If you write a blog using WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, or any blogging platform that supports the MetaWeblogAPI, then you really should be using the free Live Writer software. It eliminates the need to log on to your blog directly and gives you a number of handy formatting tools to help make your posts pretty. I like how it gives you a big clutter free space to write in. Once you’ve setup your blog account in the software, which takes seconds, you can edit, create, and delete posts with ease. I will show you how to get setup and do the basics in this post.

I must say, as a professional web developer, I ignored this software for some time thinking “I can create pages in HTML and I love the control this brings, I don’t need no Word for blogging”. It was only after finding creating posts on my blog lacking in style, then reading that Scott Hanselman has it in his list of Big Ten Life And Work Changing Utilities, that I gave it a look. Now I write my posts in Live Writer and if they need any magic dust I add some using the source editor. In fact even more magical dust can be added with plugins, but I’ll go into them in a future post.

Let’s get started. First, download it here. It is part of the Windows Live Essentials suite, if you don’t want to install the whole suite simply select “Choose the programs you want to install” went it runs. You only need to select Live Writer. Once installed start it up and create your blog account by clicking “Home” and selecting “Add blog account”. WordPress and SharePoint get their own options, all other blog accounts can be added via the other services option. If you don’t have a blog yet you can also create it here. Next add your blog address, the user name and password you log into it with, and Live Writer will set up your account. This was very easy for me.

It’s may not be immediately obvious how you can edit or delete your posts. To do this click “File” then “Open Recent Post”. You then get the option to open from the blog you just added to Live Writer. When you select your blog it populates the list of posts which you can then select and delete or open for editing. I don’t have many posts so can’t say how well it deals with a long list, however it does have a filter option and you can limit the number of posts it retrieves.

Once you’re happy with your post click “Publish” to save your post to your blog, or “Post draft to blog”. You’re done! I do like the simplicity of the tool. It makes me want to blog.

One area I had a bit of trouble with was inserting pictures. Well, inserting wasn’t the problem it was more the way they get inserted. First I tried to insert from my computer. With the blog engine I use, Subtext, it creates a long path to the file that I’m not happy with. I tried the album option which goes a bit over the top and takes you from your blog to a sky drive album instead of integrating into your blog, which would have been great. So instead I go down a slightly more manual route of uploading the files to my site and inserting from the web. You might find simply inserting from your computer works for you especially if you don’t care where the images end up, I just like my files in order.

Happy blogging to you. Let me know what you think in the comments.