Tag Archives: Writing a Blog

December 9, 2025 · 2:49 pm

16 Years of Blog Posts ~ What Next?

I began this blog on 9th December 2009, the year my first book RIDUNA was published by Pegasus Elliot McKenzie, 16 years ago.

There are many good reasons for authors to write blog post regularly. Here are mine:

  • To publish writing news, events, appearances
  • To continue to hone my writing skills for an audience
  • To give background information about my books
  • To give back to other authors by writing reviews and sharing the love of books
  • To give readers a snippet of a picture of my life
  • To have a continued presence on the internet

What have I enjoyed over the years?

  • Interacting with readers
  • sharing my writing life
  • Receiving unexpected twitter messages or emails in response to posts
  • the discipline of writing, albeit in small chunks

What I have not enjoyed?

  • The self imposed pressure of writing posts when my mind is blank
  • The worry from time to time that I don’t get many comments or likes, even though I’m content that my posts are reaching readers by checking the stats
  • When the posts no longer came out on Twitter automatically.

Although I can’t say categorically that the effort has sold a huge number of books, it is a vital part of my author profile; my platform highlighting myself as an author.

What next?

I am having a break for a month to refresh, revitalise and relax and so hopefully, God willing, I will be back in January 2026.

Enjoy the festive season and for Christians among you, Have a joyous Christmas!

Leave a comment

Filed under Author Diana Jackson, Blogs, Events, Writing

Tagged as ,

October 18, 2013 · 1:40 pm

A startling discovery ~ First lines, tags and making a postive impact!

Do you make a ‘wow’ impression with your blog posts? Does the reader feel compelled to read more!Owl

I’ve just read my last post in my WordPress Reader just as you, the audience would read it and I was dismayed.

1. TAGS ~The first thing you read is the tags. Now, I’ve been working on using better tags with the help of JT Weaver but my tags for my last post read:

AUTHOR TALKS, BOOK SHOPS, BOOK SIGNINGS, DISAPPOINTMENTS, EVENTS, HIDDEN………

and that’s all you can see. Doesn’t the word DISAPPOINTMENT hit you. It doesn’t matter that MARKETING A NOVEL, SUCCESS, THINKING LATERALLY &WRITER’S PLATFORM all come afterwards because it’s only the first five in alphabetical order that show up on the screen.

2. FIRST SENTENCE

My first sentence goes on to say thank your for everyone who supported me. Yes, that’s a good thing to do but what does it say about the excellent content and advice for authors in the subsequent paragraphs? Nothing. Not only that, but it is all a person will read in their WordPress Reader to entice them to read more. Help! I’m going seriously awry here and must put some thought to first impressions.

3. FIRST IMPRESSIONS 

As above, but I don’t even have a picture or anything fun to encourage readers to read more and yet it was a post I spent a while crafting in order to help other writers and to give them encouragement.

So, if you want to go back and ignore my mistakes and read my thoughts on using events to market a novel click on here:

REVIEWING MY REWARDING BUT ROLLERCOASTER YEAR OF EVENTS ~ ADVICE TO AUTHORS

Have you any other advice? What else have you learnt from using WordPress effectively? Did you like my picture:-) ?

Leave a comment

Filed under Blogs, Events, Marketing your novel

Tagged as , , , , ,

June 9, 2011 · 4:16 pm

Has the pause button been pressed in your life?

Do you ever feel that someone has pressed the pause button on your life? Maybe you’ve pressed it yourself to have a breathing space. What do you do?

  1. Engage in frenetic activity to make it work again?

We are always striving to make things happen; to achieve success in our work or writing, to visit another fascinating place, to enjoy expanding our cultural and artistic experiences. We feel that it is due to our efforts that success, happiness or fulfilment in our lives is achieved, but is it?

Or do we

 

  1. Let go and if you have faith ‘let God’?

Now that’s easier said than done, whether you are a person of faith or not. It is a strong person that can feel their whole persona shed the burdens and just let fate take over. Scary!

                 That’s just how I feel at the moment. Paused. Not stopped, just on standby. Waiting. Sometimes not so patiently. It was interesting to read the blog ‘What’s your blogging rhythm?’ which asks the question ‘Have you lost yours?’

                Today I feel as if my blogging brain has been put on pause. I have a mountain of topics ready to tumble out of my thoughts and on to my screen but the timing isn’t right. My brain is like a tv on standby. It’s empty and quiet; waiting for the green button to be pressed once more.

                Once it’s been pressed, then it will be impossible to stop the flow of exciting new ideas and themes. Just thinking about them fills me with anticipation and pleasure, driving away the light headed emptiness.

 

5 Comments

Filed under Blogs, Social Media Networking, Writing

Tagged as