Over the weekend I attended Connectnigeria.com’s 1
st Writers’ Conference and I must say it was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Sometimes as writers we tend to hate structure and lack writing discipline. I can say I fall into this category and one of the area’s I lacked most was in writing consistently. Many times we as writers believe that we can only produce work by ‘inspiration’. Great things may be established by inspiration but how are they sustained? Over the past two years in this era of blogging many people have asked me the recurring question ‘
Do you have a blog?’ Sadly until recently my answer was no.
I hated the idea of knowing I had to consistently write a post once a week. I wanted to write when the rain inspired me, or I felt a tingle in my finger, or poverty touched my heart, but I didn’t want to write once a week. I have started two blogs in the past two years, both of which I posted once and never went back to again. I had millions of excuses why ‘I just didn’t have the time’ to consistently post on my blog. The conference taught me the significance of having a blog and consistently working on your skill as a writer. I started my third blog about seven weeks ago now and it is the most exciting part of my week! In just seven weeks of consistent blogging I have tapped into a creative part of me that I didn’t know existed and developed my ‘voice’ in my writing. These are just a few ways starting a blog has impacted me. Below I have composed the benefits of blogging for those who are still in doubt!
1. It will improve your writing skills
I’m sure we have all heard the saying ‘the more you do something the better you get at it!’ Writing is no exception. If you’re writing (and reading) constantly you will watch your writing evolve in every new post. Your grammar, vocabulary and personality will also blossom as a result. Your research skills that have been collecting dust come to life as you become a maestro of your topic of interest. Additionally, you will become computer savvy as you will be learning how to manage your blog online and even play with a few codes here and there.
2. Creates an audience for your writing
I have endless word documents full of writing; quotes, short stories, excerpts and poems that I have written and nobody has ever seen. If you’re anything like me, your writing is your heart, your new born baby and your prized possession and you’re afraid of people criticizing and rejecting it. Unfortunately, this over protectiveness and fear is counterproductive. There is power in sharing your work. It is better to release your words into the world and let them fly; you don’t have any idea what an impact they could make! Every writer has a target audience, by blogging you will be able to identify, reach, and impact yours.
3. Grows your network of writers
I don’t know about you, but the first time I was in a room filled with creative’s, I more or less felt I was in heaven! There is an amazing energy that becomes ubiquitous when you’re surrounded by people with a similar interest and passion as you. Having a blog will increase your network, help you meet other writers and people who appreciate your skill as well as what you write about! This will encourage you to write more and open great doors for you if you’re consistent.
4. Can be monetized
Blogging has now becomes some people’s primary source of income, our prototypes for this are Linda Ikeji and Uche Pedro. Your passion for writing as well as your topic of interest should always be your primary propellant, but with a unique writing style and a robust audience, you could create the kind of traffic that advertisers love and begin making money from your blog. This is just one of many ways you can monetize your blog.
5. You can become a published author
You writing your blog once or twice a week can be likened to you writing the pages of a book especially if your blog has a focused theme. Many of us have never envisioned ourselves to be authors, or don’t know how and where to start but a blog is a great starting point! If your blog has a theme, at some point you could compile it together as a book that many can read.
Now that you have five reasons to start a blog, throw that fear and procrastination over third mainland bridge and get blogging! It will open doors both internally and externally that you never imagined would open!
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This article was first published on 9th April 2014
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Over the weekend I attended Connectnigeria.com’s 1st Writers’ Conference and I must say it was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Sometimes as writers we tend to hate structure and lack writing discipline. I can say I fall into this category and one of the area’s I lacked most was in writing consistently. Many times we as writers believe that we can only produce work by ‘inspiration’. Great things may be established by inspiration but how are they sustained? Over the past two years in this era of blogging many people have asked me the recurring question ‘Do you have a blog?’ Sadly until recently my answer was no.
I hated the idea of knowing I had to consistently write a post once a week. I wanted to write when the rain inspired me, or I felt a tingle in my finger, or poverty touched my heart, but I didn’t want to write once a week. I have started two blogs in the past two years, both of which I posted once and never went back to again. I had millions of excuses why ‘I just didn’t have the time’ to consistently post on my blog. The conference taught me the significance of having a blog and consistently working on your skill as a writer. I started my third blog about seven weeks ago now and it is the most exciting part of my week! In just seven weeks of consistent blogging I have tapped into a creative part of me that I didn’t know existed and developed my ‘voice’ in my writing. These are just a few ways starting a blog has impacted me. Below I have composed the benefits of blogging for those who are still in doubt!
1. It will improve your writing skills
I’m sure we have all heard the saying ‘the more you do something the better you get at it!’ Writing is no exception. If you’re writing (and reading) constantly you will watch your writing evolve in every new post. Your grammar, vocabulary and personality will also blossom as a result. Your research skills that have been collecting dust come to life as you become a maestro of your topic of interest. Additionally, you will become computer savvy as you will be learning how to manage your blog online and even play with a few codes here and there.
2. Creates an audience for your writing
I have endless word documents full of writing; quotes, short stories, excerpts and poems that I have written and nobody has ever seen. If you’re anything like me, your writing is your heart, your new born baby and your prized possession and you’re afraid of people criticizing and rejecting it. Unfortunately, this over protectiveness and fear is counterproductive. There is power in sharing your work. It is better to release your words into the world and let them fly; you don’t have any idea what an impact they could make! Every writer has a target audience, by blogging you will be able to identify, reach, and impact yours.
3. Grows your network of writers
I don’t know about you, but the first time I was in a room filled with creative’s, I more or less felt I was in heaven! There is an amazing energy that becomes ubiquitous when you’re surrounded by people with a similar interest and passion as you. Having a blog will increase your network, help you meet other writers and people who appreciate your skill as well as what you write about! This will encourage you to write more and open great doors for you if you’re consistent.
4. Can be monetized
Blogging has now becomes some people’s primary source of income, our prototypes for this are Linda Ikeji and Uche Pedro. Your passion for writing as well as your topic of interest should always be your primary propellant, but with a unique writing style and a robust audience, you could create the kind of traffic that advertisers love and begin making money from your blog. This is just one of many ways you can monetize your blog.
5. You can become a published author
You writing your blog once or twice a week can be likened to you writing the pages of a book especially if your blog has a focused theme. Many of us have never envisioned ourselves to be authors, or don’t know how and where to start but a blog is a great starting point! If your blog has a theme, at some point you could compile it together as a book that many can read.
Now that you have five reasons to start a blog, throw that fear and procrastination over third mainland bridge and get blogging! It will open doors both internally and externally that you never imagined would open!
