With the end of the year in sight, my blog here on my author website celebrates its first birthday on Monday, December 12. While I’ve had a blog on this website for over four years, this is the updated, more focused version of it.
If you’ve been around my website since the beginning, you may recall that I’ve changed the focus of the blog a couple of times. When I first started the blog back in 2012, I wrote about anything and everything, not knowing what I was doing. Over the last four years, I’ve learned so much about blogging.
The beginning
Back in 2012, I featured other authors’ books, writing a brief introduction about them, in between my own ramblings. I had hoped to help other authors promote their books and to give my readers some other books that they would enjoy.
These brief blurbs did help some of the authors because they emailed me thanking me for my help. However, after a few months of doing that, I gave it up and switched the focus of the blog.
The middle
After I switched the focus, I used the domain for my freelance writing. This was a better way for me to get my name out there. Writing books wasn’t my focus at that point. I wanted to make money writing, and freelancing was the way to go.
But once I changed my website to the freelancing, my readers would miss the books I had shared. I had begun building my brand, and now I was confusing my readers.
The end
This past year, as things are finally going better for me, I’ve thought long and hard about the kind of writing I truly love and want to do. And I decided to switch this website back as my author one. It made sense with the direction I was heading.
This time my blog has focused more on me as an author. I want you, my reader, to get to know me. I’ve tried to post every week, but then that’s become harder to do as I figured out what writing I want to do. Blogging isn’t as important as I thought it would be. So, for now, I will post two times a month here.
Starting at the end of July and lasting two months, I had an experience that truly impacted me. I participated in a writing challenge that made me realize what kind of writing I want to do.
For the first time since I began the path to my full-time writing career, I know where I’m headed. I created another website for my freelancing, including the editing I do to help keep costs down for my fellow authors.
And as the end of the year approaches, I’m working on my writing and editing goals for 2017.
The end of this year
In celebration of having this awesome blog and figuring out the direction of my writing, I’m giving away two copies of my first novel, Be Strong. The copies will have the first cover, not the one you see here on my website.
All you have to do to be eligible to win is sign up for my newsletter. This newsletter goes out a couple of times a month when my blog posts are posted as well as occasional extra times when I have special announcements. You can always elect to stop the newsletter if you want.