The Importance of a Blogging Strategy: Why and How to Develop One

This is not my first blog. You know that thing where you start off all excited and fired up....but by the fourth month you're putting out half the content you started with, and by the sixth month you can't remember what your blog URL even was? Yeah, I've done that thing and I don't want to do that thing again.

So, this time, I'm setting myself up for success by having a blog strategy and planning my blog content. I will be creating a content calendar to keep me on track so I don't ever have to waste time trying to figure out what on earth to write about on any given week. These are just some of the things I've realized I need to do better this time around to set up my blog for success. I'll be discussing these and more in this post.

Why even blog?

Blogs get some of the greatest traffic on a website's page. That and the 'About' page, for similar reasons. It's where readers get to interact with the person behind the website. It's the heart of the website, so to speak. Chances are your website provides some sort of service and/ or product (or you plan for it to do so in the future). Having a blog is a great way to break up that 'all serious business' feel. It's the perfect place to provide a more laid-back and friendly space for your readers to congregate.

Blogging is also a great way to build trust. Think about it, a reader lands on your site and sees your product/ services page, but they don't know anything about you yet and they aren't about to give you their money. But then, they notice your blog and decide to peek in there for a little bit. If they see great, relevant, thoughtful, and helpful content that helps them solve their problem, they'll probably stick around. They might even bookmark it and come back again and again.

Over time, they will come to see you as a great resource for that particular problem- they will start to trust you. Now, when a similar problem arises that perhaps needs more specific expert help (i.e. requires a more in-depth analysis/ solution than what you provide in your blogs), they won't hesitate to buy your products/ services because they trust you to help them- because you've been doing it all this time.

Why you need a Blogging Strategy

I believe in the content that I put out, I believe it provides great value for my audience. And honestly, I love to do it. I also know that it takes a great deal time of time and effort to put out consistently. I want the blog to give to me, financially that is, as I pour into it. Having a blogging strategy will keep me on track to achieve my goals.

My blog goals

Starting in March 2022, I decided to commit to the goal of posting a new blog twice a week- that's 8-9 posts a month. Coming from an 'I'll blog when I feel like it' approach, that's a lot! But I feel that it's important. I have goals for my bog and if I want to achieve them I have to put in the work. These goals include gaining increased, steady traffic at a high enough volume so I can achieve my main goal of monetizing my blog.

My Blogging Strategy

Blogging is one of the best ways to grow organic traffic to a website because each post is new content that helps to convince search engines that you're an authority on the topic that you choose to write about. The goal of search engines, like Google, is to lead their customers (anybody searching for a topic on the engine) to the best possible answer. That is an answer that Google believes is written by someone trustworthy and knowledgeable on that particular subject- essentially, an expert.

My strategy is a two-part system.

First, I'm going to build steady traffic to my website

I'm going to do this by:

• Blogging consistently- Content is king. Great content is still the best cornerstone of a blog growth strategy. Writing helpful and useful content that your audience wants to come back for is the best way to build a loyal base that will want to support your work. Content is also how you stay relevant in search engines. I will be writing SEO optimized content to rank for my niche (bloggers, copywriters, authors- basically, anyone who wants to make money from writing). Google rewards new content, as well as having a lot of content on a particular subject. Blogging allows me to do both.

• Expanding my blog niche to include Mommy content- In this post, I discuss the importance of a niche which might seem contradictory to this strategy point. However, it's a conscious decision and I'm doing it for a few reasons. First, I'd like to a/b test what sort of content does better without starting a whole new blog. I already have a blog so I'm going to use it. Second, I want to write about being a mom. I fought it for a long time because I want this to be an author-focused website, but I am a mom and honestly, that's the biggest part of my life right now and I'd like to honor that the best way I know how-by writing about it.

• Growing my email list- we all know at this point that having a large email list is the secret to online business success. Your email list is a group of people who have chosen to have you send your content to them consistently because they want it, they are your perfect audience. In my case, it's aspiring authors who want to learn how to write a book; or bloggers or copywriters who want to learn how to find their ideal clients so they can have a successful writing career from home. An email list is the best way to ensure the success of any products you launch. Email marketing has an ROI of between $36 and $44 for every $1 spent- that's insane and obviously worth building. I'll be doing this, in part, by joining relevant Facebook groups and presenting content freebies that request an email address in exchange.

• Guest blogging- I'll be doing this to increase my reach by getting my writing in front of new audiences. Hopefully, they resonate with it enough to check out my website and find that useful enough to sign on to get all my new content. My goal is to guest blog on a new platform once a month.

Second, I'm going to monetize my blog:

I'm obviously still quite far from this, I don't have anywhere near the traffic needed to make it worthwhile. But when the time comes, I will monetize by:

• Joining appropriate affiliate programs- and adding affiliate links to my site. This way, if my audience reads a post where I talk about a certain product that I am an affiliate for, and they buy it through my link and I will make money.

• Selling digital products directly from my site- this includes workbooks, eBooks, courses, etc. There are so many ways I can help my audience that can be made into products they can buy- this is over and above the help I provide via my blog.

• Potentially having ads on my website- I'm not sold on this one, as I don't want to disrupt the reader experience. Ads can be annoying and take away from the intention of the site. If I can have control and be able to avoid this, then I'll seriously consider ad revenue.

The importance of a niche

Choosing a niche will naturally move you toward being an 'expert' as far as search engines are concerned because it will narrow the number of topics that you cover, and thus deepen the scope of those topics. Also, writing within a limited number of topics will mean that you naturally begin to utilize the keywords that are specific to your niche. However, you should still research the keywords that are best for you to use based on how you rank for them.

Writing within a niche also means that you widen the traffic that Google sends to you with regards to the keywords you rank for.

For example, if you solely write about surfing, you'll get traffic from people searching for 'how to surf'. But, you may also get traffic from people searching for the 'best places to surf in Durban'. These people probably won't stay long on your site because you didn't answer their problem (they still don't know where to surf in Durban), but you still get that traffic. And since your site is about surfing and they do care about surfing, they might still stay and look around or bookmark it and come back later.

Building the muscle

Writing can be cumbersome. It can be downright boring and frustrating at times- and this is coming from someone who loves to write. The best way to get through a writing slump is to power through, and the best way to ensure you power through is to build your power-through muscle. It can be so tempting to tell yourself 'I'll just rest tonight and make the words up in tomorrow's session', but that path often leads to months of no blogging and you waking up one day next year and thinking 'how did I let this happen again?!'

It happens because you don't have discipline, and the only way to have it is to cultivate it. Stick to your writing goals. Make writing important and get it done.

This is not a hobby

This has proven to be important for me. I realize now that I have never actually looked at my blog as a serious and money-making business. It was a hobby and a way to stay creative where I could hopefully help some people. Being an author and a copywriter, writing books and copy for clients- that was serious. But not blogging. It's no wonder then really that I treated it as a thing I loved but would get to when I could.

It's been a whole mindset shift for me to think of my blog as something I want to monetize, and a part of my business that I want to have financial and metric goals for. I welcome the change and the challenge, and I'm looking forward to documenting it. I know how useful and motivational it has been for me to read other peoples journey's as they've taken their blogs from hobby to side hustle, to full-time income, to business empire. I know with strategic work and perseverance, I can do the same.

Conclusion

I'm purposefully growing my blog this year for the purpose of monetizing it. I'll be utilizing the strategy outlined above, and more as I learn I'm sure. I'm inviting you to take the journey with me, and I will be posting a blog growth update every 3 months. I think this interval is long enough to test out new strategies and get useful feedback, while also being short enough to feel like I'm giving constant updates.

Please let me know what's worked for you, or what you're trying now. I'm open to suggestions.

Let's grow these blogs,

Nonjabulo

How To: Choose an Inciting Incident to Start a Novel

There are countless ways to start a novel, and some are better than others. Depending on the book, an opening can be fast or slow, subtle or explosive, and either can be appropriate. As an observation, however, I can say that we're a bit past the age of slow, subtle beginnings that have time to flower at their leisure. For the most part, an audience expects to be grabbed from the very first word.

This being so, as an author, you can't just start a novel any which way. It has to be specific, and exciting, and it has to wholeheartedly grab your reader and make them yours for the remainder of the book. An inciting incident is the quickest way to grab their attention. The right inciting incident will elevate their reding experience from good to amazing. How do you choose one to start your book off with a bang? That's what I'll explore in this post.

What is an Inciting Incident?

To incite is to 'stir up' and in this case, to stir up action. It's an incident because it's an event- something is happening that lets the reader jump right into the action. In stories that start with one, the case is often that without the inciting incident, the story wouldn't exist. That is, without that particular event, life would go on as normal and there would be nothing to talk about.

An inciting incident is an urgent interruption to a character's life. The character is forced to react, and away we go.

Famous examples of inciting incidents:

In The Hunger Games, the inciting incident is Katniss's sister randomly being chosen to fight till the death in The Hunger Games, which leads Katniss to volunteer as tribute in her place. This singular event takes us into the story as we know it- specifically through Katniss' eyes. If this had not happened, she and her sister would have presumably gone on with their regular and rather unnoteworthy lives.

Why do you want to start with an Inciting Incident?

Sometimes when we talk about writing and the many aspects of writing, it can be easy to forget that at the core, all we're doing is telling a story. All the advice that exists on writing is for the sole purpose of trying to make sure that it's a good story that we're telling. Now, keeping this in mind, we can deduce that opening a story with an inciting incident is to make the story more interesting and exciting- it's to hook your reader right from the start.

Show don't Tell

I recently wrote a post on what it means to Show, don't Tell, and why it's such great writing advice that is endlessly repeated. An inciting incident is an example of a good tactic to facilitate 'showing' at the very beginning of your book. That's because 'showing' is about putting the reader right into the action and giving them the sense that they're right there in the thick of it all. 'Showing' uses active, present tense language to make the action feel like it's here, now. This is the same purpose served by an inciting incident.

Let's look at an example:

In the Disney movie How to Train Your Dragon, the story opens with the main character, Hiccup, describing the peaceful Viking town of Berk. Then, the dragons show up and the entire town is thrown into disarray as they try to protect themselves from the 'pests'. In this scene, we learn that life is usually peaceful, but we are also suddenly thrown into it being disrupted and the story is off and running. We also learn about the Nightfury, whom Hiccup has shot down, although nobody believes him. This can be seen as a secondary inciting incident, as this is the dragon that he famously trains- which is the main plot of the story

This is a great example of both an inciting incident that has action happening right now opening the story. As the audience, we're excited and can't wait to find out what happens next.

Pro Tip: Start with the moments just before the inciting incident

An inciting incident, by definition, is an event that starts things off. It sets off a sequence of events. These events are likely to be out of the ordinary for the characters we're being introduced to. At some point, the narrative will have to show the reader both how and why these events are out of the ordinary, as this builds stakes. An easy way to do this is by introducing us briefly to the regular layout of our character's lives at the beginning, right before the inciting incident changes it. In this way we know to recognize and thus care about the change. This will also help with a more natural sense of pacing so the reader doesn't feel like they have to suddenly start off running. Unless of course, that is the intention.

Famous examples of this at play:

In The Hunger Games, we meet Katniss in the hours before the inciting incident. We get to go out hunting with her, we get to feel the calm and simplicity of her life. This puts us on high alert when we encounter the inciting incident because we know just how different this is from her regular life. This is thus a great device to draw a reader into the story and to ensure that they care about the events that take place and how they affect the characters. By the time Katniss volunteers as tribute, we care that she's leaving her peaceful life, and so naturally, I'm rooting for her.

How to choose an incident

Ask yourself these 3 questions to make sure your inciting incident will work.

1. Is it interesting?

We're trying to hook a reader. Your inciting incident needs to accomplish this above anything else. So, it's important to make sure that your incident is interesting. If you were sitting on a train and overheard one person tell the other about your inciting incident, would you sharpen your ears to listen more and find out what happened next? If the answer is no, you have work to do. Remember, readers are just people like you. So, if it wouldn't capture your attention, it likely won't capture your audience's attention either.

2. Does it tie into an important theme for later in the story?

An inciting incident is a great place to put important information for later on in the story. If something about a certain character is going to be central to their story arc, it can be wise to start the breadcrumbs at the very beginning. The reader won't know it yet, but when they figure it out, it will be so satisfying to learn that the answer was there all along.

For example, let's say you're writing a spy thriller where the objective is to find the killer and, in this case, the murder weapon. You could start the story with a character writing a letter. Then, in the end, you can reveal that the murder weapon was none other than the pen they used to write the letter at the very beginning. Things like this always feel like little gifts to the reader, but only when done well and seamlessly. If your story allows for it, consider using your book's opening to play an important part in the themes that will play out throughout the story, all the way to the end.

3. Does it reveal something important about your character(s)?

Tied to the point discussed above, an inciting incident is also a great place to reveal important information about a character. As you will be writing a scene that is likely active, because you want it to be exciting and interesting enough to hook the reader, you will naturally be showing (and not telling) the reader something. Why not show them a key trait of the character as well? Better yet, why not show a secret trait of the character, one that they will be left wondering about as the story unfolds- just make sure you tie back into it when the time is right so it makes sense and isn't random. Doing this can make the reader feel as though they're in on the secret that the other characters don't know, and this automatically makes the story more interesting because it creates stakes (depending on the secret): When will the other characters find out? How will the other characters react when they find out?

For example:

Suppose you write a duplicitous character who the other characters trust, but whom you want the reader to know is untrustworthy. You can do this by showing their deceitful nature in the inciting incident. You can, for example, show us the character hiding a precious diamond ring, right before they join the party and console the character who just lost it. They can even go so far as to help them look for it- never finding it, of course. Now, when the rest of the story unfolds, the other characters will discover this person's true nature and the reader will get the satisfaction of having known it all along.

Conclusion

An inciting incident is a great way to start a story as it's a way to hook the reader from the very beginning. It's a way to set the tone of your book as it could be exciting, tragic, mysterious, or anything else. Each of those starts would be suitable for a different kind of book. Knowing what makes a good inciting incident is important to understand, so you can use it to enhance your storytelling.

I hope this post was useful in outlining the elements I think are necessary for choosing a great inciting incident.

As always, sending my best and hoping your writing is going well.

Talk soon,

Nonjabulo

How To: Write a Solid, Plot-driven Story Outline

All the greatest, most flowery writing in the world won't save a bad plot. But what is 'plot' exactly? And how do you make sure yours first- exists, and second, is good? That's what I'll be tackling in this post.

There are many different kinds of stories. One way to classify them is by what seems to drive the story forward- by what seemed most important to the author as they developed it. In this post, we'll focus on plot-driven stories. However, it's important to note that this isn't the only or best model to follow. There are two main plot categories that most stories fall into; plot-driven or character-driven.

Plot-driven Narratives

Plot-driven is where the emphasis is on the structure and sequence of the events within the story, and less on other elements like character development, for example. Most genre fiction falls into this category because most genre fiction is formulaic. The reader knows what to expect and they get dissatisfied when they don't get it. Think of how we expect the two main characters in a romance to end up together; or how we expect to learn the identity of the killer at the end of a spy thriller. Imagine if this didn't happen,-we would be disappointed. The writer thus writes to make sure they don't upset the reader's expectations. Some writers love this because it provides a structure to follow, which might simplify their writing process. Other writers might hate this because a predetermined structure might feel constricting and stifling to their creativity.

When writing a plot-driven narrative, focus on external conflict.

Remember that events outside of the characters drive this kind of story, so things need to happen to move the story from one plot point to the next. This sort of narrative relies on carefully outlined plot points.

Character-driven Narratives

Character-driven is when the story is more focused on character development than a richly developed plot. It's more about seeing how individual characters grow and change as well as how they interact with each other, and this is what drives the story forward. Most literary fiction falls into this category because it's often about examining the world through the experiences of the characters. Because the plot is secondary in this type of story, it tends to appeal to pantsers- writers who free flow without following a preplanned structure. They often feel this type of story allows them to exercise the full scope of their creativity. More structured writers may find this form of storytelling to be overwhelming as it offers no structural guardrails, so to speak.

When writing a plot-driven narrative, focus on internal conflict.

Remember that the internal struggles of the characters, both within themselves and with each other are what drives this kind of story. So, developing complex characters with a compelling story arc is critical. Otherwise, the story will fall flat.

For this post, we're going to focus on plot-driven stories as we explore just what plot is.

What is Plot?

Plot is one of those things that you barely notice if everything is going well, but that's impossible to miss when it's not there. As such, it's easier to define what it does rather than what it is. So let's start there.

Have you ever read a book and at the end you ask yourself what on earth that was about? Or you try to explain what the book is about to someone and realize you just can't. You know things happened, and you can describe those things, but it's unclear how exactly they relate to the other things that happened in the story. It's almost like the story is made up of individual events that don't really connect because something is missing- that something is the plot.

Plot is like the invisible tendons that bind your story together. Without it there is no story, there are just events. Things happen and that's it.

How to Write a Solid Story Plot

In a plot-driven narrative, you need a clear plotline for story planning so you don't write yourself into a corner. The following steps can help to make sure that your plot is clear, solid, and good.

1. Start with a high concept plot

This is a plot with a widely accessible storyline made up of easy to communicate subplots. Screenwriting focuses a lot on these kinds of plots for their ability to satisfy large masses of people, which increases the chances of blockbuster success. High-concept plots are simple, so many people can understand and like them. Complex plots require a greater understanding and often an increased attention span that not everyone has, so they appeal to a specific and generally smaller audience.

An example of a high concept plot is 'Imagine a world where one person is born old and ages backward'. This, of course, is the concept for 'The curious case of Benjamin Button'. It's a movie whose premise I still remember all these years later, but whose characters I do not. This is not a requirement but is often the case for high-concept plots.

Try the Elevator Pitch Test

The elevator pitch is the famed 2-minute summary of your book idea that you would give to an agent in the brief moments you'd have their attention were you to be stuck in an elevator together. As the sentiment goes, if you can't encapsulate the plot of your book in a couple of sentences (or a few minutes)- then the book has no clear plot. No plot means no agent will take it on.

Added to that, a book without a clear plot is a marketing nightmare. Book marketing and advertising teams rely on this condensed summary to market it to book bloggers, bookstores, and the general public. It informs the colors and graphics used in the cover design; its placement within a bookstore; etc. So, being able to capture the essence of your book in two sentences becomes a very important test.

2. Write a clear and detailed outline of your story

Outlining your story is critical for a plot-driven narrative. You need to know that the plot points work and that they can sensibly take your story from start to end. An outline allows you to check if the story works at the idea level before you start writing. In this kind of story, the plot isn't something you want to try and figure out as you go. Remember, it's the entire backbone of your story. So, having clear story beats and being able to interlay subplots within the main plot is a crucial first step.

Let's look at an example. Imagine you wanted to write a plot based on a 'hero's journey' kind of story. An outline could look like this:

• Hero is introduced and we learn their starting character i.e. who they are at the beginning

• Hero receives quest/ challenge

• Hero sets off to face this challenge

• Hero meets challenge, fight is extremely difficult for the hero who is forced to grow and change in some way

• Hero perseveres and ultimately succeeds

• Hero returns and we learn their ending character i.e. who they are in the end

Add Subplots within the main outline

This outline hits all the beats to keep the story moving forward. Now, you can (and should) add subplots that will give life to the story and make it more interesting. This can be done in the form of introducing a love story subplot. This could look as follows:

• Hero is introduced and we learn their starting character i.e. who they are at the beginning

• A love interest is introduced

• Hero receives quest/ challenge

• Hero sets off to face this challenge

• He leaves his love interest, certain the quest is far more important (heartbreak, conflict)

• Hero meets challenge, fight is extremely difficult for the hero who is forced to grow and change in some way

• He realizes how important love is and sets out to win back his love

• Hero perseveres and ultimately succeeds (in both battle and love)

• Hero returns and we learn their ending character i.e. who they are in the end

3. Include plot twists

Plot-driven books can have a higher risk of becoming formulaic and thus, predictable. Even readers who love genre fiction and know what to expect don't want to read a book they could have written themselves. Nobody should be able to guess the beginning, middle, and ending of your story. To avoid this, it's important to write in plot twists- surprises that your reader would never expect. It keeps the story fresh and I honestly don't know a single person who doesn't like a good plot twist. Keeping with our example above, a plot twist could look as follows:

• Hero is introduced and we learn their starting character i.e. who they are at the beginning

• A love interest is introduced

• Hero receives quest/ challenge

• Hero sets off to face this challenge

• He leaves his love interest, certain the quest is far more important (heartbreak, conflict)

• Hero meets challenge, fight is extremely difficult for the hero who is forced to grow and change in some way

• His love interest is hurt and believing all hope is lost, and feeling slightly vengeful, marries his best friend

• He realizes how important love is and sets out to win back his love

• Hero perseveres and ultimately succeeds (in battle but not in love)

• Hero returns and, in a fit of rage, kills both his former lover and his best friend

• We learn their ending character i.e. who they are in the end

Notice how this story (with the plot twist) and the story just above (without the plot twist) are completely different stories. They are even different genres of books. One is triumphant and the other is a tragedy. That's the power of a well-placed plot twist.

4. Avoid Plot Holes

A plot hole is a gap in the storytelling that essentially renders the story silly. It's a blind spot in the plot. If you've ever watched a movie or read a book and thought 'Why didn't they just do X?', that story probably had a plot hole, and your solution would have fixed it- but then there would be no story. Plotting out your story before writing is the best way to avoid plot holes, which is why a detailed outline is so important.

An example of a premise with a plot hole:

A boy learns that his tears can summon a genie that can grant him anything he wants. So, he finds violent ways to hurt himself, getting ever more gruesome in an effort to make himself cry and get more wishes. Eventually, he stabs his best friend whom he loves, and he cries as he watches his friend die.

Plot hole: Why doesn't he just chop onions? That would make him cry and he wouldn't need to hurt himself or other people. This is a plot hole because there is a glaring answer to the 'problem', but if it were applied (and he did chop onions), then this story as it exists is just silly at best.

Conclusion

If you are writing or planning on writing a plot-driven story, it's important that you have a solid plot. Planning and outlining this before starting the writing process is crucial so you can identify and eliminate any plot holes and so you can be sure there is enough external conflict to drive the story forward. The steps outlined above will help you to do this.

I hope this post is helpful, and please share any additional steps that work for you.

Happy plotting,

Nonjabulo