I keep running across blog posts here and there that say aspiring writers shouldn’t blog. Hmm.

I didn’t start blogging so I could feel like a real author. 

It wasn’t a decision I made on a whim. I thought about it and made sure it was something I’d be committed to. And that I wanted to do.

Some say it’s a waste of time. I should be focused on writing. Well, I am focused on writing and the need to keep growing as a writer. Blogging never comes before my writing.

I blog for several reasons:

1. To have a web presence.
2. To support authors and help promote friends who are published.
3. To have this part figured out before I am published.
4. To find a community.

And out of all the reasons I started blogging, one reason has become my biggest defense.

Community.

It’s the rare author whose blog puts them on the best seller list. It is the writing/story that sells books.

So blog because you want to. And for the right reasons (not because you think it will get you published.) And never let social media take up more of your time than it should.

And don’t feel like you have to blog if you don’t want to. It’s a personal decision.

Why do you blog? And what have you gotten out of it? Do you ever feel like you shouldn’t be?