The Professional Blogger

[Peg Herring]

I met someone this weekend that I didn't even know existed: a professional blogger. I may say more about her in future entries, but she was very interesting to talk to. She studies what subjects people will find you to read about, which is of course the way to build readership and therefore interest in whatever you're presenting, in my case, books.

She suggested cats. I know, I know. It sounds, if I may, fluffy. Still, people love pets, so if you talk about yours, they tend to read what you write.

Of course it doesn't have to be pets, it can be lots of things: the minutae of daily life with a humorous spin, current events, frustrations of parenting, things that pull in readers. She also recommends variety: she has a Monday theme, a Tuesday/Thursday theme, etc. so people await whichever are there favorites. And she advised that writing about writing all the time doesn't appeal to readers. They really don't care and they think it's aimed at someone else. Hmmmmm.

Will I accept her ideas? Don't know. I do enjoy writing about writing. But when you meet a pro, you really ought to consider what she has to say.