I created a living website this week one year ago. Like a living thing, the living website became a part of my daily life. I wrote my first post, found a photo, and clicked “Publish.” My hands shook. Over the last twelve months, I’ve published 36 posts, an average of 3 posts per month (my goal was an average of 4).
Who Needs An Author’s Platform?…Duh
My effort to understand and build an author’s platform began at the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference. I attended talks by diyMFA (do-it-yourself Master of Fine Arts) instigator, Gabriela Pereira. In January 2017, I enrolled in (https://diymfa.com/) diyMFA’s Pixels to Platform online course, or P2P.
Website Shy
It seemed as though a writer’s blog was the way to go for me. I had never created a website, and in no stretch of the imagination am I handy around a computer beyond the basics.
P2P to the Rescue!
Gabriel’s talks and P2P were informative, empowering, and inspirational. P2P covers a broad range of topics for published and emerging writers in search of an author’s platform. The topics move from getting over your imposter syndrome, to losing the fear and loathing of branding and marketing, to the technical stuff of starting a website and a blog. I completed P2P with a step-by-step guide to starting my website, my brand, and blog, and most importantly, how to draw readers to it.
Paralyzed by Fear
Still, for months I lingered somewhere between thinking I could do it, and yet not doing it. The paralysis settled in. I knew it was ridiculous, but there it was: I was afraid to try following the instructions.
Gabriela to the Rescue!
I called on Gabriela Pereira yet again, this time in a one-on-one series of mentoring sessions (Platform VIP Mentoring). She confirmed that as an emerging writer, I should focus on a blog. After the first session, I had the assignment: create a live website for her to review in two weeks.
Gulp. There it was: the push I needed.
Just Do It!
There was no choice: I took the plunge (I make my deadlines). In a flurry, I bought my URL domain(s) from GoDaddy and chose WordPress.org as my platform. Bluehost is my server manager, but I’m reconsidering them after a huge jump in fee. Choosing a simple theme in Penscratch, I took advantage of the how-to’s on the WordPress site. I chose my colors, the content and photos for three pages: Home, About, Contact.
I’d gone live! It wasn’t perfect, but it was a living website, and I’d created it.
Sending the link to Gabriela, I prepared for the next session. We got to work together on what else I had to do and change, including mapping what I wanted to write about, but most importantly how I would get anyone to read it, respond, come back. Repeat.
What is SEO anyway?
There was a lot more to do, and there still is. With the help of online sources and good friends, I figured out that I needed search engine optimization, and downloaded the Yoast SEO into my website. WordPress.org (better for writers than WordPress.com) and Yoast (https://yoast.com/) make it very easy to acquire all the help you need for secure visibility. It took a while, but when you Google Constance Emmett, the first thing listed is my website.
More Paralysis…
What I haven’t done, and what I must do, is to build my readership (thank you to the dear readers that visit). I’ve learned the techniques from P2P, but I haven’t done the work required to implement them. The same good friends who helped me with the technical stuff confirmed that to build a website’s readership requires a lot of work. The effort is time-consuming, but there isn’t any other way.
To attract readers, I must spend more time on other websites, engage with the author and the other writers who visit, comment, and leave a trail. I must leave a trail of breadcrumbs (a P2P phrase that resonates) to this living website.
What about the posts?
On May 9, 2017 I published the first post, “Country Drama,” which (https://www.constancegemmett.com/hello-world/) I enjoyed writing. I’ve continued to write and post about nature, living in the country and my family. In addition, I write about authors, writing, the effect of Brexit on Ireland and vice versa, cleaning, baseball, gun violence, Trump, seasons, and weather. I write about things that interest me, things that I think will interest my readers, including one day, readers of my fiction.
Writing the posts is often enjoyable, sometimes like pulling teeth: just like writing fiction. When the SEO takes a look at draft post, it has many things to say about the writing and the tags that will be picked up on the Internet. I rewrite the post before it’s added to the living website and before I publish it. Again, just like writing fiction: lots of rewriting (https://www.constancegemmett.com/writing-is-rewriting/).
Take the Plunge
If you are frozen between wanting an author’s platform and starting one, please take the plunge. To help, I recommend diyMFA and P2P, and also all of the information available on WordPress.org and the many website creators on You Tube who can walk you through the process. Ask friends for help, too.
A Living Website Is Better than a Perfect One
The first step is key. Remember: a living website is better than a perfect one. Think of it as the first sentence of your novel. You know you’ll write many more sentences, and most will be rewritten, more than once. Without the first version of the very first sentence though, there will never be a novel.