Having started a few blogs and ended them soon after, I am living proof that it is easy to start a blog, but hard to maintain it once the charm is gone. Posting to one or more blogs soon becomes a chore instead of a joy. The blog's author loses interest and his or her blog literally dies on the vine.

This doesn't have to happen!

Here are ways to keep that love for your blog or blogs alive:

- Jot down possible topics for the next day's post or posts. You'll save time while maintaining your blog and "refresh" your enthusiasm for it at the same time.

- Try to keep a given post focused. That is, don't begin by saying one thing and later rambling off topic with a few unrelated statements. Those statements will make the post look incoherent and confuse its readers.

- Read as widely as possible. Take a peek at some of the news magazines and try to figure out a connection between your blog's subject and latest news and developments. Also, consider broadening that range to include websites and journals specific to your field or interest.

- See your blog from your audience's perspective. What does your blog's title suggest or imply to that audience and why? Is there a possibility that the audience may misinterpret the title? Also, what's in the blog for your audience, such as new insights and information? Answers to these questions may yield one or more interesting posts!

- Go back to the original reason or reasons why you started this blog. Did you intend to solve problems? Give your audience a reason to laugh or cry? Give your audience a unique "take" on some aspect of a different subject?

- Consider adding stuff to enhance your blog, such as counters, surveys, drawings, photos, games. You'll not only more likely to attract and keep an audience, but become more enthused about it yourself.

- Read other blogs for ideas and inspiration. Remember that these blogs need not be related to yours. Sometimes establishing a connection between that blog's ideas and your own leads to interesting posts.

- Promise your readers a tidbit of information in one day's post and give it to them in the next day's post.

- Make posting to your blog a habit, a part of your daily routine. Doing so at first is the hard part, but something that becomes easier as you continue posting daily, weekly and monthly.

Here's to your successful and profitable blog or blogs!

Dorothy Zjawin's two blogs are http://www.PoundsRedux.blogspot.com and http://www.earnmoneyfromwriting.blogspot.com.