“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” – William Faulkner.
Whether you’re a bookworm, a literature enthusiast, a literature student or graduate, or just someone who likes to read and write, this one is for you. I’m not going to try to convince you; the following words will speak for themselves.
I personally can’t get enough of reading and writing. I finish a book after another, and I would honestly go crazy if I keep what I read for myself. At first, I used to share my reviews and thoughts on websites and apps like Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. However, this was not fulfilling enough for me; I needed to write longer pieces, engage with others who have read the books I’ve read, talk to people who have an interest like me, and get constructive criticism on what I write.
This is where it hit me that I needed and wanted to have my own platform. I knew I needed to have my own website, but I had no idea how to start a blog. So, of course, I did my research, and I made sure to take notes of every step so I can share with others to make it easier for everyone to start their own blog.
How to Start a Blog
Without further ado, let us get into the steps of starting your own –literature- blog.
Pick a name for your blog
First things first, you need to find a suitable name for your blog; in this case, you will have countless options, as –speaking from experience- literature students and lovers love to show off their literary terminology, don’t we? So, find a nice name that you are satisfied with and move to the next step.
Find a good hosting service
There are countless hosting services on the internet, each claiming to be the best and to offer the best services. This makes it really hard to pick one, as each one has its own pros and cons. So, to make it easier for you, I’ve gone through many of them to be able to decide which one offers the best services in terms of ease and simplicity, prices, aesthetics, and everything else you might need in a website hosting service. My verdict is that DreamHost is the best one in terms of everything.
Start building your website
Even if you have no idea where to start, don’t worry; you don’t need to be tech-savvy or a designer to build your website. WordPress (a service included in any plan on DreamHost) will do the job for you; all you have to do is pick a ready-made theme from the templates offered. There are more than two hundred themes on WordPress from every category you can think of.
Of course, all of these themes and templates are customizable. If you feel like you have a certain style in mind, say a Victorian-looking blog to fit the mood, you can customize any template and blog feed format to your liking. Of course, you’re the monarch of your own website, so don’t hesitate to pick your aesthetics.
Once you have a good eye-catching name and a nice layout, you’re ready for the next step.
Go Online and start blogging
After preparing your website, you’re ready to launch it and go online. This is where the fun part begins; start writing your first blog and post it for everyone to see.
This part is where you can show the world your talent and share your thoughts and beliefs with others who have the same interests. So make sure to make the best out of it.
Start promoting your blog
This is the last part. Your blog is now live and available for everyone to see. You need to start promoting your blog on your social media account and to people in real life.
This is about it. You have your blog and you just need to enjoy it.
