At the blogging panel at the Catholic Writers Conference Live, a participant raised a great question: Is it better to focus on quantity of posts or quality of writing for blog posts?
We could go around and around about this question. I can’t help but think of the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.
I think, really, this is something you have to decide.
Recently, someone told me, in a pretty offhand way, that no one’s ever discovered by their blog. So, really, it’s something you do for yourself, right?
Here’s my experience. The first acquisitions editor I spoke with, from Pauline Books, cited my blog as a way she found me AND a reason why she thought I’d be the right person for their project (which you’ll see in March 2012). The second acquisitions editor I worked with, from Liguori, cited my blog as a way of knowing who I was. The third acquisitions editor, from Ave Maria Press, … well, you see where this is going, right? She had been following my blog (as well as Facebook and Twitter) for quite some time before contacting me.
Could this be true for you?
When you put yourself “out there” on the internet, you are sharing a part of yourself. Just as you take time to make sure you are presentable for in-person meetings, you should do the same in your online presence.
I haven’t really answered the question, though. Should you write more often or write better stuff? Here’s my three-pronged answer:
1. Find a posting schedule that works for you. If it’s weekly, fine: make sure you stick with it. (Weekly bloggers are a gift, in many ways, to those of us who follow a lot of blogs.) If it’s three times a week, fine: same advice as above. If it’s sporadically, well, so be it.
2. Don’t put any writing out there that you wouldn’t want an acquisitions editor to read, but don’t let the thought of your audience bind you and keep you from being able to write. I think there’s more forgiveness with online writing than with print, BUT that’s no reason not to write quality stuff. Practice makes perfect, right? So use your blogging space to practice. Don’t get so caught up in “perfect” that you can’t ever post.
3. Have fun. We’ve talked before about reasons you might not want to maintain a blog, but if you don’t have passion for what you’re writing–whether it’s online or off–that will come through. Fun doesn’t mean “easy” and it doesn’t always mean “enjoyable all the time.” I have fun as a parent (which I still find surprising), but it’s not easy work or even always smile-inducing.
What’s your take on this topic? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments!
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Be sure to check SnoringScholar.com for more of Sarah Reinhard’s antics, tales of rural adventure, and writing updates. Her newest release is Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families. You can also connect with Sarah on Twitter and Facebook.
