This is my 100th post on this, the second blog I’ve run. For the past 58 days, I’ve been blogging daily.

It’s been a real journey, and a great one. I’ve had my ups and downs. I’ve had a book launch. And I’ve been reflecting and learning all the while. Here are the biggest things I’ve learned about blogging (from the perspective of an indie author).

• DON’T PLAY THE NUMBERS GAME. To some extent, you want to pay attention to what content is getting clicks, but honestly, if you’re going to persevere running a blog, you have to blog about what you care about, what you know a lot about, and what’s on your heart. I feel that if you do that, your passion will shine through, and eventually, the numbers will come.
• PLAYING THE NUMBERS GAME REMOVES ALL THE JOY AND LESSENS THE PERSONAL BENEFITS YOU WILL REAP FROM BLOGGING. I mean the benefits that come from reflecting on what you’ve written and want to write, the self-discovery and self-knowledge.
• YOU DON’T HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT ONLY ONE CATEGORY OF THING. I don’t stringently hold myself to blog about creative writing and my own fiction ALL of the time. I’m Catholic, my relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life (I hope in truth as well as in word and sentiment), and I’ve studied theology. So I’ve recently started a “Sunday Reflection” feature to focus on faith-based topics. Other days, I write about fiction.
• DON’T RELEASE A DAILY POST UNLESS YOU TRULY, HONESTLY ENJOY BLOGGING. Otherwise, I can’t imagine the time commitment is worth it. With the ability to schedule posts ahead of time, I find it possible for me, personally, to release a daily post. I try to keep a few days ahead of the game so if I get busy and can’t write a post for a couple of days, I still have content scheduled to release. The whole process is teaching me long-term goal management and helping me process my thoughts and feelings.
• EVERY POST DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A MASTERPIECE. You want every piece to meet a baseline level of quality, but sometimes it’s okay to put out a question, and reflect on the question, more than spend a long time trying to answer it. Sometimes there are more valuable things to do with your time than flesh out a topic ALL THE WAY for a simple, single blog post.
• LARGER MORE COMPLEX IDEAS ARE GREAT FOR TWO- OR EVEN THREE-PARTERS. You can absolutely cover a topic, if it’s deep enough, over multiple posts. You don’t have to spend an hour or more on one really long post. (You can if you want, of course. You’re in charge.)

If you’re a blogger, why do you blog? How often do you blog? What do you like to read in a blog? What has blogging taught you?

I mentioned a book launch above… my YA fantasy is now available on Amazon. Check it out! There are editorial reviews, excerpts, and character spotlights all available here on the blog as well. The book’s website is here.

• Meet Verony TODAY! Find redemption with her and the Crimson League
• She took part in a sorcerer’s coup, then changed her mind.
• COVER REVEAL!!!
• My characters are kind of like my kids
• We are go! With magic of a different kind in this one.