Blogging About Blogging
By Lois Winston
 
When I sold my first book, Facebook had recently launched, but it really wasn’t on my radar. I knew a few authors who were on MySpace. I wasn’t, but that was the extent of my “social media” knowledge at the time. Was the term “social media” even coined at that point? Beats me! Back then, book marketing was more about in-person events at libraries, bookstores, street fairs, and reader events. I took part in many of those, both solo and with groups of other authors. I also created a newsletter.
 
By the time I sold my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, five years later, Facebook had taken off. My editor wanted me to have a social media presence, and she was a huge fan of Facebook. I wasn’t, having seen too many news articles at that point about the bullying, trolling, and scamming that was ever-present on the site.
 
But I gave in and set up a Facebook page.
 
Within five minutes (FIVE MINUTES!) I was bombarded with friend requests from unsavory strangers in far-flung countries. I immediately deleted the account and told my editor I’d start a blog instead, but I absolutely, positively would not go back on Facebook. She insisted I also start a Twitter account. I reluctantly agreed, but I set it up in my protagonist’s name, rarely posted, never scrolled through the feed, and eventually deleted it once she was no longer my editor.
 
My blog, which I created as the online version of the women’s magazine where my amateur sleuth worked, rolled out in May of 2010, several months before the January release of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series. The blog continued until June of last year, not because I wanted it to end but because I suddenly couldn’t access my dashboard. My blog was unequivocally, nails-in-the-coffin dead. And because it was through Blogger, which Google had apparently stopped caring about years ago, let alone maintaining, there was no customer support to contact. Nothing I found searching online was of any help.
 
Oddly enough, I wasn’t devastated. The blog had served its purpose. It was time to move on. However, I never stopped blogging. I’d been a member of several group blogs over the years and am currently blogging once every six weeks on Booklover’s Bench and once a month at The Stiletto Gang.
 
In addition, I’d also guest blogged since the release of my first book in 2006, not only lining up blog tours whenever I’ve had a new release but also periodically guesting at other blogs throughout the year (like today.) Sometimes my characters even blog.
 
But hasn’t blogging gone the way of the dinosaurs?
 
After Facebook came Twitter, then Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Bluesky. And now everyone who is anyone seems to be starting a podcast, a Substack, or both. You may wonder if blogging still works for authors, or has everyone moved on to the next shiny thing to pop up on the worldwide web? I’m here to tell you that although blogging is not as popular as it once was, and many blogs garner few comments, it’s still very much a part of this author’s toolbox and something you should consider as part of yours.
 
I’ve never had any desire to test out other social media. I’ve heard too many authors complain that they spend too much time on them with little to no results. So why would I bother? I’m a big proponent of learning from other people’s mistakes when I can. Still, there are those who tell me I’m missing out on potential sales by not being part of various cozy mystery groups on Facebook. Yet still others tell me those, too, are nothing but enormous time sucks.
 
What works for one author may or may not work for you.
 
I have no statistics to back up my claim, but I do see increased sales of my books when I guest blog. It’s another way to get my name and my books in front of potential readers. Maybe the blog only routinely gets a few hundred views for each post, but if only one percent of those visitors buys one of my books, my time writing the post wasn’t wasted. Especially if that reader enjoys the book and goes on to purchase more of my titles. And unlike social media posts that are quickly buried under hundreds of daily comments and additional postings, those posts remain up and easily accessible. People will continue to stumble upon them, especially when inputting specific search parameters.
 
So I continue to blog. I’ve also discovered I enjoy guesting on podcasts and doing Zoom events. Between the three, I’m happy with the exposure I’m getting for my books. Each author must decide for herself what she feels comfortable doing. If forcing yourself to interact with strangers on social media makes you uncomfortable, it’s going to show and the result will be counterproductive. But if that’s your thing, go for it. However, you still might also want to consider blogging if you don’t already.
 
Do you use social media to learn about new authors and their books, or do you find them through other means? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
​

More about Lois and her work:

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at www.loiswinston.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to receive an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15
A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…
When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.
 The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.
 Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?
Craft project included.
Find Buy Links here.
​

 

Thanks, Lois, for the guest post!

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi.

This month's question: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

I'm grateful to have received helpful feedback throughout the years from my critique groups, my agent, and now, my Poisoned Pen Press editor. Some inspiring advice I've heard over time is that you can't revise a blank page (so the dreadful first draft is a requirement!) and that butt-in-chair matters more than inspiration--the muse only comes when you're already working. I'll leave you with this quote from Chinua Achebe: "... a budding writer wants to be encouraged. But I believe myself that a good writer doesn't really need to be told anything except to keep at it."

is that there is no secret. You just do it.

Of course, this is so much easier said than done. I’ve been a writer for almost thirty years, and I still struggle to get to work. Believe me when I tell you, I’ve tried every tip and trick known to writer-kind to keep myself on track.

I made word count goals and set timers and bought fancy organizational planners. I holed myself up at home or I left the house and wrote at cafés, at libraries, at writing retreats nestled in the woods. I joined writing groups. I latched onto accountability partners. I gave myself rewards (a sticker! a cookie!) or I punished myself (No getting up to go to the bathroom until you finish writing this damn sentence!)

The problem is I am a master procrastinator, always finding new ways to avoid writing. I have a phone addiction, but before I had a phone, I was pinballing around social media on my laptop. And in the pre-laptop times, I was binge-playing solitaire on my desktop computer.  And then there’s the pressure of publishing hanging over me. I had a book out years ago, and I can’t seem to replicate that success.

Every day, when I sit down to work, a voice in my head reminds me that my next project will likely fail. Also, don’t forget the world and how dark and crazy it is (maybe it’s always been this way and I’m only now noticing?), but how do we write with this knowledge? Why would anyone bother? Who cares? Blah-biddy-blah.

Somewhere along the way, it hit me that despite the distractions and regardless of the gimmicks, in the end, it always came down to me, alone, a notebook or a laptop on my lap.

And here’s where it gets weird: I wrote.

Every day, whether I am ever traditionally published again, and as the world continues its march toward progress and/or self-destruction, I write.

I write in my journal. I write books. I write stories, poems, articles, letters. I write a blog post every week. This started as a sideline project years before my first book came out when I (mistakenly) believed I was on the verge of publishing. I called it On the Verge, thinking I would chronicle that moment I crossed over into Publishing Land, but it quickly turned into something else, a kind of weekly check in. Random thoughts on my family and our anxious dog. Funny things that happen at the library where I work. A dehydrated-looking toad in the garden that came back to life. My son-in-law’s pimento cheese recipe. The time I did yoga with a goat scampering with his little goat hooves across my back. The always dark and crazy and strangely, beautiful world.

Over the last sixteen years, I’ve sat down once a week wherever I am, whatever is going on in my life, and written a piece. Today, I posted the 807th. 

There’s an interesting exhibit in the Columbus Museum of Art, a series of paintings of a water glass. The artist was a German man, Peter Dreher, who painted the same water glass every day. He started it as an experiment, something to do for his own amusement, but it morphed into a daily practice. By the end of his life, he’d created over 5000 of these water glass paintings. He called the series “Tag um Tag guter Tag,” which translates to “Day by Day, Good Day.”

I love this exhibit and head toward it every time I visit the museum. The exhibit doesn’t display all 5000 paintings, but it’s enough to get the point. A visual representation of an artist showing up each day and making his art. Someone asked Dreher how many times he was going to paint the same glass and he said he would stop, “when the motivation stopped.”

Most of us don’t think of ourselves as having that kind of motivation, (I know I don’t!) and yet, if we call ourselves writers, we write. There is no secret. It’s what we do.
​​

More about Jody and her work:

Jody Casella is a writer, a library lover, a grower of herbs and a walker of dogs. She’s also the author of the YA novel Thin Space, with Beyond Words/Simon & Schuster and On the Verge, a weekly Substack. 

THIN SPACE  "A creepy supernatural chiller sets up a gut-punch of desolation and loss....Brutal and brilliant."— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

​Thank you, Jody!

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, are Melissa Maygrove, Cathrina Constantine, Kate Larkinsdale, and Rebecca Douglass.

This month's question: If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?

My current soundtrack is the birds chirping outside my office and my dog softly snoring in the chair by my desk. :)

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre.

This month's question:
​
What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

Author Aiden Thomas created a Book Launch Survival Guide, which is way more detailed than anything I can blog about. I hope you find it helpful!

​"Writers make time for writing. And everyone does it her own way.
​Your job is to find your way." ~Sage Cohen, The Productive Writer

Happy Writing!

I've been looking at my schedule for the next few months and realized I need, quite frankly, to get more done. I've experimented with time blocking in the past, but decided to step up my efforts and embrace it even further. Time blocking basically means that you divide your time into blocks dedicated to a specific task. Writing might happen between 9 and 12 for example, with 12 to 1 used for handling email. There can be a block of time later in the afternoon for checking and posting on social media (instead of the quick glances throughout the day that inevitably lead down rabbit holes). I've included a sample from ToDoist below. If you fit your creative work around other demands, the concept still holds. It's all about intentionally planning set times for deep focus. I've set up a schedule for next month, and I'll post about how it goes. For an indepth exploration of the concept, you can read about time blocking in this article. 
​

A video about book publicity: How to Get Publicity for Your Writing with Kindall Gant, Senior Publicist at Phaidon

A good list to bookmark: Powerful Diigital Tools for Writers by Jane Friedman

Inspiration for a morning routine: All About Rituals by Joanne Guidoccio 

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox.​
​

This month's question:
Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?
​

My debut novel, Pandemic, was written and released before COVID. After the real-life pandemic, the publisher asked me to update the backmatter for a new edition of the book. I ended up reviewing the entire story, and it was interesting to reread it in the context of COVID. (Remember the toilet paper shortage? My main character is stocking up in chapter one, which was eerie.) But overall, I'm a perfectionist, so when I come across a clumsy sentence, I find myself wishing I could go back and edit it. That means that rereading is not something I want do often.

In case you missed it, here are some helpful writing resources I shared in 2025:
​

Blog post: Ten Tips for Beating Writer's Block
Writing Newsletters: The Creative Shift,  Authors Publish, Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity, and The Practicing Writer 2.0
Weekly essays: On the Verge by Jody Casella
Websites: Jane Friedman’s site (about the publishing business) and Writer Beware (about scams that target writers)
Book marketing: The Investor Strategy blog post, How Successful Authors Use Social Media: 29 Content Ideas roundup, The Writers Bridge videos. and the ebook Following: A Marketing Guide to Author Platform
​

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray.

This month's question: 
Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

One change I’d like to make this year is doing important work earlier in the day. I tend to ease into the day with simpler tasks first. As I mentioned above, it’s common productivity advice to “eat the frog,” which refers to tackling the hardest task first, and I'd like to do that more consistently.

I’m also experimenting with a new to-do list app, ToDoist. I’ve heard good things about Finch, and some people recommend TickTock for its productivity features.

How do you track your to do list?

​“The beginning is always today.” ~Mary Shelley
​Happy New Year!

Check out Seven Pieces of Advice for the Aspiring Career Author by J.T. Ellison, from International Triller Writers "The Big Thrill."

The Writers Bridge has the tagline "Reach your readers--keep your soul." (Love that!) Their sessions are recorded and you can watch the videos on Youtube.

ICYMI, from IWSG's October blog hop, here's a link to Miffie Seideman's post, How to Turn Dramatic Headlines into Believable Plot Twists.

You can access this ebook from David Gaughran online: Following: A Marketing Guide to Author Platform. (I haven't finished it yet, but have found it helpful so far.)
​

Behind the Revolving Door: An Anthology of Choices, Volume II became available at B&N yesterday!
It features 29 short stories, including "Silence."

Contributing authors: Ahmed A. Khan* AM Sutter* B. Garden* C Lenz * Camden Rose* Chester Rogalski* Cheyanne Brabo*  Daniel Kason* David Harten Watson* Diana Olney* Elana Gomel* Fendy S. Tulodo* Floyd Largent* Glen Held* Isaac R Howard* Jennifer Lesh Fleck* Jessie Keith* Joanna Galbraith* Karen Keeley* Kevin Novalina* Laura J. Campbell* Mark Granger* Melinda Brasher* Mia Dalia* R L Schumacher* Rosalie A. Peng* Sarina Dorie* Stephen Coghlan* Yvonne Ventresca

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre.

This month's question: 
​As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

The best gifts I have received are the amazing friendships and connections to other writers over the years. :)
​

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.
​ It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” 
—L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Since we set the clocks back last weekend, darkness arrives so very early! The time change always makes me grumpy, so I'm giving myself permission to skip the blog hop (below), and instead, share a few resources.
​

​Book marketing blog post: The Investor Strategy by Jennifer Sadera

Author newsletter discussion: The Art of the Newsletter, where Austin Kleon chats with Sarah Fay. (This is on my listen-to-soon list.)

Conference: If you're local to Hamilton, NJ, consider attending the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference in April, where I'll be leading a workshop on revision. I'm already mapping out which sessions I'll attend!

Publishing business website: Jane Friedman has tons of informations she's collected over the years available for free on her site. It's my go-to whenever anyone asks a publishing business question.

My short story, "Silence," was selected for inclusion in Behind the Revolving Door: An Anthology of Choices, Volume II, available in December. (Volume I is available now.) "Silence" was the first time I told a story in second-person, and I'm thrilled that the editors chose it. They've also decided to nominate "Silence" (along with several other of their anthology stories) for the Pushcart Prize, which is both an incredible long shot and an incredible honor. :)

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove.

This month's question: When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?
​
I look forward to reading other blog hop answers!

• ​​Beware Book Club and Book Review Scams: Alert from Writer Beware 
• “I Hope You Are Feeling Better” by Sophie Strand (H/T to Heather Demetrios). I have several friends who suffer from chronic illness, and I found this essay helpful about what to say instead of "Hope you're feeling better."
• How Successful Authors Use Social Media: 29 Content Ideas. A helpful reminder about ideas for creating posts. I've found myself thinking a lot about content lately, especially on Instagram. 
• How to Write a Short Story: Explanation of “the shattering moment” by James Scott Bell.

​

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine. ​The October question is:

What is the most favorite thing you've written, published or not? And why?

Several years ago, I heard a powerful quote from another author. It was something along the lines of: as a writer, the only things you can control are the quality of your work, the quantity of your work, and your level of dedication. This rang true for me, but despite many searches, I haven't been able to locate the exact quote or the source. The closest I can find online is this saying from former baseball player Ben Zobrist: "At the end of the day, you can't control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.”

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight. I'm skipping this month's question, but I look forward to reading other answers. 

And if you're looking for other newsletters, here are a few of my favorites:

For beautifully written weekly essays: On the Verge by Jody Casella
For writing business: Electric Speed by Jane Friedman
For writing markets: Publishing . . . and Other Forms of Insanity
​

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with a question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim. The August question is:

What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I don't have anything to share about this, but I'm looking forward to reading other people's opinions.

​"​Write what disturbs you, what you fear,
​what you have not been willing to speak about.
Be willing to be split open.”
~Natalie Goldberg