Navigation through the oceans of creativity as a blogger

Navigate the oceans of creativity as a blogger

In this age where the internet provides a platform for everyone to become a writer through blogs, blogging is the place where you should begin your journey of becoming a published author. It was where I began my writing journey. And yes, it is the easiest way to get published. I get enormous satisfaction every time I hit the publish button on my blog. You are published already. Not an aspiring writer. Yeah, you might still have long way to go before you get traditionally published. But you do not remain an aspiring writer anymore. You are now a writer, who is as passionate to his/her craft as any other published author.

 So what are the popular blogging platforms where you can start a blog?

Let me help you navigate through the various options available if you want to begin blogging. My navigation skills are perfect, I assure you!

There are many blogging platforms that allow you to create a blog for free. All you need is an email id.

The three most popular platforms among them are:

1)      Blogger:

Blogger is a blog-publishing service that allows multi-user blogs currently owned by Google. Generally, the blogs are hosted by Google at a subdomain of blogspot.com. Blogs can also be hosted in the registered custom domain of the blogger (like www.example.com). So blogspot.com domain publishings will be redirected to the custom domain.

It is user friendly and I have my blog on blogger.

2)      Wordpress:

Wordpress is a blog-publishing service which was developed by the wordpress foundation in 2003. It is popular because it is easy to use, search engine and SEO friendly. It also allows you to reblog your own posts or another popular wordpress blog.

3)      Tumblr

Blogging on Tumblr is an easy platform to start blogging. The way tumblr is setup is like a cross between Twitter and WordPress. It is a micro-blogging platform. You can blog just a sentence or a big rant about your lousy day. Many Tumblr blogs mainly focus on sharing (reblogging) photos on a specific theme.

There are many famous authors who were avid bloggers before they made it big in the publishing world. Some of them continue to blog even as they continue their successful run as bestselling authors. Their blogs are the place where they unwind after a tiresome day, a place where they meet and chat with their readers and also a place where they can promote their books effectively. Here is a list of authors blogs compiled by www.writerswrite.com. You can get an idea of how to start a blog or what to write by going through the archives of the blogs of these authors. You will get a glimpse of their own writing journey, their struggles, their successes and things that make them tick.

You can connect with other bloggers and authors when you become a blogger yourself. The internet has a strange magic and connects you with the right person or page when required.

My first publishing opportunity also came through blogging when a fellow blogger announced a short story competition being conducted by a publishing house through a blog post which I happened to read. I sent my story and it was selected to be published in an anthology. So you never know! A publishing opportunity can arrive when you least expect it.  

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.