Proven tips to write fiction blog

Writing a fiction blog is fun and rewarding. Having an active reader base can help motivate you to keep writing and can even help you transform your fiction into cash. Writing a good fiction blog, however, takes planning and careful design.

Plan Ahead for Your Blog

Plan out your blog before you advertise it. Choose your characters and outline the plot. Decide how often you’re going to post, and be realistic. Aiming for once or twice a week is usually a good idea, but quality is more important than quantity.

Write several posts before you publish any of them, so that you’re always a little ahead in case you can’t write for a week or two.

Design Your Fiction Blog

Choose a blogging website and design your blog. There are many free blogging websites, such as Blogspot and Livejournal.

Make sure the design of your blog is clean, attractive, and readable. Use neutral colors for the background, like white, tan, or light gray, and make sure the text is in a readable, standard font, like Times or Verdana.

Write a short summary of your blog and put it somewhere prominent on your blog, so new visitors can quickly figure out the premise of the text.

Search stock photography websites like www.sxc.hu for banner artwork. Open your website in several different internet browsers to ensure it is formatted correctly.

The Internet facilitates the incorporation of multimedia into writing. Consider adding photographs to your posts.

You can also create an online persona for your character at a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, or put links in your entries to other sites or blogs.

Advertise Your Blog

Once you’ve set up your website and published your first entry, advertise! Send the link to your family and friends; post it on your Facebook or Twitter.

Comment on other blogs, leaving a link to your blog; many will reciprocate. You can also trade affiliate links with other blogs by posting their link on your blog in an exchange for a link on theirs.

Google Adsense and Analytics

Install Google Analytics to track your visitors. See how many visitors you have, which web site they were referred from, and how long they stay on your website.

If you want to earn money from ads, consider using Google Adsense. Google Adsense displays relevant ads and pays you when visitors click on them.

Create Community

Create a sense of community around your blog. Respond to comments, either from the position of your fictional character or as the author; visit the blogs of your commenters. You can also stimulate visitor interaction by hosting contests or asking questions.

How to Find Freelance Blogging Jobs

While blogging is a free activity for most people, for freelance writers, it’s another source of income. There are a seemingly endless number of blogging jobs online, including scams and offers that range from zero to high pay.

Finding freelance blogging jobs depends on how much money the writer is trying to make, and his areas of expertise. Endless hours can be wasted on the Internet searching through page after page of blogging job offers that may or may not pan out. Follow these tips to get started blogging for cash.

Start a Professional Blog

The first and most important step for any freelance writer these days is to start a blog, whether he wants to blog for a living or not. While few writers will make any income from having their own blog, the exposure and contacts made will provide a career boost.

A freelance writer’s blog can be personal, but must be professional. Writer’s should focus their blog on their niche – the area of expertise they have that they are most qualified to write about, like travel, fashion, or technology. For example, a writer who would like to find blogging jobs for gadget websites should post frequently with reviews and tips on operating the latest laptops, cell phones, and other tech gear.

Subscribe to Freelance Job Sites

While job search engines can be very useful, a high percentage of spam sometimes dominates the list and takes up valuable time. Websites run by freelance writers, like The Freelance Writing Jobs Network, filter through most of the spam and categorize jobs for writers, bloggers, and more.

Participate in Other Blogs

Writers who wish to make money with a food blog should read, and more importantly, comment on other food blogs. Travel bloggers should get involved in other online travel communities. The most important thing that separates blogging from other online writing jobs is interaction, and commenting on other blogs, as well as responding to comments on one’s own blog, is a vital part of the networking process.

Search Specialty Websites and Companies for Blogs

As blogging continues to grow in popularity, more and more companies are making blogs a part of their website. Writers should seek out companies that specialize in good or services related to the writer’s niche and contact the website editor offering blogging services.

Blogging for a Living

Freelance blogging is a fun way to earn money from home or while traveling. As with all freelance writing, the key is for the writer to assess his specialties and find those willing to pay for blog posts highlighting those specialties.