It has been pointed out to me that in recent interviews I have spoken at length about how I started writing – this is mainly because it’s one of the questions that always crops up in interviews, so it’s hardly surprising. My PorterGirl series started life as a blog (this blog!) and it is generally accepted that authors should have a blog or similar web presence. Say what you like about Fifty Shades Of Grey, but EL James started off blogging and it didn’t do her any harm. Neil Gaiman cut his teeth in fan fiction and even Charles Dickens could be considered an early blogger, publishing his works in serialised form for public consumption. So there’s definitely something to be said for it. Even so, blogging and writing novels are completely different disciplines so don’t assume that if you do one it will lessen the work of the other.
There are lots of different types of blog and I cannot profess to knowing the secrets of gaining millions of followers overnight, making your posts go viral or earning vast sums of money from blogging. There are plenty of articles online promising all sorts of wonderful results, if you feel so inclined. All I can really tell you is what I have learnt from my own experience of going from blogger to published author.
Getting Started
Secret Diary Of PorterGirl began as just that – a secret diary. I had started a new job as the first female Deputy Head Porter at a prestigious college and wanted to share this strange new world with friends and family. The reason so few of my characters have names was due to the need for ambiguity and anonymity in case my employers found out (they eventually did) and sacked me (this they did not – contrary to popular belief). This quickly grew into a fictionalised account of my time there and eventually developed into an adventure-murder-mystery type thing.
With the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn’t have started posting until I had a better idea of the structure of the story. Working on a manuscript requires much retracing of steps and rewriting, a luxury not afforded to the blogger. Of course it is possible to go back and make changes, but significant plot amendments are not possible when your readers are following the story step by step. The good news is, major flaws will be spotted early on and if you are upfront and gracious about your mistakes, readers will forgive you and might even find it a little endearing.
How Much? How Often?
Blog posts should be significantly shorter than traditional chapters of a book – I reckon around the 1000 word mark. People read lots of blogs in a day and hefty word counts are off-putting. Also unlike book chapters, it’s a good idea to end each of your posts on a cliffhanger. It doesn’t always have to be dramatic, just enough to pique an interest as to what happens next. When you come to convert your blog to a novel, this will keep up a jaunty pace.
How often you post is up to you, but devise a manageable schedule and keep it regular. Posting four times in one day then nothing for two weeks will not build a regular audience. And it’s not just the writing you have to think about – factor in time for replying to comments and being active on other blogs, too. Cultivating connections with your readers is just as important.
The Comments Section
My favourite part of blogging. The comments section is often more entertaining than the post itself. All sorts of side projects, ideas and inspiration have spawned from this primordial soup of a platform. Contributors have influenced everything from plot direction to character development, new projects to collaborations – and usually in an encouraging, entertaining way. Make time to really engage with the comments in a prompt and timely fashion – you won’t regret it!
A word of warning – whilst it is very important to listen to the views of your readers and take on board advice, don’t fall into the trap of ‘writing by committee’. You will never please everyone and some people will never appreciate your work. Get a broad sense of what works and what doesn’t and align that with your own style and voice.
Building Your Brand
When my blog was in its fledgling stages, I asked a professional to read some posts and see if I had something worth pursuing. He came back to me with various suggestions, but his strongest point was that what was so appealing about PorterGirl was actually me – the personality that came through in the writing. Blogging is perfect for letting your own self shine, far more than novel writing will ever be. It is immediate, accessible and interactive. Bring your work – and yourself – to life by posting things other than just your story . This gives a sense of a real person behind the words and allows readers to feel a little closer to you – they will then invest time and interest in your work and, hopefully, spread the word!
In my case, I interspersed PorterGirl tales with a step-by-step guide to Finnegans Wake, occasional posts about writing, a couple of Poirot parodies and even a dystopian-satire-murder-mystery-sex-romp (alright, it wasn’t that much of a sex romp). Show the world that you are not just a one-trick pony and expand your skill set and experience by doing different things. If you are stuck for ideas, ask your readers!
But Won’t People Steal My Ideas?
Well, maybe they will. They probably won’t, to be honest, but you can protect your work with copyright. Popping a notice on your blog will deter infringement, as it states that the work is protected under law. A copyright notice is not required as work is automatically subject to copyright protection under law, but displaying a notice shows that you have an awareness of copyright and take infringements of your work seriously.
It’s Not All Fun And Games
Some blogs take off over night, for most it’s a slow build up. Don’t be discouraged by low view counts or not getting ‘likes’. If stats are important to you, post cat videos or something – indie fiction isn’t going to make you an online superstar. For me, my blog was a way to practice my writing, cultivate discipline, develop a professional work ethic and to gain insights from other writers. Of course, once my publishing deal came along it became a platform to reach a wider audience and promote my books, but it’s only because I put in the groundwork first that I had that platform. I cannot stress how important it is to publish consistently good work, regularly, on your blog. This isn’t easy but it can be done. At times it might feel like a wasted effort as hardly anyone is reading your stuff, but once it’s on there, it’s there for people to find and enjoy. Be patient, be determined and develop the skin of a concrete elephant.
There will be people who mock your little blog and your literary efforts, maybe even people close to you. They will scoff at spending all that time, writing for ‘a couple of random people on the internet’. You will be ridiculed, labelled a chancer and a wannabe, told over and over again how ‘no one ever makes it that way’.
Do not listen to these people. Just get on with the writing.
Lucy Brazier 
Thanks Lucy, I appreciate it!
You are my blog writing/book writing/womble cabinet leading hero!!! 😀
Also, you are dead right about the comments section!! I try to answer all of the comments I ever get on my blog (which is not *that many but I don’t mind 🙂 ) If I am reading a blog and the person writing it never replies to comments, I soon stop commenting and eventually reading it!
You are too kind! You are my warrior goddess / legging wearing / Cabinet minister hero!!
The comments section is the BEST. Sometimes it gets really out of hand and all sorts of randomness spirals on and on – some people only read for the comments! If I comment on a blog and never get a reply, those people are unfollowed at once. How rude! Also I pass their details to the Wombles, who hate rudeness.
In other news, I have read about a film being made about our Nigel! Farage the Movie! My first thought was – why am I not writing this? Even weirder – it is rumoured that Benedict Cumberbatch will play the trouserless one!! 😮
😀 I love that…and I am beginning to feel like a warrior goddess again (which is in part your fault) 😀
If people don’t reply they get a chance, if their blog is interesting, but generally I unfollow them pretty soon! I am glad the wombles are dealing with this, I can imagine that they have no time for rudeness at all!!
You should absolutely be writing the movie!! It would undoubtedly be better if you were and would have a better Nigel in it!!
I can’t see Benedict Cumberbatch in it…that seems like an odd fit…he seems too tall and not orange enough…
You are queen of the warrior goddesses, don’t ever forget that! Any help I can be to your queenship is an honour and a pleasure, my friend 🙂
Yes, there are a couple of blogs that I keep reading if they are especially interesting or odd – that mad Boris woman, for example. She never replies to comments (not mine, anyway) but her stuff is so unintentionally hilarious that I keep going back for more! The Wombles will spare her, as she serves a purpose.
Oh my goodness, if only I could get my hand on that Nigel movie! It would be so much better… although maybe not as historically accurate, but who cares about that?! I note that he has really upped his game with spray tanning – no doubt as a result of his alter ego in WSTB? proving once more that that blog is more of a prophesy than a murder mystery. Cumberbatch is a fine actor but he will have his work cut out as Nigel. I must say, the whole thing intrigues me.
Who cares about historical accuracy!! Entertainment and a better Nigel is what we need!!
Yes, the whole new level of spray tan is definitely a result of WSTB, you are undoubtedly a prophet! (I feel like the word prophetess is stupid and reminds me of shepherdess which makes me think you would be fortelling the future dressed in a bo peep dress with a flock of sheep…which is a bit odd)
It is intriguing I admit…
This is exactly the way I would like to tell the future! A good excuse to buy a bonnet, I reckon. But back to important matters – our Nigel is the best and if we could bring him to the world, maybe real Nigel would look up to him and become better… maybe even more orange. I would put our Boris in the film too and then real Boris would follow suit and already the world is looking like a much better place, albeit with less trousers. But that is a small price to pay 🙂
This would be a movie I would watch!! Our Nigel and Boris would undoubtedly influence the real ones and as a bonus they would be inclined to do our bidding, well yours, but I could supply some Good Ideas.
Then the world would certainly be a better place.
You might be right about the trousers though… I don’t think even we are powerful enough to make them keep their trousers on!! 🙂
It would be a movie that you were in! I’m not one for having dreams of becoming a film star, but if it is for the good of the world, then I think we should do it. Luckily, with a constant supply of gin the lack of trousers becomes less traumatic. As long as they have socks and sock suspenders, I can overlook the trouser situation.
Oooh yes! For the good of the world I declare this a Good Idea we must make it!!
Just as long as I can drink gin and not have to act concerned that often I think we will be fine…
The trouserlessness could be a selling point for the movie… although we shouldn’t encourage the audience to join in!!
Right, that makes it officially a Good Idea! Obviously there will be plenty of gin and shots of anyone looking concerned will be completely banned. We can still do thoughtful, celebratory and ‘on the verge of war’. Given the nature of trouserlessness, there will be no showings of this film in Oxford, just in case they get carried away.
yes, we have plenty of scope for emoting without anyone having to be concerned at all!!
this sounds like a fine plan… pretty much all the details are in place now, next step filming, obviously, and possibly a bit of writing.
Definitely no showings in Oxford, and we need to be a bit careful with Banbury and Abingdon in case of Oxfordians travelling.
They do that, I know, I used to live there! (I genuinely hated it)
Banbury had quite a good chip shop but other than that I haven’t got much to say in its favour, unfortunately. God, I really fancy fish & chips. I’m coming down with a cold or something and am continually ravenous! Trousers on for me, I don’t want to get a chill and make things worse.
ooooh! Fish and chips!! now I want them too…
although constantly having to rinse my mouth out with salt water makes eating anything less appealing…
I already have trousers on, just in case trouserlessness impedes tooth healing, and gets me fired…
The salt might actually enhance the fish & chips and I believe vinegar has healing properties also! I think we had both better keep our trousers on whilst we are in weakened states. Trousers will help our strength return!
hmmm…yes, the salt might help the fish and chips…this sounds like a plan.
Here’s to healing in trousers!! I probably mean healing whilst wearing trousers, healing in trousers has implications of never being able to take them off again.
Very good point, noted. I hope you heal quickly. I fear I am only just entering my period of illness. There may be some sad little posts on FB over the coming days as I feel progressively more sorry for myself 😦 (that doesn’t sound like very good English, apologies)
Thank you 🙂
I hope your illness is swift! Or takes the hint and goes away completely now!!
(if you are reading this Lucy’s illness, bugger off!!)
I can cope with bad English…I read engineer a lot!
I may have to enlist the help of Mumsie to frighten it off also! But thank you, I can feel the illness getting very nervous at your threat. Shortly I shall show it your super hero leggings. That should finish it off 🙂
excellent idea!! no illness can stand superhero leggings!!
If you still get ill after all this I shall consider it very serious indeed and possibly send the UN and the CDC in…
Keep them on standby, but now I feel I can battle this!!
Good luck!!!