The Chicken or the Egg?

Good grief, a whole month has gone by since I wrote! I guess I have a long way to go to become a "regular" blog poster.

Anyway, welcome back to Patti's Porch. It's been way too warm here these past few months for winter in Colorado. We finally got a storm a couple of weeks ago, but since it's about springtime, it didn't stay around long. Still, our thirsty ground is thankful for every drop of moisture it gets.

We've all heard the old conundrum, which came first, the chicken or the egg? I feel like I am revisiting that age old puzzle right now. Last month, I followed the on-line course "Writing the Unputdownable Book", which prompted me to spend more time looking at my WIP (Work in Progress). I evaluated the story thus far, polished, submitted to my crit partners, polished some more, and finally sent my first fifteen pages off to the Genesis contest.

However, while pursuing the points brought out in last month's course, I've been ignoring the topics covered in this month's on-line course, offered by Terry Burns. While the main topic of Terry's class is fear of public speaking, the underlying message addresses developing a presence.

Which comes first?

Do I establish a web presence so that when I do get published, my name will already be recognized, or do I get published so I can use my website to promote my work? Unlike the chicken and the egg puzzle, we as writers can fit pieces into both parts of our writing life concurrently. A blog can be used to give readers a taste of how the writer communicates, what motivates her heart, the audience he wishes to reach, and why the need to write is a driving force in her life.

Thanks for reading my blog!