Lorraine Murphy by Robert Shaer
Yep, it’s happening! After a two-year layoff from teaching, I’m doing a new workshop, Blogging Basics for Writers, for the Vancouver School of Writing on October 1.
This one-evening course (which can be taken in person or virtually) will teach writers what they need to know in order to create their own blog, fill it, and use it to promote their writing, teaching, and other endeavors. Here’s the official blurb:
This virtual & live course is for writers interested in blogging. It lays out the basic principles behind building a blog which accurately and
professionally expresses you as an author. You’ll learn about the ins and outs of digital copyright, best practices for guest blogging and outreach, and how to handle the dreaded comments section. This is a non-technical course that will give you a solid grounding so you’re ready to move on and build a site that authentically and powerfully promotes your writing, while minimizing angst, drama, and time commitment.You will learn:
- What is a blog, as opposed to a website?
- What can it do for your actual writing skills and career?
- Advantages in terms of SEO, and what’s SEO; introduction to stats and keywords
- Kinds of blogging platforms: Squarespace, WordPress, Tumblr, Wix, Blogspot
- How to pick a domain name and branding
- How to make it professional
- How often to blog
- What to put in your blog
- Copyright issues
- Images (even for writing blogs, they are important)
- When to offer/accept guest posts
- The personal/impersonal balancing act
- Bloggability: what is it, when does it kick in?
- How to leverage your blog to promote your writing
- How to manage your time so it’s not all eaten up by the internet
Yes, really; I even teach people how to get offline. I’ve had more than 7,500,000 hits on my blog posts, and as one of Canada’s first professional bloggers and social media trainers, I’m uniquely qualified to help writers make the transition to the web and make it work for them.
The workshop is $59 plus GST.
raincoaster media 
raincoaster
September 25, 2015
Reblogged this on raincoaster and commented:
What are you doing October 1? If you’re a writer thinking about getting online, you should be in my one-evening course, either in person in downtown Vancouver or online.
KokkieH
September 25, 2015
Reblogged this on if all else fails…use a hammer and commented:
A rare reblog on if all else fails…
Are you a writer? Are you plodding along with a blog because you heard a writer needs to have one, but you’re not really sure what you’re actually doing? Raincoaster is one of four people who taught me most of what I know about WordPress.com, and if anyone can teach you how to have an effective blog, she’s it. So check this out…