So, why start a blog?  Good question!

Well, I want to be a writer.  That is, I am already a writer (I’ve finished writing two books – yeehaa!), but I want to be a real and actual published author and have people read what I have to say and with any luck enjoy my stories.  So why waste my precious time writing a blog when I should be polishing up my latest manuscript?

Well, in true blogger style, here’s the Five Reasons Why:

• Reason one:  If you want to be a writer, write.  I write my manuscript every day, sure enough, but adding a blog to the writing mix will force me to extend my imagination and not just let it wallow in whatever plot I happen to be working on.  I need to get the tired old brain cells working out in a different way from time to time.  It’s the same as going to the gym – you don’t just stick to one machine , you have to vary it.  (Says she, the Queen of Working Out.)

• Reason two: I am a slow writer.  To be a professional, I need to up my word count.  Writing this blog a couple of times a week will help me grasp words out of the air and write faster (I hope).

• Reason three: Writers are solitary and lonely people (sob). I’m hoping that keepng a blog will help me connect with others.  I really hope that people I’ve never met will visit and leave their comments, good or bad.  My family and friends think I’m marvellous, and even when they don’t, they would never tell me.  I look forward to hearing from the rest of the world!

• Reason four: As I mentioned (did I say this?) I’m an unpublished writer.  I’d like this blog to be a record of my progress.  I’d like one day to be able to say, dear blog readers, thank you for sticking with me for so many years – my book is about to be published!  Of course I’d already have run down the street screaming this fact before even getting to my blog, but at least I’d be able to look back on all my blog entries and say to myself that the wait was worth it!

• Reason five: So far, I’ve actually found it fun!   I’ve been checking out other people’s blogs to see what works and what I like; I’ve been looking through my photos trying to find images to make it more fun to look at; I’ve been pondering on what to write in future blogs and have got quite excited about it.  And not only that, the more I keep up to this blog, the more I’ll learn – not just about the Wild and Wonderful World of the interwebz, but about myself.

So there we are, my five reasons for writers to blog!  And if you have come across any great author blogs – aspiring or otherwise – please do let me know, as I’m always interested in what other writers write.

Thanks for reading my first ever post!