Pick a topic. Any topic, as long as it's toe-curling

Blogging can absorb a lot of time and energy. "Budget an hour a day, if you're really serious," recommends Marie Javins, who spun her blog No Hurry into her first travelogue book, Stalking the Wild Dik-Dik.

Food writer Jess Thomson spent 2007 creating, cooking and blogging a recipe a day for Hogwash. "Ultimately, writing a blog helped me discover my voice, and as a result find publications whose tones work best for me," she said. But she also acknowledged the downsides, late in her "year of". "Posting every day has sometimes threatened to strip me of my interest in food. Another f***ing recipe? I normally love to cook at home, but sometimes the temptation of take-out swirls around me simply because I've developed this heavy sense of duty around my blog that doesn't necessarily need to be there."

Thomson soldiered through to New Year's Eve, producing daily. And her efforts paid off. Her blog coverage of Alinea earned a spot in Best Food Writing 2008. She now averages two posts a week, a pace that's revived her enthusiasm.

So pick a subject you love: one you can live with for six months or six years. Darren Rowse of Problogger.net agrees: "While it might be tempting to start blogs based on what other people are interested in or what makes commercial sense, there is little logic in starting a blog on a topic that you have no interest in.

"Your readers will quickly discern if you are passionate about your topic or not. Blogs that are dry and passionless don't tend to grow."