Blogging

Everyone will tell you, if you want to be a published writer...blog first. Coming at it from actually the opposite trend, I can safely say blogging is worth the time and effort 100%. I was a little scared and intimidated by the idea, and actually ran three blogs under pseudonyms till I was confident. I can attest to the usefulness and needfulness of a blog to an author based on that experience alone. I hade hundreds of followers spread between the sites and all of them were supper supportive and wanted more. It was a mistake to not blog as, well, me and use those supporters to build a more personal fan base.
On this side of the coin, it is much harder to convince publishers you are note worthy if you don't have a running, frequented blog that promotes your brand name as an author. I would suggest once you have committed to writing, part time or full time (like me!) start a blog and be faithful to it. I just started Pen Noir, not too long ago and am super happy with the results already. I can be me, publish my personality to my fans, and be honest with the world. It's way better than the alternative.
If you've started a blog and would like my opinion on it, comment with your link to this post and I will share my thoughts with you. I don't view new authors or aspiring authors as competition. In fact I value and support the effort it takes to get where I am at and I hope that we can enjoy success together.