Blogging vs. Writing

What I'm about to tell you is going to reek with irony, considering the page you're reading, but here goes nothing.

Don't spend a lot of time blogging when you're a writer.

(You can laugh now.)

Now that we've gotten our mirth out of the way, let's qualify that statement. Sure, you can blog, and still be an author. It's free P.R., for one thing, and might help or amuse some folks out there, and what's life without some amusement? But remember, the more time you spend blogging, the less time you're actually writing. And if you want to finish your opus, blogging isn't going to help you do it. Nor will spending all day reading others' blogs. The key is moderation. A ten-minute blog entry probably won't bite into a very big chunk of your writing time. But spending hours doing so will definitely prevent The End from getting any closer. If you've got the willpower to tell yourself "Get off the 'Net and start writing, slacker!" then by all means, give up a little time for blogging, or reading one. Which reminds me, if you're reading this, I should probably send you scurrying back to your opus. Shoo!