Creating Content that Sparks!

So excited to have a guest post from my friend Livy Lynn today! She's a sweet young woman doing amazing things (and I just might get to meet her this year?!). Check out these wise words, a giveaway, and her launch of a new blogging course! Without further ado ...

Words are powerful little tools. With them, wars are waged, minds are changed, and cultures are formed. Every word has the potential to flicker like a flame and set the world ablaze.

As a blogger and novelist, my life pretty much revolves around words. Each time I sit down to write a post, I ask myself, “How can I create content that sparks? How can I write a piece that will touch hearts, change lives, inspire my readers to action, etc?”

Today, we’re going to be answering this question.

Creating blog posts that readers truly value is something every blogger strives for! We want our readers to be delighted, connect with us on a personal level, and keep coming back for more!

The first thing to discuss while exploring this topic is to realize that each post serves a different purpose. Sometimes we wish to encourage and inspire our readers them, other times we want them to laugh, or check out a book we can’t stop fangirling over!  

When we sit down to write, it’s important to know the purpose for our post, and what we desire the end result to be in our readers' minds and heart.

Let’s talk about three different kinds of digital content. Now, there are certainly more than three types of blog posts, but I’ve found that most every post can be categorized by these three umbrella categories.

1. Connection Content
2. Viral Content 
3. Monetized Content 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these and find out how you can create that sparks!

1. Connection Content

Connection content is a post focused on connecting with the heart of your readers. Being yourself, opening up, sharing a struggle, or something God is teaching you through your own life: those are all Hallmarks of connection content. Your readers want to know you: the real you.

Anytime you open up and are truly yourself, truly vulnerable, readers respond to that.  

On the internet, oftentimes all we see are highlight reels of all the exciting, Instagram-worthy happenings in the lives of others. It’s easy to place internet-personalities on a pedestal and forget that they struggle just as much as we do.

Many bloggers who build up faithful followings over the years, do so by being REAL with their readers.

On the flip side, we’ve all seen online personalities take this to the extreme. Talk about being real, and we all think of that one friend who never stops posting about their bad days, or the YouTuber who is endlessly venting about their woes. That is not what I’m encouraging us to do. If we’re going to be real about what we’re going through, we have to do so with an air of grace and a HUGE dose of hope at the end! Nobody wants to hear another sob story without a happy ending. Remind your readers why you’re sharing your current struggles and the beauty you believe will come out of it.

Connection posts, if done correctly, can truly SPARK and fling open a door to connect on a heart-to-heart level with your readers! One of my favorite way to do connection posts is by sharing what God’s been teaching me in my Quiet Time and through my current season in life.

2. Viral Content

We often think of viral content as something that’s gone viral, spun out of control in popularity and practically broke the internet! And while that’s true in some cases, the reality is, most of us are not going to write posts that do that.

The majority of bloggers don’t write posts that sky-rocket them to blogging fame. The most common path bloggers travel upon, is one that requires slow, faithful, consistency.

So when I refer to viral content, maybe a better phrase would be, “potential viral content”. In other words, posts that have the potential to be passed around, posted, shared, re-tweeted, etc.

Do you remember the last time someone shared your post on Facebook or Twitter? Do you remember what it was about, or why they shared it?

If you’ve never had anyone share your posts before: don’t be discouraged! The majority of your readers are silent admirers, they will never comment on your blog or share posts, but there are some people who will! So if you haven’t seen that happen yet, hang in there. :)

Not everyone is going to feel the urge to share a connection post on their social media, but they might want to share a post that discusses a trending topic, is perhaps a little controversial in a unique niche, or discusses a fun concept, but with a fresh, creative twist!

One example of potential viral content would be my post: If Disney Invaded Your Youth Group because my readers go to youth group, and love Disney, they totally enjoyed this comedic take on what might happen if these two worlds unexpectedly mesh together!

Another example of potentially viral content is an interview with a celebrity, artist, musician, author, or someone who has a larger platform than you. If your readers love for King and Country or the Willis Clan, they’re going to be really excited about your interview, and potentially want to share it!

Potential viral content can also include hot news topics, popular Google searches, or keyword focused pages, but those are just a few examples.

Are you beginning to see how having a mix of heartfelt, connection content, along with fun, pop-culture (or book culture, whatever you’re into), potentially viral content, makes a delicious mix for readers?

3. Monetized Content

Finally, we have monetized content. This is a post style many bloggers avoid, or simply don’t think about. For most writers, blogging begins as a hobby and the idea of earning income from our blogs either isn’t important to us, or it seems impossible. Or maybe you’ve seen longtime bloggers suddenly switch gears and try to turn their blog into a business, and they’ve done it totally ungracefully, and it’s left a really sour, commercialized taste in your mouth.

One of the reasons that happen, is because hobby-bloggers aren’t creating monetized content, then when they suddenly whip out links to their new affiliate program, everyone is totally blindsided by the shift.

If the idea of earning income from your blog makes you uneasy, because you don’t want to sell out or lose the trust of your readers: that’s a good thing! That means you actually CARE about your readers. And the simple fact that you have the heart to always place your readers first, tells me you can earn income from your blog, in a really beautiful, natural, organic way.

So how can you do that?

I would encourage you to consider adding a new style of posts to your line up: monetized content. Monetized content is simply a post which gives you the potential to earn income from it, through affiliate links, sponsored posts, or brand partnerships.

But here’s the really cool part: you can start doing this before you ever sign up for an affiliate program or begin exploring how to earn income from your blog. By sharing your honest opinions on products, books, music, movies, restaurants, etc. (whatever your unique niche is!) your readers will get used to seeing these kinds of posts. In fact, if you add review posts to your blog on a regular basis, your readers won’t just be used to seeing them: they’ll love seeing them! They’ll know you’re the place to come when they want opinions on a book, hair product, etc.

Monetized content can totally spark and delight your readers! If you do this before you start partnering with brands and affiliate programs, your readers won’t be surprised when they learn you’re earning income from these posts. It will also give brands a “portfolio” of how you do reviews, what your style is, and what they can expect when they work with you.

If the idea of monetizing your website excites you, I would encourage you to start adding reviews to your line-up!

Once you’ve got a fun, colorful, tasty mixture of connection content (your readers trust you!), viral content (new readers are finding you!), and monetized content (they value your opinion on products, brands, and services), then you’re ready to slowly begin earning income from all your hard work! How cool is that?

Brainstorm Your Next Blog Posts!

Are you ready to start brainstorming your next blog posts? It’s not nearly as daunting as you may think! Simply grab a notebook and a pen, and divide your paper into three columns, one for each category, Connection, Viral, and Monetized. OR, take the easy route and use this free printable that I made just for you guys! :)

Write down ten ideas for each category and remember to keep the purpose for each post in mind before you even pick up your pen.

Ready to rock and roll? Woohoo! You’re well on your way to creating 30 new, sparkling blog posts your readers are going to ADORE!

Are you a new or aspiring blogger? Or maybe you’ve been blogging for years and the idea of learning how to earn income on your website sounds really appealing. But where do you even begin? I’m SO excited to share my 20 Day video series for bloggers! It’s called Fire Starter: Launching a Blog that Blazes! This interactive course teaches bloggers (both old and new) how to create their dream blog or website, monetize their site, AND give them all the tools, encouragement, and support needed to be truly successful on their journey! The Fire Starter course is listed at $150.00 but I would love to share my special code with you to get $100 off! You can check that out HERE.

To celebrate the release of Fire Starter, I’m giving away a free Skype Session to talk about blogging goals, writing advice, and how to take your blog to the next level! (Or, if you’re too shy to video chat, we can totally do it over email.) My sweet friend Bella and I love coaching bloggers and authors through our Cheerleader Sessions! This is our first time giving away a free session and we’re SO excited!

Entering for a chance to win is super simple! Just hop on over to my blog and sign up for my free email updates (and I’ll throw in a free e-book, just to say thanks!) and you’re all set!

Keep writing, friends!

Lots of love,

~Livy Lynn

Livy Lynn is a twenty-something author, singer, and songwriter. She enjoys crafting YA fiction that is pure, lovely, inspirational, and of course, entertaining! When she’s not writing, you can usually find her playing guitar, blogging, drinking peppermint tea, connecting with new friends, planning her next trip to Disney, or pinning images of Europe and Golden Retriever Puppies!

Come get connected at www.livylynnblog.com

How to Be a Consistent Blogger

This is a topic on my mind at the moment since it's 11am on Saturday and I just realized I hadn't even started a blog post for this week. That happened to me a lot when I first began blogging, too. Looking back, I have a few tips on how to remain consistent!

If I've ever edited for you, you know I say "consistency is the key" ... like twenty gazillion times. Same goes with just about everything else in life but especially blogging.

In order to be consistent when I first started out, I:

• set a low goal (at least one post a week)
• made a schedule (every Saturday morning)
• and occasionally planned ahead (schedule post feature, anyone?)

I'd say the only other thing I've really added to that list is keeping a running list of post ideas. I have several unfinished posts in my blog drafts, and I have an ongoing list of ideas in the notes on my phone. Yes, there are some ideas I'll probably never use. But it's great to have a starting point when I have days like today with zero ideas.

It's also really nice to have a go-to post style. I prefer to not do pictures because that takes too much time and effort. Most of my posts are tips or how-to posts. I also enjoy tying them to whatever's new to me in the writing world--what I'm learning.

So consistent blogging? That came to mind because I'm late on this post. ;)

There's no one formula for everyone, but trust me: it's well worth the time to find your comfort zone. It's very helpful for when you're in more of a crunch! Though, in general, I found that the more I blogged the more I remembered and looked forward to blogging. 

It all comes down to willpower, honestly. I've been blogging for a while now and so I don't intend to miss this Saturday even if I am late. It's all about the track record and being around to engage all you wonderful peeps on a regular basis!!

Do you struggle with consistency in blogging? What's your favorite kind of blog post to write?

Why Blogs Will Never Die + Author Website

I keep hearing things that say blogs are on their way out. I've not done any research on why people are saying this or if they're actually dying out, but I think it's impossible for them to die off completely for a couple reasons.

First, I don't intend to stop blogging for a long time. Therefore, at least one blog will remain on the internet. I can't imagine not blogging anymore if I'm honest. Which is crazy because I used to be SO turned off by the very idea of a blog. But here we are. God thinks He's funny or something.

Second, blogs are community-based! And while "professionals" keep saying blogs are phasing out, the desire for community is only getting stronger. It's almost reached the level of being a buzzword in today's culture, so why would something that helps unite people of common interests die?

Third, I really think blogs are unique. While exceptions of course exist, they're not life journals or formal articles. They're a beautiful blend where personality meets help. Again--a community! Blogs are great if only to know you're not alone.

Fourth, they're newsletters on steroids. Despite what professionals have been saying for a very long time, mailed-to-people's-homes newsletters (real print ones!) are still effective according to mutliple business professionals I've heard from lately. They can be more effective than electronic ones even ... And what are blogs but an electronic newsletter on steroids?

Fifth, I want to trust agents and publishers. If blogs were really on their way out, would all of us younglings be turned away for a platform that's too small? There are other platforms--I get that. But blogs die without community. I can have 500 followers without any interaction elsewhere. So I think numbers mean more here--and I think the big guys know that.

So I'm not sure why people think blogs are dying. I guess it's because blogs are easily abandoned, the internet evolves, kids these days don't read as much.

That doesn't mean blogs have to die! That just means presentation might have to be tweaked in order to meet muster. But, really, flexibility is what marketing and being successful is all about, then I know nothing.

*shrug* That's just me. I guess I'll believe it when I'm the only blog left standing.

Now, for the big news.

I HAVE AN AUTHOR WEBSITE!

Yes, I'll give you the link and all that good stuff, but I want to explain. I'm not going to stop blogging. I just wanted a more professional space to ... be professional! That way I can have my services, salesy links, and snazzier design over there without having to touch much here.

So expect minor changes to the pages at the top, but that's about it. The editing page will go away and perhaps some other things. If you're super attached to something, let me know! All of this is in an effort to make things better for all of you.

Now, for the link. You can visit my author website at abigayleclaire.com. Not too complicated, right?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Do you think blogs are on their way out? Why or why not?

ALL THE THOUGHTS on the author website!!

Why Linkups Are a Good Idea (Vlog Challenge #8)

I left myself only a few days to spare, but I finally filmed my video for the eighth Very Awesome Vlog Challenge that Ivy Rose hosts. I'm so glad these are back!

Before I link to my video, let's talk about link-ups.

Ivy's video challenge is link-up, which means she has something embedded in her blog so that people who decide to participate in an event (in this case, record a video answering preset questions) can add their link simply by clicking.

I've yet to create my own link-up anything, but they're a fantastic idea! Beyond just encouraging someone to leave a comment on a blog post or interact on social media, the person behind the idea of the link-up has created a specific interactive project that requires the person to actually engage in order to participate.

Of course, you can't force someone to participate. But link-ups are a great way to highlight other people, get to know one another better, and try new things. All without having to leave home or spend money! Plus, you're not committed to coming back, even though most link-ups have recurring editions.

You should definitely try out Ivy Rose's link-up because vlogs are also really really fun. (And she asks great questions.)

(and yes, I was supposed to say "bye" at the end, but I hit stop too soon :P)

What are some fun link-ups you've seen or have participated in? I'd like to do one twice a year maybe, but I have yet to find the perfect idea. Maybe I should do the next signature challenge as a linkup? I'd love to hear your suggestions!!

Also!! Speaking of involved, fun things, all the way through the end of March you can submit questions to a whole group of authors (including me) in this blog post. We'll answer them in April! :)

How My Blog Saved My Writing Career Before It Had Begun (aka The Left-Handed Typist turns 2)

At the time you're reading this, I'm kicked back at a mansion on a lake celebrating my blog's 2nd birthday. I kid you not. (Except that being at the lake with my church has nothing to do with my blog but the weekends lined up, okay? :P)

I started this blog over two years ago. o.o Where has the time gone?! You tell me. All I know is I have loved blogging. Not all the time, sure. But it has literally saved my writing career.

To be totally forthright here, I used to laugh at blogs. As much as I liked the idea of journaling, I was never happy with it or consistent, so why bother? To me blogging was journaling online. So why would I care to read blogs (except for an occasional recipe), let alone write one and be all authentic and extroverted (*shudder*)?

Well, the first writing blog I ever found was Katie Grace's and I was blown away. I was enjoying this? More than that, after several months of e-mail communication with her, I'd roped her into helping me start my own blog. Ha! (Poor girl didn't know what she was getting into when I sent her that initial "I love your blog and I never love blogs!!!" e-mail.)

On February 24, 2016, Katie was so so kind and posted this post on her blog sharing her side of our God-orchestrated meeting and my first ever blog post (*hides from the cringe*).

The funny thing about all of this is, it was totally God. As in, I was inexplicably compelled to start a blog and my mom was like "I thought you hated blogs!" (Think of Lizzie when she wants to marry Mr. Darcy. That was me and Leftie here.) Now, two years later, this "fluff writing" that was so dreadfully personal (blech!) has become the very crux of everything I do. And I would even say that this blog saved my writing career before it had even begun.

How? IT GAVE ME ALL OF YOU OF COURSE!!! No blushing, I'm dead serious! Blogging isn't just an outlet I didn't know I needed, and it's not just a platform for numbers needed for traditional publication. Because that outlet is me getting to connect with the real people all over the world that each of those numbers represents. YOU!

Here's the cliff notes version. Without this blog I never would have:

• flown halfway across the country to OCW with Ivy Rose and Emily McConnell
• had the first agent experience that I did
• had people in multiple countries interested in Martin Hospitality
• had 16 beta readers volunteer to read my messy second draft
• known there were so many people like me
• seen internet friends as real friends
• been blessed with so many smiles and encouragement and yes, teary eyes, in relation to my books and your friendship

The easy way to apply to some of this to your own blog (without guaranteed results) is to:

• have someone launch your blog
• guest post
• be yourself, but professional
• interact in the comments
• engage beyond your blog (social media)
• be willing to seek people out and follow up
• be prompt and genuine in your replies
• don't make promises you can't keep
• post consistently

All of that has had a huge effect on my befriending all of you :) Books are nothing without an audience and writers are nothing without support, so I cannot thank you guys enough for being that to me every day. The real reason I keep blogging? I know I'll get to see all your shining faces in the comments and that brightens up my life. All these words I share both here and in my books amount to me hoping to shine back, even just a little, into yours. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that opportunity and privilege. :)

Bloggers, what keeps you blogging? Non-bloggers, why do you follow blogs? Have you ever considered starting one? I want to know it all!!!

(And yes. As of now this blog is known as Leftie.)

Also, congratulations to Seneca, Keturah, and Faith Potts! You guys won the giveaways and should each have an email in your inboxes :)

My Must-Read Blogs

I don't know about you, but the longer I've blogged, the less I read my friends' blogs ... o.o Not good, I know. But I realized that there's still a handful that stand out as my "must-reads."

I'm subscribed to 49 blogs on Blogger (because 50 is obscene). 20 by e-mail. And yet my list of must-reads consists of ... nine.

A Glimpse of Starlight // poetry + inspirational words + format
A Little Southern Grace // lifelong friend + pictures + fun artsy things
A Writer's Faith // my first blog to follow + pizza + words + nano + TBR
Feels Like Hope // deep thoughts + blunt words + superheroes + punk opinion
Fishing For Ideas // faith + mostly nonfiction + sour patch + ninjas + masculine
Lakeside Publications // writing + struggles + self publishing + VAVC + critique partner
My Lady Bibliophile // reviews + classic recs + amazing WWI WIP
Nadine Brandes // bookstagram + ninjas + YA books + traditional publishing
Writer Emily Mundell // Canada + life experiences + LOTR + fellow INTJ

Special mention:

Audrey Caylin ~ Books and Barbells ~ Penprints ~ Scattered Journal Pages

Please note: if you did not make this list, that does not mean I hate you or your blog. I promise. You all know that I would read every post by each and every one of you if I had the time!

Those of you who did make the list are probably surprised ... because I comment maybe 50% of the time I read a post? -_- I know, I'm a horrible example. Let that be your takeaway from this post.

So for all of you who faithfully read and comment on my blog, I really appreciate you. It's a big deal. Even if I take two weeks to reply, please know that I read all the comments and would. not. be. here. without you.

For all of you who blog, keep going!! You have something worth sharing. :)

The signature contests are still going on! I've received four entries for Tiffany thus far. And the next edition will be coming Tuesday! But you have all year to submit them, so please participate!! :D

ALSO, Martin Hospitality is on sale today and tomorrow in e-book form! If you've been waiting to read it, now's your chance to do so without breaking the bank.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! How many blogs do you read? (And I mean really read.)

How I Write A Blog Post

A long while back I wrote a blog post on how I write a chapter. In fact, it was my ninth post, and inspired by Katie Grace's post on how she writes a blog post. While I'm sure my process for chapters has changed as I've selected new projects, I have now found a consistent method for writing a blog post. Even though it's not a proven successful formula, it's a formula nonetheless. ;)

You've probably noticed the pattern in how I post. My way is not the only way to do it; everyone finds their own pattern. But I do encourage you to find a blog post pattern if you haven't already! Mine goes like this:

1. Title
2. Introductory Paragraph
3. Post Header Image
4. Opening Paragraph
5. Point One Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
6. Point Two Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
7. Point Three Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
8. (Repeat until all points are covered)
9. Closing Paragraph
10. Ending Tildes
11. Concluding Statement and Question

Of course, that's only how it goes when I'm writing a topical post. And sometimes I don't have points that vary enough to bother outlining with headers. This post, for example. I could have put FORMULA above the outline there, EXCEPTIONS above this paragraph, etc. But it seemed a little pointless ;) Posts like reviews and blog tours are going to look quite different.

My schedule for posting is every Saturday, with occasional posts on Tuesdays if I have extra content. Sometimes I agree to do posts for other people that require a specific date that could be any day of the week, but that's fine. Aiming for consistency is my goal. And I'm pretty sure I haven't missed a single Saturday since I began in February of 2016! Because I'm sure you want to know, I've done posts in as little as twenty minutes and taken as long as 6 hours. I'd say my average is about 1.5 hours for each blog post.

As for my process of actually drafting a post, it usually looks something like this:

• make a couple bullet points as an outline/guide
• write the post, using bold and italics as I go
• save the post as a draft to finish later (sometimes)
• create images on Canva by duplicating
• reread the post, adding links to people's names
• use Blogger's preview feature
• (hopefully) fix any weird formatting issues that came up 
• schedule post (if necessary)
• add labels
• customize permalink
• share the post on social media

And that's basically it! 

Fairly straightforward, right? (If you're not familiar with blogging, don't let this post scare you; it's not as complicated as it sounds.) How do you write your blog posts?

Consistency as the Key to Success

When trying to decide what to blog about this weekend, I realized that a lot of things in my life over the last few weeks relied on consistency. And I also came to realize just how horrible I am at being consistent. (I mean, look at the time stamp on this post.) It's pathetic, really. But it remains the key to success in almost every area of life.

I've always heard that consistency is important. I guess I didn't realize until just this Thursday that I've heard that in a lot of different places ... and dismissed it, I guess? D: Not good. I think my real problem is consistency is a discipline. And I'm not very good at self-discipline, I freely admit. Some areas it's good to be consistent in are:

Apparently, you'll be more successful as an author if you write every day (I wouldn't know ;P ). People say it's not the number of words but the discipline of getting some down daily that helps you progress. I could argue with that for an eternity. Lately, my pattern has been writing and writing a lot whenever I have an evening free to do so. And it's worked really well. But the few nights I haven't felt like it and decided I should try anyway ... yeah, I 've gotten words written that I wouldn't have otherwise. So it's good to push yourself, even if you don't do so consistently ;P

Social media is another area where I've heard over and over again that consistency is the key. You don't have to have really long posts, or always use images and links. Just decide how often you're going to post on each platform and stick to it. Easier said than done, right? But I've definitely seen the truth of this one play out. People can't forget about you as easily if you never disappear. And it often takes some exposure before people will follow or interact. So every post counts whether your statistics show that or not.

The same thing applies to blogging. No one appreciates a blogger who appears sporadically, especially if their absence goes unannounced and each random reappearance begins with an apology. Don't do that! You don't have to post often. Once a week is plenty, and maybe you can't manage that often. Fine. Set up guest posts, take a hiatus. All of that is perfectly acceptable. But don't blog every few months and expect people to be okay with that. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to show up regularly to engage the people who follow you.

While I wouldn't say reading requires consistency, I am a much happier person when I do read consistently. Of course, it's gotten really sporadic of late for me. But since it's such a great wind-down for me, I should aim to read a little every day. Then I might read two or three times a week, which would be an improvement! And I'd be able to tackle my TBR list much faster without having to stay up to ungodly hours of the night.

As the newest realization for me ... Jesus time. It does require consistency. Consistently reading the Bible, choosing to do the right thing, putting temptations behind you, praying for wisdom. You can't cultivate a relationship if you don't keep in touch with Jesus. And the best way to do all of those things is by reading the Bible consistently. And by consistently ... I actually mean every day. *sigh* I'm the first to admit that I'm not very good at this. So you're not alone. But don't aim for something like 5 chapters; maybe it's just a verse. But the more the Word of God is in your heart and on your mind, the easier it is to arm yourself with it for each new day. I know this through personal experience, and am trying to get better about starting my day with this. Because otherwise it gets shoved to the bottom of my to-do list.

As Priscilla Shirer pointed out in my Bible Study this week, the urgent things often overtake the important things, when it's only the important things that hold any weight in the light of eternity.

I could add a whole lot more things that I need to be more consistent with: exercising, taking vitamins (I am actually improving here!), doing laundry, cleaning my room, eating breakfast, doing finances ... it goes on ;) This is where I find some scheduling or to-do lists to be helpful. It's hard to be consistent with 100 different things every day! Practice makes perfect. Or as my choir director reminds us, perfect practice makes perfect.

I know I could use better consistency in basically any area you can think of. Do you struggle with consistency? (Please tell me I'm not alone!) What benefits have you found from being consistent?

How to Guest Post Like a Pro

I've been trying to work on a blogging schedule lately, and part of that has been looking for people willing to guest post. So I thought I'd work up a post on how to guest post!

First, a quick definition of what guest posting is: guest posting is when a person agrees to write a single article for another person's blog or website.

 Let me begin by saying there really is no definitive guide to guest posting. That's why people who agree to guest post for each other always ask questions: What do you want me to post on? When do you want me to post? How long do you want it to be? Guest posting is useless if the person you're posting for isn't pleased, so be sure to ask them what they're looking for.

Of course, you can figure out some of what they want for yourself by visiting the blog or website they want people to post on. When I'm looking for people to guest post for me, I always say that anything writing or book-related works. Why? Because that's what my blog is about. Anyone who visits could probably figure that out, as well as see what I've already posted on. You don't want to have a repeat post!

The question is, how do you write under the broad topic of the blog and still stand out from the blogger's frequent posts. This is a one-time opportunity! Simple: blog about a topic that the blogger can't. For example, Jonathan Trout guest-posted for me once and I suggested he write something about being a guy blogger ... I can never blog on that. He did an excellent job with the post because it's the most popular post this blog's ever had ... go figure xD

When you're guest posting, it's not usually the time for a medical update or a new announcement.  There are exceptions, but for the most part, things like that should be relegated to your own blog where you have readers that are already invested in you. :) So an article that matches the blog content with a strong title and clearly marked points is the better way to go.

At the same time, you don't want to be stiff. One of the main reasons people enjoy reading blog posts is for the person behind the content as much as the content itself. So you should be natural. Use your normal blogging voice. As I said before, pick something that you can write from experience (preferably an experience the person you're blogging for doesn't have). That's always going to be a bit personal.

One of the main incentives for guest posting is that you as the guest poster get exposure to a new audience! So consider including a photo of yourself or maybe even a bio. Ask the friend you're blogging for to introduce you in their way. And definitely include a link back to your blog! That's how readers from the blog or website you're guest posting on will find (and hopefully follow) you :)

While no one gets a true break this way, I've seen that each group of blog followers is more likely to look at both blogs if the bloggers have simply switched for the day. The audience gets a fresh voice on the blog they follow, but they have to visit this new person's blog in order to read a post from the person they're used to reading. It's a good strategy and a win-win.

1. The primary blogger gets a week off // take a break without having to skip a post
2. Readers get a new writer // it shakes it up a bit and readers are usually welcoming
3. The guest poster gets new exposure // it's a direct way to reach an already dedicated audience

Have you ever guest posted before? Do you have any questions about guest posting?

I AM LOOKING FOR GUEST POSTS! So if you're interested, shoot me an e-mail: abiclaire98 at gmail dot com :)

Blogging with Zero Ideas

I'm not the first blogger I've heard worry about running out of topics to cover. This is the only topic that has popped into my head of a full 10 minutes of contemplation. The weekend snuck up on me. I have no excuses.

So what do you blog when you have absolutely no ideas. Nothing huge has happened lately. No themes struck you throughout the week. It's not time for a wrap-up. You don't have any tags. The creativity is dwindling.

The good news is, I think you still have quite a few options:

This should be a last resort. We want to hear from you if at all possible. Which is why I'm here writing this rambling post and admitting it's really hard this week. You can always take a hiatus, though, if you're feeling really done.

Even if you can't recall something you want to blog on, go looking. Maybe you want to do writing environment because so-and-so did or ask how collaborative fiction writing even works. (I have no idea; don't ask me.)

Making excuses is an option, too, but don't do it. If it's been really difficult for you to blog of late, tell people that! I've had very little creativity this week overall and more things on my plate than normal.

This always seems to make readers happy and it's not too difficult. Here, this is one I took recently.

Cool, right? I totally forgot I wanted to share it with you guys until I went searching for a recent picture! #storyofmylife

How has your week been? I really want to know. So feel free to share. Are you doing Camp NaNo in April?

People want to know how you're doing and it's okay to tell them. I've had horrible headaches this week (thank you early pollens), but I hung out at coffee shops twice, and I'm making macaroons with my sister and a bestie home from college this weekend so that's exciting. And I also had my second book signing yesterday.

No, not in your blog post. I meant about your blog post. What does God want you to write about? For me it'd probably be including Him more ... I feel like He doesn't come through as much as He should on here since He's the foundation for everything I do.

This is totally what I'm doing for this post, not even kidding. And it's coming together. There's nothing wrong with faking it a little. No one will know unless you tell them like I just did.

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Hop on over to my last post if you haven't filled out my questionnaires and entered the giveaways! You won't want to miss them! Now I want to hear about you and how life has been :)