50 POINTS. IF YOU DON'T ANSWER PROPERLY I WILL REPORT IT! Starting a blog is helpful for writers to create an author platform for themselves. It's important for any writer (published or hoping to be published) to establish a professional online presence that is easily discoverable by both readers and publishers. For this activity, you should research blogs written by popular authors as well as your favorite author(s). You should also read blogs by literary agents and small presses.

After researching and reading a variety of writing blogs, you should answer the following questions:

• What blogs did you read?

• Did any blog have a style you'd like to emulate?

• What did you learn about writing and publishing from this research?

• What commonalities did the author blogs you read share?

• What are the things you noticed in relation to the writers’ interaction with their readers? Which tools did they use to establish a fan base and to make their blog appealing to readers?

• Will you start a blog about writing? Research ways to get started blogging.