#MarketingMonday: Solving the Author Blog Content Conundrum

Two weeks ago, we discussed the importance of maintaining a current author blog to boost your relevancy and authority. This week we want to continue along the thread of author blogs to delve into the conundrum plaguing authors: What in the world do you write about?

Author Blog Content Creation Made Simple

Rule #1: Write what you know. You’ve heard it before and yup, it really is that simple. Authors, and in particular fiction authors, want to make things more complicated than they really are. Not to mention as humans, we like to downplay what we actually know. (What? You mean I know stuff?) Believe me, you are a fount of knowledge and a plethora of insight. No one on this planet has the same unique experiences, background, interests, and expertise as you. Embrace it. Whenever you find yourself lost or coming up blank on what to write, make a list of the things that interest you. Include everything from concepts, to other bloggers whom you admire, and everything in between. Then pick one you’d like to dig deeper on, and spend a little time researching the topic to see if you can uncover something surprising or useful.

Rule #2: Write for your readers. As an author, you should know who your readers are… What their interests are, and how they intersect with yours. Write your posts to solve a problem for them, enlighten them, or entertain them. If it has value to them, they will come back again and again. This is not only good for your blog, but also for your business of selling books.

Rule #3: Create content with staying power. Some marketers call this “evergreen content.” Basically it means that your content has value, no matter when someone stumbles upon it. Try not to have too many posts that are “dated” or have information that’s only useful in a certain time-frame.

Rule #4: Get Inspired. Have you been stuck in your own little world lately? If so, don’t fret. We all get that way sometimes. The best way to get inspired to write your author blog content is it check out what other authors are writing about. Pay particular attention to what piques your interest. Is it the subject matter? The way they write, or the use of inventive words and themes? Whatever the case may be, take note of what draws you in and capitalize on a similar effect for your own blog. Always remember to let your words be your own and keep your style unique, even if you are inspired by others. One day, your blog could be on someone else’s inspiration list, so give ’em something to aspire to.

Rule #5: Get unstuck. Our brain is a complex machine and often times, it can get in our way. There are two ways I’ve found to overcome writer’s block.

  1. Leave the left hemisphere of your brain and get visual/artistic with it. Draw out a scene from your book. Not particularly good with art? Hunt for photos that remind you of your characters, scenes from the book, time in history – whatever the case might be. Allow the more creative right hemisphere to take over for a bit. Give it an hour, then see if tackling that blog or writing your chapter is easier. Be sure to share your experiences of getting artsy with your audience – and don’t forget to include photos of your masterpiece!
  2. Feel the fear and write it anyway. Louis L’Amour said it best: “Start Writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” Sometimes to get out of our own way, we need to write through the block. Free associate words by following where your mind is. Maybe it starts as a list of random words, then flows into something deeper. Write down that grocery list that’s been plaguing you all day, or the task list for tomorrow. Whatever it is, just write. Then, don’t stop. Keep going until words form sentences and sentences form paragraphs and paragraphs form more. You can always edit later, but for now, give yourself permission to write.

We hope these tips have been useful, but if there are tricks you use that didn’t make the cut, tell us about them. Leave a comment below and let’s inspire each other.

 

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