Ali Luke (Ali Hale) is an amazing writer, who’s articles can be found abundantly across the web.  Although she’s a regular paid blogger on lot’s of fun sites like: Dumb Little Man, Pick the Brain, The Change Blog, & CopyBlogger; she also does coaching, helping with both specific work pieces & more complex strategic advice.

Let’s find out more about her work…

What was the main reason you started writing?

I’ve written for most of my life! When I was 13, I knew I wanted to be a full-time writer one day. I’ve always loved writing, though it’s only in the last four years that I’ve really got into blogging – before that, almost all my writing was fiction.

Where’s your favorite blogging spot? (café, office, home, …)

My home office – I’ve got all my books there, pens and notebooks to hand, two monitors (which makes editing and researching much simpler!)

What’s the main lesson you want to teach your readers?

I want them to know that they can write brilliantly, they just need to be willing to keep at it!

What’s the most challenging about writing?

The biggest problem that my coaching clients have is finding the time to write. It’s so easy to put off writing when you’ve got lots of other demands on your time – writing is a high-resistance activity, and we’ve all got plenty of excuses to avoid it…

The thing that keeps you writing?

The sheer enjoyment of it. I can’t imagine a life in which I didn’t write at all – I’d be miserable.

When I’m feeling a bit tired of blogging or working on ebooks, the thought of my readers keeps me going.

Whose blogs do you spend your time commenting on? Why their blogs?

I don’t comment on blogs all that much; when I do, it’s because I thought a particular post was really good or thought-provoking. I’ll occasionally comment on Men with Pens, Copyblogger and ProBlogger – all blogs that I read regularly and enjoy.

How long did it take you to build your reputation and become a guest writer?

I’m still building my reputation – I don’t think I’ll ever feel that I’ve finished with that! I started guest posting within my first month of attempting “pro” blogging. I’ve found that editors don’t care how big your own blog is; if your post is good, they’ll publish it.

What impact has social media had on your blogging?

I get a lot of traffic from Twitter, and I’m seeing an increasing amount of engagement with my content coming from Facebook too. Social media has made it easy for me to connect with my readers and with other bloggers. It’s a great way for me to promote my content but, more importantly, it’s also a fantastic way to have great conversations.

What’s the biggest mistake you see other bloggers making?

Thinking that writing doesn’t really matter. Good writing does matter – it will make or break your blog. If you need help with your writing, be willing to take a course or hire a coach to show you how to improve.