publisher was right about one thing. All authors, indie or traditionally published, need to have a website that showcases their work and their ability to write. And if they want to keep in touch with potential readers, they should write the occasional blog post.
After talking to some friends who were successful in marketing their work, it occurred to me there was one subject I could talk about for hours on end, and that was …
Books.
I read voraciously, so why not talk about what I’m reading, old or new?
I went back to that old site and scrapped the awkward, unloved posts. I changed the site’s name and shifted to writing one in-depth book review a week for the next five years.
A friend mentioned that I was marketing everyone else’s work, but no one was promoting mine. Not only that, she said that, as an indie, self-promotion was a skill I needed to embrace. I understood her point, but I don’t do well at putting myself forward in person, so how could I do this?
I needed a safe place to showcase my work, somewhere I could talk about something I feel passionate about and not sound like an idiot. I don’t believe in the hard sell, so my idea was that people would have the choice to buy my books if they wanted. That’s how this site came into existence.
Once I stopped trying to fit into the mold someone else had designed for me, I discovered how much I love writing for my blog. Regularly updating a blog doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Think of it as an opportunity to connect with a long tweet or Instagram post.
I often hear writers complain that they don’t update their author blogs regularly because they have nothing to say. I disagree—they’re writers. Writers have passions and the ability to spew words out the ends of their fingers on the oddest subjects.
I used to write three posts a week for this site but have cut back to two. I write them on Sunday with Grammarly checking for punctuation and obvious flaws. After I have a draft written, I have the narrator app read it aloud to me. Once I’m satisfied they’re as clean as I can get them, I schedule them to publish on regular specific days.
That short time between writing and publishing is an adventure, opening you up to all sorts of embarrassing literary moments. As many of you know, despite my best efforts, my work sometimes posts “warts and all.”
Writing for this site has made me a thinking author as well as a pantser and has proven that I can write to a deadline. When I am discussing my personal take on life, I write using the “stream of consciousness” method. I write it in a separate document and proof it before I post it.
My writing craft pieces are written several days in advance by putting together a quick outline about whatever aspect of the craft occupies my thoughts at the time.
I’ve made many friends through this writing adventure. I now know people from all over the world who I may never meet in person but who I am fond of, nevertheless.
Blogging is only successful if you are passionate about what you are discussing. I talk about writing craft because I’m obsessed with it. However, real life gets in the way of creativity.
When I need to, I talk about the difficulties of traveling while vegan. I’ve written about the challenges of having two children with epilepsy, the dysfunctionality of growing up with a father suffering battle-related PTSD, and many other aspects of just trying to live a happy life in the real world.
I’ve talked about the challenges of having a spouse with late-stage Parkinson’s.
Having a blog on your website and updating it once or twice a month is a way to connect with your readers on a human level. People want to know what your writing goals are. They also want to know where you will be signing books.
Also, they love to hear your opinions about the books you are reading.
Readers enjoy seeing little off-the-cuff pieces once in a while. Articles of less than 1000 words are fun to write and often find their way into your other work, as they are a great way to brainstorm ideas.
Some people worry about plagiarism, and in this world of AI and entitlement, it’s a valid concern. To my knowledge, I have never been plagiarized. I have a notice clearly in the sidebar on my website that the content is copyrighted.
I also make sure that any quoted material that I use is credited to the original authors. I include links back to their websites and the post where I found the information so that my readers can read more about that subject.
Writing a blog post is fun if you:
- Keep it down to about 500 – 1000 words, more or less.
- Open a new document, write the post in draft form, and don’t publish it right away. Use the spellchecker tool and read it aloud to look for glaring errors. Read it aloud if you don’t have a narrator app, and make corrections.
- If you quote information that you found elsewhere on the internet, keep the quote short and always credit the author on whose site you found it.
- Only use images that are either public domain or that you have the legal right to use.
Be Consistent.
Life in the Realm of Fantasy has evolved over the years because I have changed and matured as an author.
Writers like to ramble on about their work, but deadlines cause us to go into procrastination mode. Still, although many will claim they aren’t able to write under pressure, that is when I do my best work.
Nothing improves your writing chops more than writing every day, even if it’s only a paragraph. Write a paragraph detailing what’s on your mind, whether it’s the launch of your new book or a rant about your cat’s mysterious fascination with the dripping kitchen faucet. Add to that document as ideas come to you, and soon you’ll have a good post.
When you do an in-person signing event, offer a sign-up sheet for people to receive updates from your blog. They can serve as monthly newsletters, doing double duty and saving you precious time.
I hope this encourages writers to update their blogs more frequently. Some of the best articles about all aspects of life are out there, waiting to be read. You never know who will like your voice and style enough to buy a book, so give your readers a chance to find your work.
Artist: Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)
I write what I am in the mood to read, so my genre is usually a fantasy of one kind or another. However, I sometimes go nuts and write women’s fiction.
But regardless of the genre, the basic premise of any story can be answered in eight questions that we will ask of the characters.
And thus Julian Lackland and Lady Mags were born, and Huw the Bard and Golden Beau. But they needed a place to live, so along came Billy Ninefingers, captain of the Rowdies, and his inn, Billy’s Revenge. When I first met Billy and his colorful crew of mercenaries, I was hooked. I had to write the tale that became three novels: Julian Lackland, Billy Ninefingers, and Huw the Bard. 
Artist: 
Mood and atmosphere are separate but entwined forces. They form subliminal impressions in the reader’s awareness, subcurrents that affect our personal emotions.
Subtext is a complex but essential aspect of storytelling. It lies below the surface and supports the plot and the conversations. It is the hidden story, the secret reasoning we deduce from the narrative. It’s conveyed by the images we place in the environment and how the setting influences our perception of the mood and atmosphere.
We want to avoid excessive exposition, and good worldbuilding can help us with that. Let’s say we want to convey a general atmosphere of gloom and show our character’s mood without an info dump. Environmental symbols are subliminal landmarks for the reader. Thinking about and planning symbolism in an environment is key to developing the general atmosphere and affecting the overall mood.
When we are designing the setting of a scene, which aspect of atmosphere is more important, mood or emotion? As I have said before, both and neither because they are entwined. Our characters’ emotions affect their attitudes toward each other and influence how they view their quest. This, in turn, shapes the overall mood of the characters as they move through the arc of the plot. And the visual atmosphere of a particular environment may affect our protagonist’s personal mood. Their individual attitudes affect the emotional state of the group—the overall mood.
We can create an atmosphere and mood that underscores our themes and highlights plot points without resorting to info dumps. We can lighten the mood as easily as we can darken it. When we design a setting, color brightens the visuals, and gray depresses them. Those tones affect the atmosphere and mood of the scene.
Artist: Elin Danielson-Gambogi (1861–1919)
Intelligent creatures communicate in their own languages with each other, sounds that we humans interpret as random and meaningless or simply mating calls. But scientists are discovering their vocalizations must have meanings beyond attracting a mate, words that are understood by others of their kind. This is evident in the way they form herds and packs and flocks, societies with rules and hierarchies.
We humans are tribal. We prefer living within an overarching power structure (a society) because someone has to be the leader. We call that power structure a government.
Worldbuilding requires us to ask questions of the story we are writing. I go somewhere quiet and consider the world my characters will inhabit. I have a list of points to consider when creating a society, and you’re welcome to copy and paste it to a page you can print out. Jot the answers down and refer back to them if the plot raises one of these questions.
Power in the hands of only a few people offers many opportunities for mayhem. Zealous followers may inadvertently create a situation where the populace believes their ruler has been anointed by the Supreme Deity. Even better, they may become the God-Emperor/Empress.
Artist: August Fischer (1854–1921) 
First, is this character someone the reader should remember? Even if they offer information the protagonist and reader must know, it doesn’t necessarily mean they must be named. Walk-through characters provide clues to help our protagonist complete their quest, but we never see them again. They can show us something about the protagonist and give hints about their personality or past—but when they are gone, they are forgotten.
Novelists can learn a lot from screenwriters about writing good, concise scenes. An excellent book on crafting scenes is 
I took this absurdity to an extreme in 
One final thing to consider is this: how will that name be pronounced when read aloud? You may not think this matters, but it does. Audiobooks are becoming more popular than ever. You want to write it so a narrator can easily read that name aloud.
Despite my experience of reading fantasy books aloud to my children, it didn’t occur to me that the names were unpronounceable as they were written. We ironed that out, but that hiccup taught me to spell names the way they’re pronounced whenever possible.
Artist: Anna Ancher (1859–1935)
Life in the Realm of Fantasy 