Guest Post- Rachel Walter

We are making it our mission to get back involved in the blogging world. It might not be as often as it used to be, but baby steps. With me (Dani) working a full time job, running after my three kiddos and getting ready to go back to school... it seems like there's not enough time in a day. Christina has a million things going on as well, so please be patient with us.

However today we have a very special friend on the blog, Rachel Walter, the author of the Soul Mate series, The Pocono Valley Series, and Pucked. She's going to be talking about the importance of having a blog. Be sure to read all the way through to the end.

“You have to have a blog! It’s so easy to set up and use!”

That’s something I heard when I decided I wanted to publish my first novel, True Connection.

My brain went into overload with those two small, simple sentences.

Why?

What would I blog about?

Who would read it?

Do I have anything I want to blog about?

Isn’t a blog kind of like an online diary? I don’t even keep a physical diary, how will I keep up with one online?

I’m a boring person, why on earth would anyone want to read my blog?

I don’t know enough about writing, self-publishing, traditional publishing, or editing to even write one meaningful blog.

I’m sure you’ve probably thought those things if you were told, “You should start a blog!” or something along those lines. Or maybe you weren’t told to, but have thought about blogging before.

I started a blog and had no idea what I was doing. I used it for my book. I started out by writing a post about one of my characters, and how I formed them. Then I did a post to introduce my playlist and why certain songs were chosen. I did my cover reveal there, too. I still didn’t know what I was doing. Eventually, I signed up for cover reveals and blog tours and used it for that.

Then one day I found a list online…on someone else’s blog conveniently enough, about different topics to write about for blog posts. So I did a few of those and found it kind of fun. I wrote a post on love, on the loss of a friend to suicide, A Day In The Life, and 5 authors that I look up to. I wrote a few more posts and saved them in a file to use in the future.

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered something important.

I stopped blogging altogether. I didn’t post a single reveal or tour or blitz for months. I didn’t publish any posts I had stored.

With the stress in my life that seemed to explode all at once, I felt myself gearing up for an even bigger implosion. I even stopped writing for a stint during this time. Everything was too much and I couldn’t keep up with anything. Stopping everything felt good, but I felt lost. I was going nowhere fast and my mood was even worse. When I started writing again I was blocked in the story that I loved. I tried something else, and I was blocked again. It’s hard to pick it up after you’ve stopped. “The best way to cure writer’s block is to write.” For me, that is insanely true. I started blogging again. I have random topics saved to post later, and it feels good. More importantly, I FEEL GOOD. I can focus again. I’m writing more than I was before I started blogging again.

Blogging doesn’t have to be anything specific. You can do a weekly feature of a book you loved as a child or now. You can write a post on current events, political stance, religious beliefs, the terrible way your favorite show ended, or even cover a topic or two you’ve written about in a story.

You also don’t HAVE to have a blog. It’s not for everyone. Just like reading isn’t for everyone. GASP!

I use my blog to promote books and authors, and also as a place to say some long-winded thoughts. It doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be fun. I enjoy sharing stories and authors in hopes that someone following my blog sees something they like and checks out a new-to-them author or book. 

-Rachel

About the Author

Rachel is a wife and mother from Central Pennsylvania. Her favorite season is fall, for hockey, changing leaves, pumpkin everything, and bonfires often. She’s also a coffeenista with an insomnia problem. When Rachel isn’t playing with the people inside her head, making her family believe she belongs in the loony bin, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, species confused cat (he believes he’s part dog, love him), and finding new books and music.

Stalk Rachel Walter

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