This post originally appeared on the #amwriting web site and still resides in the archives there.

#amwriting is the best darned hashtag on Twitter. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t need to know, so don’t worry about it.

Here’s the post:

Blogging and Writing

Blogging and writing — As far as I’m concerned, that phrase is repetitive, redundant, and duplicates what are essentially two versions of the same word. And it does it twice.

Blogging IS writing.

Ah, but is it fiction writing?

Well, yes.

You see, I have a saying. Well, I have many sayings, including, “To hell with anything unrefined” and “Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump”, but the one appropriate to this post is, “Everything is about writing.”

Which brings me to the questions writers who are thinking about blogging ask most often:

Wouldn’t blogging take time away from my writing?
How often should I blog?
What would I blog about?
Who would care about anything I have to say?

I’ll answer these one at a time.

Wouldn’t blogging take time away from my writing?

See above. Blogging IS writing. Think of it as a writing exercise, and let it energize you.

How often should I blog?

How often do you want to blog? Some people say once a month, some say once a week, some say three times a week, some say many times a day. I blog once a day, every day. That’s what feels good to me.

What would I blog about?

What interests you? What are you up to? What is your life like, as a person and as a writer? You can focus on one thing, like Medieval Weaponry or Macrame, or you can have certain days for certain subjects. I have writers and writing on Monday, food on Wednesday, and (writing) Sample Sunday. Some Sundays, I post excerpts from my books or stories; some Sundays, I post an entire short-short story or a poem. The other days, I write about tattoos I’ve seen, our pets, restaurants, things that irritate me, things that give me joy, books, movies, life in my small town or out in the country. You know — the kinds of details that enrich the fabric of fiction.

People who live in the American Midwest find everyday details of life in, say, The Netherlands, exotic. People in The Netherlands find the American Midwest exotic — or, at least, different. The general outline of your life, work, family, may be quite ordinary, but the details are specific. Nobody experiences life exactly the way you do, and it’s that unique point of view that makes each person’s fiction fresh and will make each person’s blog fresh. Getting in touch with the specificity of your particular life is good training for creating a specificity for your characters and your settings.

Who would care about anything I have to say?

Say something and see.

Posted 11th June 2012 by Johanna Harness for author Marian Allen

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Make a list of twenty-six things specific things about your life, such as hobbies, pet peeves, favorite sounds, pets, etc., one for every letter of the alphabet. Now you’re ready for the April A-to-Z blogging challenge.