A Little Post About Blogs

Published April 15, 2025

By Deborah Brewer

Blog, Blog, Blog…

The idea behind the word “blog” is “web log.” It’s an online journal—information and experiences shared through a personal lens and in conversational tones. A decade or so ago, it seemed every writer was urged to start a blog and post three times a week. Yikes! That’s a lot of pressure to be interesting.

Why were we urged to do this? Good reasons: staying in touch with readers, defining an authoritative voice, keeping a website fresh, and archiving an informative resource. And for those whose blogs are widely read, there can be lucrative ad money.

As writers have since been urged to be interesting in newsletters, and on social media and podcasts, the admonition for every writer to start a blog has gone silent. However, many entertaining and informative blogs still flourish, and there remain plenty of reasons to read and write blogs today.

Blogs to Read

At a recent PPW Writers Night event it was agreed that both Tiffany Yates Martin’s blog on writing craft, and Jane Friedman’s on craft and the business of writing are exceptional blogs for writers (links below). I also like Inspiration for Writers, the creative writing blog from The Novelry. Additionally, you might consider reading blogs about subjects you include in your writing or that lift your mood and bring you joy. One of my personal favorites is the Library of Congress Rare Books & Special Collections blog, Bibliomania.

For many bloggers and their readers, the fun part of a blog is their interaction in the comments found at the bottom of each post. PPW members, if you can recommend a great writing blog for others to read, please tell us about it in the comments section below.

How Less Can Be More

What if you could blog with less work and more fun; posting less often, blogging with friends? Imagine less time away from your writing with greater audience reach, forgetting that old admonition to post thrice a week. Instead, partnering with other writers, taking turns.

Crime Fiction writers Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rys Bowen, and four others write together on their blog Jungle Red Writers, while a dozen cozy mystery authors, including Leslie Budewitz and Maddie Day, share recipes and other fun on their blog Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Both blogs do a great job of matching their look and tone to the vibes of their readers.

Why I write for the PPW Blog

I wrote my first post for this blog in support of my editing work for PPW’s anthologies. I wanted to put the word out about the anthology project, and hopefully enable more polished submissions in the slush pile. I’m glad I wrote those first posts. I learned a lot. But I only had so much to say about short story submissions and ultimately, I had to grapple with questions concerning my authority and whether continuing to write for this blog contributed to my personal goals.

I pondered whether only authorities are qualified to be authors. I’m not a fabulously successful writer like James Patterson—I’ve published a couple of bold-lined coloring books enjoyed by my grandmother and a cookbook I wrote with my mother. Neither am I a publishing or journalism professional—I write here and edit for the anthology as a volunteer. 

But I can say I’m a reader and a writer enamored of books and the written word. I’m very aware that not everyone throughout the earth and time has been in a position to read, study, ponder, and write. And I’m not afraid, in my humble way, to try to say a little something true about life and myself in the tradition of Montaigne and other personal essayists. With as little justification as that, I’ve decided I have authority enough to permit myself to write.

This is my twenty-fourth post for this blog. Not a huge number, but enough to gain more clarity about my intentions and authorial voice. Now I know that I want my readers to feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves—a community of writers who value learning and camaraderie as they pursue their writing dreams. For me, that means including in my posts some history of writers, some coaching concepts, various interviews, some personal details, and lots of gratitude for the writing opportunities we share.

How convenient it is, considering all the writing and maintenance associated with a blog, that PPW is willing to share its audience with me. Writing from the Peak’s readership is much wider than PPW’s membership, and has readers worldwide. A shout-out to non-member readers—Welcome! We’re so pleased you’ve chosen to join us here.

Of course, like you, I have publishing dreams. I might not be writing any of this if I hadn’t first come to PPW to learn how to write and sell a book. We can be both altruistic and ambitious. I harbor the hope that one day when my name appears in the PPW newsletter’s “Sweet Success” feature, you will smile kindly upon me, read my book, of course—love it, and share it with others in your world. A sweet dream it is.

But enough about me…

What About You?

Your voice—your unique perspective combined with the words, syntax, and written forms you choose to communicate it—is naturally distinct. Could writing blog posts help you hone it? Could writing posts be an opportunity for you to grow more comfortable seeing your name and your thoughts made public? Could it help you build an audience? Could writing with and for writers help you build writer-to-writer relationships? To all these possibilities—Yes.

Pikes Peak Writers is an all-volunteer organization for writers to share in mutual education, support, and practical authorship experience. Writing from the Peak is a PPW publication. All PPW members are eligible to submit posts to our blog editor, Trista Herring Baughman, at editor@pikespeakwriters.com. 

If you would like to write a post for the blog but don’t have an idea to pitch, Trista can help you with that. If you would like someone to take a look at your draft and make a few suggestions, ask Trista to connect you with me. We want your insights, and we’re happy to help.

Keep an eye on the PPW newsletter for Writing from the Peak submission calls. We have some interesting group interviews and a new multiple-contributor genre introduction series in the works. 

I’m looking forward to reading posts by you—to learn from you, be encouraged by you, and share in your coveted secrets for writerly success. I’ve no doubt other readers here are too.

For Further Reading:

Tiffany Yates Martin, https://foxprinteditorial.com/blog/

Jane Freidman, https://janefriedman.com/blog/

The Novelry, Inspiration for Writers, https://www.thenovelry.com/blog

The Library of Congress Rare Books & Special Collections, Bibliomania, https://blogs.loc.gov/bibliomania/

A blog about crime fiction— JungleRedWriters.com

A blog about cozy crime fiction—https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/

If you’re curious, here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Deborah-L-Brewer/author

Deborah L. Brewer joined Pikes Peak Writers a decade ago, seeking help with a cozy mystery. When the novel was completed, she stayed for the camaraderie. Now she’s writing short stories. An editor for the PPW 2022 anthology, Dream, Deborah contributes to Writing from the Peak to help fellow PPW members write better with more enjoyment, and ultimately, achieve their writing dreams.