I know a great number of bloggers whose blogs just aren't getting a lot of traffic. I have discovered it's not a problem with the writing, it's the marketing. Some bloggers have great content, only to go largely undiscovered because the authors are not good at marketing. Marketing is hard for most bloggers; we are writers, not marketers. This article from Uncommon Designs gives five tips for marketing your blog and/or website. I've used several of these tips and will continue. Having five blogs is a challenge, but I'm determined to market them as well as I write them. You can, too! Don't be afraid to put your writing out there. You never know when you will impact someone you never expected to impact. Happy Blogging! Happy New Year! ~Tricia

I found this story circulating around Facebook and thought it was so interesting that people are just now trying to get to the real truth of this story. You might remember, without much of a reminder, because it was an unusual story. A woman bought hot coffee from McDonald's, spilled it in her lap, received 3rd degree burns, then sued McDonald's and was awarded $2.7M. Sounds absurd, doesn't it? Much in our lives would sound absurd if reduced to a few summarizing sentences. I hope you'll take the time to watch and listen to this full report . It's amazing what we learn when we listen. It's amazing how a person can be perceived based on the writings of others, whether true or false. Write truth. ~Tricia

How many blogs do you have? I recently met a writer who has none....she was afraid to start blogging. I've read about many bloggers who have multiple blogs and they maintain them all. I, personally, have five blogs. I just started my latest one today. Organized and Ongoing is my blog about daily life and getting a new home settled and organized while raising teenagers, home schooling and managing my free-lance writing endeavors. Organizing is one of my favorite activities, so this blog was a given, sooner or later. There's this blog, of course, as well as my theology blog, Tuesday Theology . I started Tuesday Theology because, as a pastor's wife of 30 years, I have met a lot of people who seem to have a hard time taking their theology with them throughout the week. Tuesday is a random day in the middle of the week and it's been a passion of mine to help people live out their theology, even on Tuesday. Create with Tricia is a creative place where I share my crea...

It is no secret that blogging helps sell books. Even the most prolific authors of our day have blogs, including  Amanda Hocking ,  Danielle Steele , Stephenie Meyer and many others. I recently met a young woman who said she was a writer. Immediately, I asked her for her blog address and she said she did not have a blog. It turned out she was afraid to blog because she was afraid of criticism. She was afraid that someone might read the blog, disagree with her about something, then criticize. I tried to tell her that she can control all comments on her blog and that if someone posts a negative comment, she can simply remove it. But, the idea of being criticized was too much for her and she shrugged it off. I felt bad for her and encouraged her to think about blogging, even if it's just about a hobby she has. Blogging is becoming necessary to writing success. It's a fearful thing even for some established authors, but, most take the plunge and are always so very glad they ...

As a writer, I'm constantly reading. I just finished reading Alaska Bound, One Man's Dream...One Woman's Nightmare ! by Tammy Jones and I wrote a review on Amazon about the book. The title of this book had immediately caught my attention, plus the fact that it was a free Kindle book at the time. It is no longer free, but I was able to nab it when it was. What struck me about the writer, Tammy Jones, is that she revealed so much truth about her relationship with her husband as she wrote. She did not directly address her marriage, but woven into the adventure were certain phrases and feelings that clearly revealed some major issues in her marriage. When we write, our words become more powerful than when we speak. I highly doubt she intended to paint her husband in the light she painted him in, but through her writing, truth came out. It always does, especially if we are vulnerable enough to write about intense personal experiences. What does your writing reveal abo...

These are wise words: You have to write it. I was recently reading this article by Ellen Rohr about starting a business and her first words of advice are, "You have to write it." She was referring to people who attempt to start a business but have all their plans in their head. She says that writing it down makes it real. I have been giving this advice to my writing students for years! When you write it down, it changes it. Writing it down makes it official. Picture yourself being chosen for a committee. You love what the committee is about and you pour your time and energy coming up with a plan for the committee. At your first committee meeting, you pass your plans out to the others...the plans you have written down. Because it's highly unlikely anyone else wrote down a plan, it's equally likely that your plan will be used. Why? Because it was written down. Official looking. Official sounding. Written down. Writing it down helps you be objective because you ...

I read a few blogs every week, as I'm sure you all do. Reading others' blogs is a great way to learn, not only what they're blogging about, but also what does and does not work in the "blogosphere." I want to point out three things that cause me to stop reading a person's blog. Everyone is busy; time is at a premium. Here are three practical ways to respect your readers' time.  These three things make me click off a blog, even in the midst of reading: 1. Poor grammar. I simply can't get past poor grammar. I'm not talking about the occasional typo; I'm talking about the abuse of the English language I see on some blogs. I click off and usually don't go back. 2. Music. I usually play my own music, or need a quiet room for my kids. When I open a blog post and music starts playing immediately, I click off.  3. Links that don't open in a new window. Bloggers, set your links to open in a new window so your readers won...