Today I have the lovely Briana, who I personally think is an amazing writer. No I am ot just saying that because I follow her blog and it's a miracle she wanted to feature on mine. Okay, maybe. Anyway, I have been loving this series, and I hope you are too so lets delve in and find out a bit more about Briana.
I wanted to make regular writing a habit, and I also wanted to build an author platform. Blogging weekly helped me accomplish both tasks. Along the way, I realised that it was a great way to foster a sense of community, so I kept at it.
2. Do you think bloggers need a niche?
I think so! I knew I wanted to help other writers, so I've tried to keep my posts relevant and interesting to my audience. I know a lot of people are big on lifestyle blogging, but I don't follow many lifestyle bloggers. Their posts are too random and distracted for me. If you want to build a following, narrowing your focus is one of the best ways to do it.
3. Your blog seems like it's all wrapped up into one, writing, advice, novels, book reviews, services - how did you accomplish it?
Like I said, my blog is focused on helping other writers - in any way I can. Even my book reviews are written to cater to writers, in hopes that they will read the review and the book itself and can learn something from them. I'm always looking for more ways to help people, which is why I've added editing and proofreading services. Plus, it's something I enjoy doing, which certainly doesn't hurt!
4. Did you design your template or did you get it custom made?
It's a pre-made template with some minor tweaks.
5. How did you come up with the idea for your book?
Goodness. Well, I drew from a couple different sources. When I started, all I had was a character: Jay Harris, a seventeen year-old Chicago transplant living in London. I was worried about writing him because he's so different from me - a black teenage boy - but no matter how hard I tried to ignore him, he kept nagging me. I knew I had to write his story. As for the setting, I chose London because I had the chance to study abroad there, and I fell in love with it. The story itself? That's a little more complicated. My writing is character-driven, and mostly, I wanted to explore the ways in which global tragedy affects interpersonal relationships.
6. Did you write an outline or have you just written it?
I had some loose bullet points with an ending in mind, but I deviated from it. Most of my writing is organic and unplanned. I just keep writing until it all wraps up.
7. How do you stay organised writing a novel and a blog?
I'm a huge fan of lists! I keep a planner with daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists with blog topics in the margins. Also, I set time aside to write every day, no matter what, even if it's only five minutes or so.
8. Any tips for aspiring writers?
It's cliche, but write a little every day. Even if you can only get a few words down, that's more than you had the day before! As long as you keep moving, you'll be just fine. :)
Want to catch some more of Briana? Here's all the links you need;
No comments:
Post a Comment