Blogging for #Amwriting by Johanna Harness

Anyone is welcome to post to twitter using the #amwriting hashtag.  You don't need a bio. You don't need to join anything. Our FAQ is here: http://bit.ly/amwriting

If you post using the hashtag, you are welcome to submit an author bio to the site.  The author bios started as a who's who of writers posting frequently in the community. Not expecting the huge growth of the group, I thought then that we might have a somewhat comprehensive list.  Not so. Today, by my best estimate, we get one new bio for every hundred people who use the hashtag.  We are an eclectic group of writers from all walks of life, published and not yet published, writers of fiction and nonfiction. Emphasis in the #amwriting group is on writing rather than publishing, so credits are not necessary for the author bio.  Just tell us who you are and what you write.

• Author bios are posted here: http://amwriting.org/author-directory


• A long list of author names also runs along the right side of every post.


• If you wish to post a bio, you'll find instructions here: http://bit.ly/writerbio

This is the natural progression of involvement in the #amwriting community.  You start posting on twitter, get to know some people, explore their author bios in the directory, and decide to submit your own.  The next step is considering the possibility of contributing a blog post to the site.

On the #amwriting blog, we have nonfiction posts Monday through Thursday and a short flash fiction piece on Fridays.  I schedule posts ahead of time so we have consistent, quality posts over time.  The last time I opened up blogging dates for #amwriting was the end of December 2011.  In one day, I filled the blogging calendar through mid-April. If you want a blogging spot in the next three to four months, you'll need to pay attention to the following calendar, respond promptly to DMs, and confirm your calendar time.  Before you decide to sign up, please read the blogging guidelines here: http://amwriting.org/guidelines.

In particular, notice:

• You need to be on the schedule to post to the blog.


• You need to submit an author bio before you blog for the site.


• You will be posting your blog post, with a picture, directly to the site.  Do not plan on emailing your article to me for posting.  I am here to support you and will help with any difficulties, but you need to learn to use the site. For some of you, this may be your first foray into blogging.  Please don't shy away from the unknown.  Many of our new bloggers have used this experience as a jumping off point for starting their own blogs.  It's a great learning environment.

The Calendar:

Monday, April 9th:  Early Boarding

If you have a special date coming up in the next 3-4 months, I'll give you first choice of dates to coordinate with that date.  When most people think of special dates, they think of book launch dates---and those posts are always welcome---but you may have a special date coming up and not realize it. For instance, if you are attending a conference and want to write about the highlights of your attendance, I'll want that post as soon after you get back as possible.  If you're planning on live tweeting at a conference, you might consider doing a blog post just before you leave, so everyone will be aware that they can follow your tweet stream.  If you're speaking for the first time, you may want to schedule a blog post for just after that engagement, to tell us about your experience.  If you're going on a book tour, you may want to post about your excitement and tell us where you will be.  If you're doing a research trip and writing about it in your blog every day you're gone, you may want to post about that on #amwriting just before you leave.  The summer offers many opportunities for special events.  Since these posts are scheduled first, the best way to ensure a spot on the upcoming calendar is to propose a post connected to a specific date.  A secret:  I'll often go ahead and schedule other monthly posts for you if one of your posts is a special date.

Tuesday, April 10th:  Twelve New Bloggers

If you have not previously blogged for #amwriting, go for one of these twelve spots.  I want to reward authors who consistently write for the site, but I do not want this to be a closed community.  You can sign up for either fiction or nonfiction.

Wednesday, April 11th:  Friday Flash

If you want a short story published on the site, this is your day!  I try to limit fiction to one per author during each sign-up period, but we often have room for you to do more than one. (Let me know if you're available for a second date.)

Thursday, April 12th:  Repeat Bloggers

Most of the spots will be scheduled on this day. If spaces are available, you can sign up for one post every calendar month (the rest of April through August).

Friday, April 13th---Monday, April 16th:  Loose Ends

I'll be filling in gaps in the schedule.  If you're a new blogger and you didn't make the twelve spots on Tuesday, I'll offer you one of the remaining spots.  If we don't have enough individual authors to fill the fiction days, I'll be offering 2nd spots to those already on the schedule.  I usually also offer later calendar dates to regular bloggers who are late in replying to the call for bloggers.

Contact Info:

I will be sending out tweets throughout the sign-up period, directing authors to this post.  If you are interested in blogging, contact me on the appropriate date listed above, either through DM (@johannaharness) or email (johanna@johannaharness.com).  I generally respond to DM requests before email requests.  If you email me, please tell me your twitter name in the email.  I get in a hurry and sometimes the small details escape me.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!