10 blog post ideas for fiction writers

So you've decided that you want to blog, but aren't sure what to put on it. Here are ten ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Mimosa, anyone?

1. Updates

Any news you have and want to share about upcoming books, progress made, events, etc. Include all the relevant details, but don't forget to make it personal. If you have an event, share what you'll be doing there and create a sense of community by giving readers a special code that gets them little extras at the event. Though keep in mind my rule that these sort of updates aren't really appropriate until you have books and readers.

2. Engagement

This can come in the form of polls, questions, feedback or quizzes. Ask your readers legitimate questions and let them be a part of your writing process. Let them help you in any way they can such as picking your next books setting or character name. Want to see a great example of this. Check out this Jennifer L. Armentrout blog post where she's letting readers pick which guy her main character ends up with. This is a brave and terrifying example, but you get the idea.

3. Video
You guys know I'm now all kinds of down with the YouTube, because that's the kind of hip cat I am. Oh so cool. Video was frightening for the first 24 hours, but now it's kind of fun, so think about giving it a try. And don't forget, you don't have to just share your own videos. If you found something on YouTube that spoke to you as a genre fan, a fandom member, or a human, share it with your readers.

4. Story Time
I love story time. And we're writers, gosh darnit. That means we should be able to turn even the most mundane events into a magical story that our readers will want to go on. Did you just have a truly craptastic day? Or maybe the best day ever? Tell your story in the way only you can, in the voice that your fans have come to know and love. Share it.

5. Reviews & Recommendations
We've probably all heard that authors shouldn’t be reviewers because you never know which author you’ll have to sit next to at the next conference lunch. But that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about the books you love. Readers will love getting the recommendations and it gives them something else to connect with you on.

6. "Best of..." Lists
Best fantasy books of 2014, Best manga cartoons, Best author tumblr accounts. It really doesn’t matter what it is, readers will love to see your thoughts on this. But like all things, make it personal. Don’t just make a list, tell your readers why you love something and why they should love it too.

7. Guest Posts
This is pretty self-explanatory. Not only will other authors appreciate the opportunity to borrow your platform, you get a little break for the day. Just make sure a guest post isn’t a 500 word advertisement for the author’s next book. If you aren’t sure what to have a guest author write, consider coordinating their post with your own opinion piece. Try to find a guest who has a different opinion than you or can shed light on an area that you have little or no experience.

8.  Most Popular Posts
No one says you aren’t allowed to recycle old info. And if you’ve been blogging for a while, you probably have a great stash of older posts. What about a 1x/month throwback Thursday that features an old post that you feel is still relevant for your readers. Want to spice it up, make a meme and throw in a classic Throwback Thursday photo of yourself to keep the content exciting.

9. Topic Refresher
Do you have an old post that (thanks to your new experiences) needs to be updated. Maybe the technology has changed or just your world view. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to go back and refresh an old post with new ideas.

10. Your Opinion
Any good blogger is also doing a fair amount of reading other blogs. Keep an eye out for blogs that strike a chord and then discuss the issues on your own blog, whether you disagree with the original post, feel the author missed a key point or just want to add another perspective, share your thoughts and opinions with your readers. But keep this in mind: your readers come to you because they love your writing. While there’s nothing wrong with having strong opinions, the last thing you want to do is alienate some of your readers. With that in mind, be civil and know that there are some topics that aren’t going to be relevant.

What do you have? What are your favorite blog posts to read? What keeps you coming back for more? Share you ideas for fiction writer blog posts in the comments and let's see how long we can get this list.