As we wrap up 2021, I’m enjoying looking back on all the content I’ve created for authors reading the Inkdrop Blog this year. I feel like this year has been a turning point in content marketing, as my website has moved from dozens of visitors most months to more than a thousand every month. If any of you have built a brand from scratch and relied primarily on organic growth to do it, you know it’s a slow play, and I’m so glad to see it finally paying off!
That said, the numbers are fun, but what’s most important is the value you get out of the content. So if there’s ever anything you’d like to see me cover on the blog, please let me know! If you’re looking for more of certain topics and less of others, I’d love to hear it.
In the meantime, here are the ten most-read posts published in 2021! If you missed any of them, I hope you’ll check them out and let me know what you think.
1. Ten Practical Tips to Build Your Writing Practice
“Whether you’ve just started writing or you’re ready to take your author journey to the next level, it can be difficult to turn that idea or desire into an actual practice. Here are ten practical tips to keep you inspired and motivated — and, most importantly, to keep you writing.”
2. Finding Your Author Voice
“As you look back through your writing, you’ll notice stylistic trends you’ve developed organically, and you’ll see which ones have been most effective in conveying your themes and perspective. But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t work intentionally on developing your voice. And one of the best ways to do that is by immersing yourself in other authors’ voices.”
3. The “I Want” Song: What Musical Theater Can Teach Authors about Character Development
“Writers, let me introduce you to the ‘I Want’ song. This song comes early in the show and spells out, in no uncertain terms, the protagonist’s most heartfelt desires.”
4. Story Structure: Back to Basics
“Occasionally as I write, I find myself getting bogged down in the details of story structure, and I see this happening to authors I work with, too. They’re so stuck in the Save the Cat! outline or the twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey or any other detailed story structure guide that they’re losing sight of what their own story needs and where it’s going.”
5. Twelve Questions to Ask to Find the Right Book Editor or Writing Coach
“First, hiring an editor or coach is a significant investment, and the right teammate is not a choice to take lightly. Second, no matter what your genre, opening yourself up to criticism on your writing is a very vulnerable, intimate experience, and it’s not one you want to enter into with just anybody. I encourage you to talk with several different editors. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions, and don’t — don’t — feel compelled to sign on with the first person you talked to. Be ruthless in your search for the right fit. You’ll be happier and your manuscript will be better for it.”
6. What Is a Book Editor’s Job?
“To put it most simply, an editor’s job is to help you, the author, tell your story. We work with the words. Depending on how far along you are in your work-in-progress, you may need any of several different types of editing. In brief, here are the types of content-related services you can expect an editor to provide.”
7. Why Every Author Needs a Commonplace Book — And What to Put In It
“When the first installment of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events came out, I was eight years old. Over the next seven years, my mom and I read every single book together, often finding ourselves laughing so hysterically we had to put the book down to collect ourselves. There was a lot to love about those books, but one aspect that was always particularly fascinating to me was Klaus Baudelaire’s commonplace book. He was always jotting down facts, ideas, quotes, and thoughts, and more often than not, all the information he stored in that little blue book played an important role in rescuing the orphans from certain death.”
8. Why Books on Writing Can Be Your Best Tools or Your Biggest Obstacles
“If we believe we have to learn everything there is to learn about story structure or character development or pacing or anything else before we start writing, then we’re doing ourselves a serious disservice.”
9. Three Writing Prompts for Character Development
“This week, I challenge you to approach your usual prompts and exercises as targeted efforts to make progress on your story. Start with these three writing prompts designed to drive character development.”
10. Six Ways to Brainstorm Bingeworthy Characters
“As writers, our default tendency is to try to pull our characters out of thin air, cobbling together all the details, from their biographies to their pet peeves to the clothes they wear, out of nothing. While many incredible characters are born this way, I’ve found that sometimes a little head start can make a lot of difference.”
Which of these were your favorites? (Or did you love a post that’s missing from this list?) And what would you like to see more of in 2022? Let me know in the comments below!