How to Write a Novel Blog

A blog is a short name for a web log, a website that is updated periodically with writing by one person or a group. For someone writing a novel, a blog can serve as a journal of the author's progress. It can be used to update friends, family members and fans on struggles the writer is encountering on the path to completing the manuscript. A novel blog can also serve as a promotional device, increasing the Internet buzz surrounding the book.

Instructions

1. Sign up at a blogging service such as Blogger or WordPress and obtain a blog. These blogging services generally help new users with how to set up their blog.

2. Write an initial blog entry that describes the purpose of the blog. The purpose can also be a part of the website's name. For example, for a novel with a title like "The Great Ohio Caper," you could have a blog titled GreatOhioCaperNovelProgress or WritingGreatOhioCaper.

3. Make blog entries as progress on the novel is made. Some blogs have regular daily or weekly entries. If people are interested in your novel's progress, they may bookmark your website and return regularly. Frequent updates may keep them interested.

4. Include the number of pages completed in your novel. People may be interested in how your page count compares to the expected total page count.

5. Include personal thoughts about the novel's characters and plot. This can help readers feel like they have an inside track to what the novel is about.

6. Finish the novel and write a corresponding blog entry announcing that fact.

7. Continue making entries in the blog to inform readers of sales and other post-publication facts.

Tips & Warnings

• Presenting readers with a key moment of tension in the novel may help keep them engaged.

• Writing a blog about completing a novel may not help sell the publication rights of the novel.

References

• Blogger: What's a Blog?
• Blogspot: Writing a Novel

Resources

• CashMoneyLife.com: How to Start a Blog for Fun or Profit -- What to Write About