Here’s a great example of how an Author Blog helps gain fans.
I like to scope out blogs of others from time to time. Today I stumbled across Tawna Fenske. I had never heard of her until today. She too is a RWA (Romance Writer of America) member.
It only took a few minutes of my time to read her last two posts and wow… She is a riot. This prompted me to not only follow her posts via email but to also check out her books and add them (all of them) to my to-read pile.
If she writes her blogs the way she does I can only imagine how her books are.
This is what the experts are talking about when they say how important a blog is to a Writers Career. I may never have come across her works before today but just that brief little bit in her blog made me want to read everything she writes, even if it was the first book she ever wrote.
This brings me to the next thing – Growing as a writer 
How funny is it to see your own writing skills change over time? It is even funnier to see all the mistakes you made in the beginning of your career. And when you can go back to the beginning and look at it all those mistakes and laugh then you truly know that you have grown as a writer.
Kudos to Tawna, she has acquired me, her newest fan, just from keeping a blog.
ROW 80 Check In:
Two weeks into the year and after finishing up my last book, Road Salt, I have started on the next story. At first I was going to go back to my fantasy series but after my last RWA meeting I’ve been hooked. Now I have to go on with the Wings from Ashes series.
I am happy to report that I have started this next book. I am 3k words into the story and I think I have dug up a pretty good plot for it.
Plots are what I like in my stories, that and lots of conflict. Everyone has at least one nemesis in their life and Karla has one too. That is Maggie.
Maggie will do anything she can to get back at Karla and she does not need much of an excuse. How this effects Karla’s next relationship is to be seen in Along Came Neil.
My goal is to make this story my first official Teen Contemporary Romance.
Would you like to see what other ROW’ers are working on? Come and check out our Linky List
Linda Nelson 
3K! Great start. I’ve been trying to put conflict into my book too. x
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Hi Laura,
Conflicts are a great way to create a hook. If my story seems to be slowing down to much for me I make more conflict to stir up the plot. I try to make all my characters want something. Whether they can have it or not is a different answer.
Thanks for stoping by 🙂 and Keep on Writing…
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See? I knew I was blogging for a good cause, but sometimes I forget all the reasons why. Thanks for the reminder.
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Great post! I totally feel its worth it. Having your own blog that is. For me its to help keep my sanity while i go through the process of writing. Letting the crazy, confused insecure feelings out of my head and on to the WordPress page instead of letting it stop me from writing. Glad you brought this up as your post. Thank you for sharing with us Twana’s blog it is really good!
Good luck this week on ROW80 goals.
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Hi Linda, it looks like Kait has hit some trouble and we have no mid-week check-in. So no one is left out, please come over to our Facebook group and leave a link to your check-in post and we will be over to visit. The page address is https://www.facebook.com/groups/row80/ Alternatively, email me at katiecrcole@gmail.com and I’ll pass your post on. I know Facebook isn’t everyone’s cup of tea!
Should we have no Linky on Sunday, we’ll just keep working this way until things sort themselves out.
Cheers!
Cate (Round 1 Sponsor)
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Great example! How do you view your own blog now?
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Hi Lee,
I have always viewed my blog as a great tool for improving my writing skills. Now I know for sure that this is also a means for my followers to see my improvements too and for others to discover my works and works in progress.
Feedback is the greatest thing a writer can ask of their fans.
Feedback can point out pitfalls to those who are ready to engage in an active professional writing career.
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So… have you made any changes to your blog in light of your research? Have you any plans, or do you reckon you’re getting there?
One of the things I find fascinating when I discover a new blog that’s been going some time is looking back to the start of the blog and following its development.
I tend to view my own blog as a work-in-progress with its own character, but I’m prepared to let it change that character over time as I improve by blogging skills.
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Yes Lee, I have seen my own blog change over time. It doesn’t matter whether it is because I have more writing info to pay forward or just plain general information.
Originally when I first started out blogging it was excerpts of stories I was working on. That was way back when I used MySpace for my blogs.
Over time the content has shifted to news and information with just an occasional excerpt being passed out.
In fact I’m overdue for another excerpt.
I can see that excerpt being posted soon.
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