I entered the realm of blogging five years ago. At the time I kicked and screamed as if I'd just seen a spider. Yeah, not exactly a willing participant. But I did it, and I'm still doing it, so clearly there are benefits even for the most staunch of those who thumb their noses at the blogosphere.

10 Reasons to Blog

1. It boosts your creativity.

Blogging forces you to flex your creativity muscle in order to keep your readers (and you) from gettig bored. New, fresh content takes a bit of thinking outside the box.

2. It's a document of your life.

Blogging is personal. There's no way around that if you want to come across as authentic to your readers. Sure, that has a creepy connotation to it, but the flip side is you have a virtual journal of your life to leave behind as a legacy.

3. It makes you a producer, not a consumer.

By offering readers free content, you'll stand out from the rest of the schmucks in this gimme-gimme world. You have the opportunity to enrich someone else's life.

4. It grows your network.

You never know who you'll bump into in the blogosphere. That's how I landed a contract for one of my books, just by cranking out my little posts week after week.

5. It makes you smarter.

No, really. Not kidding. Writing blog posts requires some research, and in the process, your brain cells will multiply. Disclaimer: you may not sue me if you don't become a rocket scientist simply by blogging about squirrels once a week.

6. It makes you a better writer.

Practice makes perfect. Okay, so maybe you won't turn into a Stephen King, but turns out he's an advocate for consistent, daily writing.

7. It's free.

No money involved. Snatch yourself a piece of the web and start typing away. Personally, I like Blogger, but I've used WordPress as well. They're super easy to learn. I figured them out without any help and I can't even turn on my TV by myself.

8. It's a challenge.

Do you seriously want to sit around in your underwear on the couch all day, eating potato chips and watching reruns of Andy Griffith? Step up to the plate. Take on a new challenge. Grow instead of remaining stagnant.

9. It gives you credibility.

How many axe murderers do you know that have a blog? Exactly. Prospective publishers or employers or mother-in-laws are looking at your record, Hoss, and if you're a blogger, you've got an instant check in the OK box.

10. It removes some of the chaos from your life.

Blogging is an escape that works well, especially if you want to get out of doing the dishes. "Sorry, I've got to go get my blog post up." 

Those are just off the top of my head. There are tons more reasons to blog, but honestly, you won't experience them unless you try.

And you certainly won't win a free book if you don't enter the giveaway. Ends Monday. Don't forget to share the love by telling your buddies or neighbors.