Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Create Your Own Crazy Holiday Special Challenge!

As you may have guessed from my earlier post on Christmas music, I'm pretty into the whole Christmas time of the year. Soooo, I'm going to try something a little different this month on this blog: Create Your Own Crazy Holiday Special Challenge!

This challenge idea was inspired by my love of Rankin/Bass holiday specials. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The special that started it all, this movie starts with the birth of Rudolph, a reindeer with a mutated nose that randomly glows. Rudolph meets up with Hermey, an elf who wants more than anything to become a dentist, and they both immediately bond over the fact that nobody likes either of them (even Santa comes down hard on the young Rudolph). They both get chased around the North Pole by a hairy, white Abominable Snowman, who hates everything about Christmas. Along the way, they team up with a prospector named Yukon Cornelius and visit the Island of Misfit Toys, which is ruled by a flying lion that goes by the handle King Moonracer. There's also this love story brewing between Rudolph and a thrill-seeking doe named Clarice, who thinks Rudolph is cute (both with and without a shiny red nose). Santa Claus, who is very grouchy throughout the entire special, cancels Christmas at one point because of a horrible snow storm, but then changes his mind as a result of Rudolph's red nose. In the end, everyone is happy, except maybe the kid who ended up with a Charlie-in-the-Box.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
I mentioned Santa was pretty cranky, and maybe some of his attitude is explained in this special. After all, it quickly reveals that Santa was an orphaned child left at the doorstep of a grumpy, old Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger--who then orders the orphaned baby to be sent to the baby asylum. Some strange wind saves Baby Claus from the asylum and lands him with a toy making family of elves who go by the name Kringle. They re-name Baby Claus as Kris Kringle, but eventually he's on the run from the law (because old Burgermeister Meisterburger outlaws toys) and changes his name to Santa Claus. He also marries a school teacher named Miss Jessica and befriends a Winter Warlock, who loses his magical abilities after Santa melts his heart with the gift of a toy.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Rudolph is called back into action on the same night as when he helped Santa deliver toys. Funny thing is, Rudolph, who had grown into a young buck in the original show, reverts back to his child size in this (and all other) specials. Anywho, Rudolph is asked to find a renegade New Year Baby named Happy, who's hit the road after people laugh at his ginormous ears. Rudolph, who had to suffer taunting himself, is the perfect person to help Happy--not because of his previous experience with taunting but--because he has a shiny red nose. After all, that crazy winter storm is still raging. The antagonist in this special is 999-year-old buzzard named Eon, who will die if he turns 1,000 years old, so the stakes are high. So is the weirdness, since Rudolph runs into several clock-based characters and wanders an a set of islands that each represent a specific year. Somehow, everything works out in the end, and there's a catchy Happy New Year song in this special that I often start singing spontaneously--often against my will.

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
In this one, Frosty and his family face possible death, because of a renegade reindeer who dupes Rudolph into stealing money from a circus for him.

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Yeah, right. I'll leave this one to your imagination.

The Year Without a Santa Claus
This features those crazy Miser brothers, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Some good songs, some wacky plot lines, and another possibly canceled Christmas. But everything ends with an upbeat song.

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So, okay, those are some of the Christmas specials. What is this whole challenge thing about?

I'm challenging anyone and everyone to come up with a crazy holiday special storyline that rivals the weirdness of the Rankin/Bass specials. Whoever concocts what I judge to be the best storyline will receive a special prize from me (possibly a Rankin/Bass movie or toy or something along those lines). So, there will be a prize, but I think more than that, there will be the satisfaction of developing a crazy holiday special (even if only in your own mind).

Here are the guidelines:
  • All storylines should be summarized in 500 words or less. In other words, just hit the major plot points. Don't worry about writing dialogue or too much characterization--unless you can do it in less than 500 words.
  • Storylines should be pasted into the comments of this post. I will not accept or consider storylines sent via e-mail or that are posted in the comments of other posts on my blog. Make it easy on myself and you by posting your awesome storyline here.
  • This is a Holiday Special challenge, even though it's inspired by Christmas specials. So if you have a Hanukkah or Kwanzaa (or other holiday) special in mind, go for it. Just make sure it's obvious in your storyline.
  • Deadline is 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia, time) on Christmas Eve (12/24/2010). Why Christmas Eve? Because that's how I roll.
  • Winner will be announced on Christmas Day--unless I'm physically unable to judge all the entries and post on that day. You never know, or at least, I never know. But yeah, look for the winner on Christmas (12/25/10).
  • Winner will receive a prize of some sort. At the moment, I'm leaning toward sending the winner a Rankin/Bass special, but I may come up with an even better prize this month. I'll probably give the winner a few options.
  • There is NO entry fee. That's right. This is a free contest.
  • More than one entry per participant will be considered. However, the more attention you give to your storyline and crazy plot points, probably the better chance you have of wow-ing me with your greatness!
If I need to clarify anything, just let me know (in the comments below). I'll update the guidelines as needed.

Now, start coming up with some crazy stories!

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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If you don't have the Original Christmas Classics set, you should really check it out. The version I have includes Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town!, The Little Drummer Boy, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, Cricket on the Hearth, and Frosty Returns.

Click here to learn more.

2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: List of Prompts!

Usually, I don't list out all the prompts for the month, but since the Poetic Asides blog is down and some poets are trying to play catch up, here it goes:

Day 1: Closing the Door poem
Day 2: Ready to Start (or Not Ready to Start) poem
Day 3: Location poem
Day 4: Containment poem
Day 5: Metamorphasis poem
Day 6: "Looking for (blank)" use new phrase as title poem
Day 7: Pro-something poem
Day 8: Making an Agreement poem
Day 9: Slow Down (or Never Slow Down) poem
Day 10: Love poem
Day 11: "Nobody wants (blank)" use new phrase as title poem
Day 12: Forget What They Say poem
Day 13: Make title of poem a question and answer with your poem
Day 14: Crossroads poem
Day 15: Just When You Thought It Was Safe poem
Day 16: Stacking (or Unstacking) poem
Day 17: "Tell me why (blank)" use new phrase as title poem
Day 18: Lost & Found poem
Day 19: Poem with a hole in it
Day 20: What's Wrong or Right poem
Day 21: Permission poem
Day 22: Poem that takes a stand
Day 23: Form (or Anti-Form) poem
Day 24: Spaces poem
Day 25: Animal poem
Day 26: On the Run poem
Day 27: "Blame the (blank)" use new phrase as title poem
Day 28: What Really Happened poem
Day 29: Next Steps poem
Day 30: Lessons Learned (or Never Learn) poem

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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For those who are tired of writing poems and want to read some for a change, here are some of my favorite poetry collections:
Of course, this is only a few of the collections I love. I'd love it if you included your favorites in the comments below.

2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 30

All our writing sites are currently down, but I don't want that to (completely) spoil the final day of the 2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge. Here are today's two-for-Tuesday poetry prompts:
  1. Write a lessons learned poem. Could be lessons learned by the narrator or someone (or something) else.
  2. Write a never going to learn poem.
Here's my attempt:

"Lessons learned living here"

Believe it or not, the world is getting
heavier and lighter at the same time.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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Check out these poetry titles that helped me learn several poetic lessons:

Monday, November 29, 2010

Twitter Cheat Sheet for Writers (Updated)

With the publishing (and/or media) industry changing at the speed of light, so are the roles of writers (or content providers), editors (or content managers), agents (or content strategists), etc. One big change for writers (even in fiction, poetry, and other fields) is that they are expected to take an active role in building their own platforms via online and real world networking and exposure. One great tool for this online is Twitter.

It's easy (and free) enough to create a Twitter account, but how can writers take advantage of this social networking tool? What can they logically expect to gain from using it? What is a hashtag anyway? Well, hopefully, this cheat sheet will help.

First, let's look at some basic terminology:
  • Tweet = Any message sent out to everyone on Twitter. Unless you direct message (DM) someone, everything on Twitter is a Tweet and viewable by anyone.
  • RT = Retweet. Twitter created a RT-ing tool that makes for easy retweets, but the standard convention is to put an RT and cite the source before reposting something funny or useful that someone else has shared. For example, if I tweeted "Nouns are verbs waiting to happen," you could RT me this way: RT @robertleebrewer Nouns are verbs waiting to happen.
  • DM = Direct message. These are private and only between people who DM each other.
  • # = Hashtag. These are used in front a word (or set of letters) to allow people to easily communicate on a specific topic. For instance, I tweet poetry with other poets on Twitter by using the hashtag #poettalk. Poets can click on the "poettalk" after the hashtag (no space) or they can search on the term "poettalk" in Twitter (right-hand toolbar).
  • ff = Follow Friday. This is a nice way to show support for other tweeters on Twitter. On Friday.
Second, here are 10 things you can do to optimize your use of Twitter:
  1. Use your real name if possible. Make it easy for people you know or meet to find you on Twitter.
  2. Add a profile picture. Preferably this will be a picture of you. People connect better with other people, not cartoons, book covers, logos, etc.
  3. Link to a website. Hopefully, you have a blog or website you can link to in your profile. If you don't have a website or blog, make one. Now. And then, link to it from your Twitter profile.
  4. Write your bio. Make this memorable in some way. You don't have to be funny or cute, but more power to you if you can do this and still make it relevant to who you are.
  5. Tweet regularly. It doesn't matter if you have only 2 followers (and one is your mom); you still need to tweet daily (or nearly daily) for Twitter to be effective. And remember: If you don't have anything original to add, you can always RT something funny or useful from someone else.
  6. Tweet relevant information. Don't be the person who tweets like this: "I am making a salad;" "I am eating a salad;" "That salad was good;" "I wonder what I'm going to eat next;" etc. These tweets are not interesting or relevant. However, if your salad eating experience rocked your world in a unique way, feel free to share: "Just ate the best salad ever. Who knew hot sauce and lettuce could co-exist?"
  7. Link and don't link. It's good to link to other places and share things you're doing or that you've found elsewhere. At the same time, if all you do is link, people may think you're just trying to sell them stuff all the time.
  8. Have a personality. Be yourself. You don't have to be overly cute, funny, smart, etc. Just be yourself and remember that Twitter is all about connecting people. So be a person.
  9. Follow those worth following. Just because you're being followed you don't have to return the follow. For instance, if some local restaurant starts following me, I'm not going to follow them back, because they aren't relevant to me or to my audience.
  10. Communicate with others. I once heard someone refer to Twitter as one big cocktail party, and it's true. Twitter is all about communication. If people talk to you or RT you, make sure you talk back and/or thank them. (Here's a secret: People like to feel involved and acknowledged. I like it; you like it; and so does everyone else.)
Third, here are some extra resources:
  • TwitterGrader.com - This site allows you to enter your profile at any given time and find out how you're doing (according to them) in using Twitter effectively. Of course, the grade you receive is bound to not be perfect, but it is a good measuring stick.
  • wthashtag.com - This site allows you to search for hashtags, run reports on them, get transcripts between specific time periods, and more.
  • Hootsuite - This is one of many tools that give the ability to Tweet and track your account without even going to Twitter. Many (maybe even most) people use these.
  • bit.ly - This is one of many URL shortening services out there, which is very helpful when tweeting URL links, since they can easily eat into your 140-character limit on Twitter. This particular one makes it easy for you to track clicks, though I'm sure that's fairly standard.
And, of course, if you're not already, please follow me on Twitter: @robertleebrewer



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For extra credit, check out these Twitter resources:

Friday, November 26, 2010

2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 26

(NOTE: Once again the Poetic Asides blog seems to not be posting immediately. So, I'm posting the prompt and poem here until my post will take over there, since I plan on finally going to sleep now.)

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for all the well wishes! (If you're interested in Christmas music, check out my personal blog.) Since I'm still up, I figured I'd get an early start on today's prompt and poem.


For today's prompt, write an "on the run" poem. You can decide who or what is on the run and what might be causing them to run. For myself, I had to link today's poem to my poem yesterday. But you can run in any direction you want.

Here's my attempt:

"The aftermath"

A turkey can never really rest
even after surviving the guests
when Thanksgiving is through
because there's Christmas too
and hungry mouths that crave turkey breasts.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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If you wish to avoid the holiday shopping crowds like myself, you can still get the ones you love (including yourself) some great presents through the power of the Internet. For instance, check out these deals at the WritersDigestShop.com:

Thursday, November 25, 2010

My Top 10 Christmas Albums

Well, we had a great Thanksgiving filled with family, food and the lighting of the Lawrenceville Christmas Tree. Oh yeah, it's now officially time to start thinking about Christmas!

Truth be told, I broke out the Christmas music a while back, but I'm really getting all serious about it now. In fact, here are my personal Top 10 Chistmas albums:
  1. Jingle Bell Rock, by Brenda Lee. This is my ultimate favorite. Not only does it rock with classics such as "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," but it also offers some really unique gifts, such as "The Angel and the Little Blue Bell" (my favorite) and "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day."
  2. White Christmas, by Bing Crosby. Really, this is about as classic as you can get for Christmas. "White Christmas," "Adeste Fideles," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and so many others!
  3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, by Burl Ives. This has the classic Ives version of "Rudolph," but it also has some of the best Christmas gems ever, including "We Are Santa's Elves" and "We're a Couple of Misfits."
  4. A Charlie Brown Christmas, by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. I can't help but think of "Christmas Time Is Here" when I think of Christmas or Charlie Brown. Plus, I love "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Skating."
  5. Christmas With the Chipmunks, Vol. 1, by Alvin and the Chipmunks. This album brings out the kid in everyone from "(All I Want for Christmas Is) My Two Front Teeth" to "Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)." And Dave's hip version of "The Night Before Christmas" is, well, hip.
  6. When My Heart Finds Christmas, by Harry Connick, Jr., is one of the best Christmas albums ever. In fact, there are times when I even think of tossing it at the top of my list. Highlights for me include his versions of "Ave Maria," "O Holy Night," and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
  7. Christmas With the Beach Boys, by the Beach Boys. This ultra-cool surf band offers some of the most pleasing Christmas harmonies. My faves include "Santa's Beard," "Little Saint Nick," and "Blue Christmas."
  8. Ultimate Christmas Collection, by Jackson 5. There's nothing like listening to Little Michael belt out "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." There really isn't. But this album also offers presents, such as "Up on the House Top" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," in addition to many others.
  9. Someday at Christmas, by Stevie Wonder. Let's go from one Motown mega-Christmas wonder to another--Stevie Wonder, that is. "Someday at Christmas" is obviously THE song of this album, but I also enjoy his versions of "Ave Maria" and "Silver Bells."
  10. Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas, by Garth Brooks. To understand how good I think this album is, I think you would have to understand just how much I DETEST anything related to Garth Brooks. However, despite my dislike of this well-loved performer, I can't help but love this Christmas album. He really does a great job with tunes such as "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Let it Snow," "Sleigh Ride," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and others.
Okay, time for a funny Christmas anecdote: Back in high school, around this time of year, I told my brother David about this great new release from the band Tool--the Tool Christmas CD. At the time, I was full of sarcasm, and I thought this sounded so outlandish that David would totally know I was joking. Of course, we both go to the record store together, and he starts to ask the guy behind the counter if they have the Tool Christmas CD. The guy behind the counter is like, "Let me check." And, of course, I had to intervene before things got too far out of hand. I always think that's a funny story, but I also always feel rather bad for unintentionally fooling my brother so close to Christmas. So that's a lesson in not being sarcastic (or you'll end up with a lump of coal in your stocking).

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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If you'd rather read about Christmas than listen to Christmas (or love listening to Christmas songs while you read Charles Dickens' A Chritmas Carol), then grab a Kindle for yourself or the ones you love.

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Also, if I'm missing any great Christmas albums on my list, please let me know in the comments below. I'm always looking for some great Christmas tunes.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been on vacation this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, though I've still been poeming my November away on the Poetic Asides blog.

Today, we all got out of the house and took a family portrait. Here's one of the poses:



Then, we went to one of those Christmas tree farms and cut down our family Christmas tree. This is the second year we've done that, and it's turning into one of those fun family traditions that I imagine we'll continue doing as long as we're able.

Anyway, you'll notice that Tammy and I have four boys between (and around) us. But today, we've both announced that there is another little Brewer on the way, though we don't know if we'll be 5-for-5 on the boys or finally get that little girl everyone's been wanting. If everything goes well, we should learn that in February. For now, we're happy that the baby seems to be developing good and has a nice healthy heartbeat.

2010 has been a great year so far. I'm definitely thankful for everything I have, including my amazing family pictured above and am grateful we get to spend the holidays together.

I hope you have a happy (and safe) Thanksgiving!

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

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Celebrate Thanksgiving with these cool movies:

Sunday, November 21, 2010

2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 21

(Quick update: Since the Poetic Asides blog is not giving me permission to post my prompt and poem at the moment, and it's past midnight here, I'm posting the prompt and poem on my personal blog, which is more reliable anyway. I'll try to post again to Poetic Asides after I get some sleep.)

Well, I just returned from my 18-hour (actually, just slightly less than 18-hour) road trip to pick up my two boys in Ohio, and I've already discovered that the blog decided to get all psycho and erase comments from several recent posts. This seems to happen at least once each PAD challenge, though this one had been so smooth that I'd forgotten about it. Oh well. I guess that's what happens when I leave my blog alone for a whole 18-hour stretch.


Since it's past midnight here and I'm tired (and hoping to sleep in a little in the morning), I'm going to go ahead and post Day 21's prompt and poem a little early. And I see that I don't need anyone's permission, because...

The prompt for today is to write a permission poem. You don't need my (or anyone else's) permission to write your poem today, but it should somehow involve the concept of giving, refusing, asking, etc. permission.

Here's my attempt:

"The grave majority"

Eventually, we fear ourselves most.
With nothing better to do than listen
to nuts drop from these trees, we're entertained
by the swift movements of squirrels and birds
warning them from above. A man walks by
with an empty bag and laughs to himself.
Bikers pedal past without comment. We
listen as their gears shift purposefully.
Like squirrels and birds darting from this branch
to the next, the bikers change their colors
in the sun. We wait for them to join us.
In time, we will surely collect them all.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

(Use the #poettalk hashtag on Twitter to tweet poetic throughout the week and the #novpad hashtag to update your progress on this specific challenge.)

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Time for me to get some sleep! Good morning, good night!

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Check out some of my favorite poetry books this holiday season:

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Recipe: The best meat loaf ever

Okay, most people don't like meat loaf. Or if they do, they only like the meat loaf their own family made. My wife, for instance, did not even like meat loaf before she met me. Then, she tried my meat loaf and now she's the one who craves it.

So, here's my amazing meat loaf recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
3/4 sleeve of crushed saltine crackers
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon chopped onion seasoning
splash of milk
ketchup


Preparation:
  1. Add everything except meat and ketchup in mixing bowl 
  2. Add in meat and mix well
  3. After mixing, spray 10x13 pan and form loaf
  4. Spread ketchup all over outside of the loaf
  5. Cover pan with foil
  6. Bake at 325 degrees for 100 minutes
  7. Let it sit in pan for 10-15 minutes before taking out to slice
If you try slicing before allowing that 10-15 minutes, the loaf will likely crumble.

Personally, I like to eat my meat loaf with A1 Steak Sauce, but Tammy prefers ketchup. We both like to have mashed potatoes with our meat loaf, but a baked potato or seasoned french fries would work well too.

Some people like cheese in their meat loaf. I'm not a huge fan, but it's easy enough to spread cheese over this meat loaf after cooking, and it should melt easily.

This is a true comfort food dish. I recommend fixing it up on days when you're planning to just hang around the house in your pajamas.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Blogging Tips for Writers

In these days of publishing and media change, writers have to build platforms and learn how to connect to audiences if they want to improve their chances of publication. There are many methods of audience connection available to writers, but one of the most important is via blogging.

Since I've spent several years successfully blogging--both personally and professionally--I figure I've got a few nuggets of wisdom to pass on to writers who are curious about blogging or who already are.

Here's my quick list of tips:
  1. Start blogging today. If you don't have a blog, use Blogger, WordPress, or some other blogging software to start your blog today. It's free, and you can start off with your very personal "Here I am, world" post.
  2. Start small. Blogs are essentially very simple, but they can get very complicated (for people who like complications). However, I advise bloggers start small and evolve over time.
  3. Use your name in your URL. This will make it easier for search engines to find you when your audience eventually starts seeking you out by name. For instance, my url is http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/. If you try Googling "Robert Lee Brewer," you'll notice that My Name Is Not Bob is one of the top 5 search results (behind my other blog: Poetic Asides).
  4. Unless you have a reason, use your name as the title of your blog. Again, this helps with search engine results. My Poetic Asides blog includes my name in the title, and it ranks higher than My Name Is Not Bob. However, I felt the play on my name was worth the trade off.
  5. Figure out your blogging goals. You should return to this step every couple months, because it's natural for your blogging goals to evolve over time. Initially, your blogging goals may be to make a post a week about what you have written, submitted, etc. Over time, you may incorporate guests posts, contests, tips, etc.
  6. Be yourself. I'm a big supporter of the idea that your image should match your identity. It gets too confusing trying to maintain a million personas (even Herschel Walker couldn't do it, and he's Herschel Walker for crying out loud). Know who you are and be that on your blog, whether that means you're sincere, funny, sarcastic, etc.
  7. Post at least once a week. This is for starters. Eventually, you may find it better to post once a day or multiple times per day. But remember: Start off small and evolve over time.
  8. Post relevant content. This means that you post things that your readers might actually care to know.
  9. Useful and helpful posts will attract more visitors. Talking about yourself is all fine and great. I do it myself. But if you share truly helpful advice, your readers will share it with others, and visitors will find you on search engines.
  10. Title your posts in a way that gets you found in search engines. I could've titled this post Blogging Tips and left it at that. However, I know many people who read my blog(s) are writers and that this post is more likely to raise to the top of a more specific search on "Blogging Tips for Writers" than a generic "Blogging Tips" post. (Click here to read more on this topic.)
  11. Link to posts in other media. If you have an e-mail newsletter, link to your posts in your newsletter. If you have social media accounts, link to your posts there. If you have a helpful post, link to it in relevant forums and on message boards.
  12. Write well, but be concise. At the end of the day, you're writing blog posts, not literary manifestos. Don't spend a week writing each post. Try to keep it to an hour or two tops and then post. Make sure your spelling and grammar are good, but don't stress yourself out too much.
  13. Find like-minded bloggers. Comment on their blogs regularly and link to them from yours. Eventually, they may do the same. Keep in mind that blogging is a form of social media, so the more you communicate with your peers the more you'll get out of the process.
  14. Respond to comments on your blog. Even if it's just a simple "Thanks," respond to your readers if they comment on your blog. After all, you want your readers to be engaged with your blog, and you want them to know that you care they took time to comment.
  15. Experiment. Start small, but don't get complacent. Every so often, try something new. For instance, the biggest draw to my Poetic Asides blog are the prompts and challenges I issue to poets. Initially, that was an experiment--one that worked very well. I've tried other experiments that haven't panned out, and that's fine. It's all part of a process.
Now, leave a comment on this post and get blogging!

Also, feel free to leave your own top blogging tips in the Comments. I'm always eager to learn new tricks and tips.

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer



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Here are a few other blogging resources to check out: