Long before I started the MLitt course, I was aware of the advice that aspiring writers should build an online platform and have a blog. But what was I supposed to blog about? I didn’t have a book to promote and I wasn’t part of the literary scene so I had no readers and no juicy gossip. And then I enrolled on the uni course and began a whole new chapter of my life. Being a mature student along with other aspiring writers seemed the ideal subject matter for a blog. I hoped that my experiences would be of interest to other wannabe writers and also keep my family and friends up-to-date with my progress, for better or worse. But the main reason that I wrote the blog posts was for me to record the highs and lows of my writing ambitions.
Recently, I’ve not made much progress on my WIP but the blog posts have been like a weekly exercise for my writing muscles (the most strenuous workout my body gets). I’ve enjoyed the discipline of blogging to make me look at my world through the lens of a ‘writer’ and over the two semesters I feel that my ‘voice’ has become stronger.
I’ve also had lots of really supportive and encouraging comments so it’s great to know that it’s not just me and my hubby(aka personal proof-reader, although he’s available for hire) reading the blog.
“Move along, there’s nothing to see here!”
But now that the MLitt classes are finished, there are no more guest speakers to meet, workshops to take part in, assignments, writing exercises, or reading lists to tackle. So will there be a shortage of blog material without being at uni? On Planet Helen, the uni phase would’ve moved seamlessly into the story of my novel being published.
Unfortunately, after crashing landing back to Planet Earth with a bump, that fantasy scenario hasn’t happened (not yet anyway) so what will I blog about now? Do I keep blogging about just writing or do I widen the scope of the blog to include pretty much anything that’s happening on Planet Helen? Or does every blog have a shelf life and mine has reached its sell-by date?
Answers on a postcard please, c/o Planet Helen
Helen MacKinven 
You are still in the world of writing. Updates about a chapter, re-writes, books you’ve read, workshops you’ve attended, articles you’ve read, programmes you’ve listened to, places you visit, conversations you overhear – however you engage with all of this material, and how it impacts upon your writing will be of interest to those of us who are interested in the process of writing. Having a lovely time. Glad you’re still here. Josephine.
Not long after I started blogging I asked myself the same question, but the angst didn’t last long. It’s just like writing anything really – write through the blocks and you dig up all sorts of stuff you weren’t planning or expecting. So keep going – getting published is a journey of discovery as much as anything else. Looking forward to lots more blog posts… x