Who Are You?

This post is largely for my blog-reading-writers. That is, writers. Who read my blog.
WARNING. This is a long post. I got a little carried away...
I have a question for you. What do you want to get out of this "writing" thing?
Do you just want to pen stories and horde them to yourself? If so, then this post isn't for you. But I do have one thing to say--don't be selfish (or afraid!)! There's a voice inside you that can't be stilled. Hone it, improve it, and share it. That's the beauty of a story, sharing it.
Or, do you want to publish your book (self or traditional, doesn't matter) and release your precious story into the world? You, listen up.
Take a moment to think about your social media presence--the free advertising world of the 21st Century. Though Economics would disagree with it being "free." "No such thing as a free lunch," after all. But I'll come back to that later.
Do you have a website? Or at least a Facebook Author Page or Twitter? Maybe you've vowed to stay away from social media because it's the downfall of society?
If you want to be a successful writer, you may want to pause and consider the successful writers of today. The ones who connect with their fans and are on NYT Bestseller list (though this is not the pinnacle of writerly gifts, trust me). What do all of them--or at least most--have in common?
A website. At the very least.
And don't give the excuse of, I'll wait to have a website for when I'm published. 

By then, IT'S TOO LATE. Start now! Build your audience, your supporters, your comrades in arms! It's amazing what the word-of-mouth can do for a newborn book!
So, if you don't have a website and you're still hanging out on mine--get off! Make your own. Blogger, Wordpress, Wix... There's a bunch of "free" options to choose from. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.
Ah, back to that lovely concept of free "free." Well, you won't pay money to set up a "free" website, but you will pay time. But let's put it in perspective. How long did you spend writing your book?
Compared to that, building a website is a cinch--it's just a learning curve.
And for those of you who have websites... How does it look? Does it represent you and your works well? If not, better fix it! Trust me, I know the pains. I just did an entire website remodel. But I'm so tickled with the end result (hehehe). You will be too.
Once you've conquered the website, consider branching out. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and more, await...