Reblogged from Secret Diary Of PorterGirl

It has been pointed out to me that in recent interviews I have spoken at length about how I started writing – this is mainly because it’s one of the questions that always crops up in interviews, so it’s hardly surprising. My PorterGirl series started life as a blog (this blog!) and it is generally accepted that authors should have a blog or similar web presence. Say what you like about Fifty Shades Of Grey, but EL James started off blogging and it didn’t do her any harm. Neil Gaiman cut his teeth in fan fiction and even Charles Dickens could be considered an early blogger, publishing his works in serialised form for public consumption. So there’s definitely something to be said for it. Even so, blogging and writing novels are completely different disciplines so don’t assume that if you do one it will lessen the work of the other.

There are lots of different types of blog and I cannot profess to knowing the secrets of gaining millions of followers overnight, making your posts go viral or earning vast sums of money from blogging. There are plenty of articles online promising all sorts of wonderful results, if you feel so inclined. All I can really tell you is what I have learnt from my own experience of going from blogger to published author.

Continue reading: From Blog To Bookshelf | Secret Diary Of PorterGirl