\nSo you\u2019ve established a blog related to the theme of your book. Now what? As you understand it, you\u2019re supposed to post something on a fairly regular basis. Yes, everything you read and hear indicates that the more often you post, the more attention you\u2019ll attract to your blog\u2014thus, your book.<\/p>\n
But what do you write? How will you come up with interesting, useful material every day or even once a week? As you know, I post to this blog every day. I\u2019ve developed a habit of writing a blog post first thing in the morning after I\u2019ve checked and responded to my email. Here are some of the prompts I use:<\/p>\n
1: Pick broad topics from your table of contents. For a book on cat care you can write about bringing a kitten home, items you need for a cat, veterinary care for cats, feeding a cat, cat behavior problems, etc.<\/p>\n
2: Use your index to come up with more refined ideas. Should you feed wet or dry food, for example, which cat toys could present a danger, when is it okay to stop getting your cat inoculated, how to kitten-proof your home, which litter is best and why, should your cat go outside, grooming a cat, etc.<\/p>\n
3: Cultivate each idea\u2014breaking them into even smaller idea fragments. Cat food recalls, why do cats like feather toys, the 5 most dangerous items for cats that are found in most homes, why choose a natural litter, how to remove a tick from a cat, how to keep your cat off of the counter, which grooming tool is best for your particular cat\u2019s fur and so forth.<\/p>\n
4: Write from your research. Continue researching all aspects of cat care. Subscribe to appropriate magazines and newsletters, join cat-related organizations and frequent cat websites and other blogs. Report on breaking news (40 cats rescued from abandoned home), new research findings (cats found to have been domesticated as early as 130,000 years ago), your experiences (my cat survives horrendous accident), your thoughts (why some cats can\u2019t jump) or pop culture (cats of the stars). <\/p>\n
5: Share some of your writing\/publishing knowledge. You might write about the challenge of promoting a book about cats, book promotion ideas for animal books or resources for animal writers. <\/p>\n
In order to continue a blog for months and even years, you have to think pretty much like a freelance article writer. You have to train yourself to see ideas everywhere. Perhaps you see a cat sitting in the back window of a passing car. That ought to spark an idea for a post on traveling with your cat, moving with a cat or how to make your cat more car-friendly. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ll want to listen more intently. The story your neighbor tells about dressing her childhood cat and pushing her down the street in a buggy might make the beginnings of a charming blog post. You might overhear someone in the grocery store talking about feeding stray cats. This may prompt you to write a piece on how to start or manage a cat colony. <\/p>\n
There really are ideas everywhere. It\u2019s up to you to discover them, dissect them, spin them appropriately, conduct additional research where necessary and use them to entertain, inform and educate your blog followers.<\/p>\n
Confession: After over 800 blog posts, I do sometimes stare at a blank screen for a few minutes on some mornings. I wonder what I will write about today. So how do I break through my bloggers\u2019 block? I use these 5 tips, of course. But I might also get a spark of an idea from my daily Google Alerts (sign up at: http:\/\/www.google.com\/alerts<\/a>). I sometime scan through old posts for prompts. I think about recent conversations or experiences I\u2019ve had with other authors. I refer to articles that caught my eye in newsletters I\u2019ve received. Occasionally, I flesh out a topic I\u2019ve been writing about for a book or an article. And sometimes, I just meditate for a few minutes and an idea pops into my mind. <\/p>\n What tricks and tools do you use to stay on top of your game and come up with ideas for your blog and for the articles you submit?<\/p>\n You have 10 more days to sign up for one of my six online courses at a discount. Read the May 24, 2010 blog post for more information. Visit this site to learn more about each course: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/courses.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So you\u2019ve established a blog related to the theme of your book. Now what? As you understand it, you\u2019re supposed to post something on a fairly regular basis. Yes, everything you read and hear indicates that the more often you post, the more attention you\u2019ll attract to your blog\u2014thus, your book. But what do you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t