General Blogging Tips
In the past couple of days, two friends/former classmates of mine have started blogs! How exciting! I’m always encouraging people write more, and blogging is such an easy way to do so. But this got me thinking, what information have I found helpful over the course of time? Here are my few tips for successful blogging.
1. Don’t be afraid to write about yourself.
After all, it is your blog and people go there to read about you. There are lots and lots of blogs that focus on one specific topic or another. Attempting to add another, or start a blog about a previously uncovered topic, is a lot of pressure. By sticking to the subject you know best, you should be able to write a lot more. Writing leads to more writing, which eventually leads to a successful blog. Over time, you may find you enjoy writing about certain things (for example, this election cycle, most of my posts are about politics), but let that develop on its own. Until that time, write openly and freely about your life. I’ve never regretted it.
2. Openly and freely comes with the expectation that anyone can read your blog.
This is an obvious point, but something that can come to bite you. I think it’s best to expect that the person you least want reading your blog is probably a regular reader. I don’t recommend censoring yourself, but think instead about whether or not you would say what you write to that person’s face. Overall, this mentality has lead me to become a better writer and a more confident person.
3. Treat blogging like any other daily task.
If you are serious about getting your blog rolling, then set aside some time each day (couple of days, week, or less, whatever works for you) to write. Just like anything else you want to start doing, blogging takes discipline. Sticking to a schedule will get you into the habit of writing. It will make blogging a lot easier in the long run.
4. Set goals and work to meet them.
There was a time when I blogged infrequently, usually around 10 posts a month. But when misfortune struck at my workplace (now ex-workplace), I realized how important it was to me to have a blog. It was then that I decided to write one post every other day (on average, per month). I stuck to this goal for several months and have found lately that writing every day (and sometimes more) is easy and fun. By setting a goal my output increased above and beyond my expectations.
5. Write down ideas when inspiration strikes.
If you regularly engage in any type of writing, you know that inspiration can strike at any time. Once you get used to blogging, you will have ideas for blog posts come at you at the most inconvenient times (showering is the worst time for me). Make sure to write down these ideas so you can flesh them out when you have the time. I take my laptop down to campus for this very purpose. When I’m using it to look at the news or check my email, it’s easy to write on my blog. Relying on public computer terminals would make this much more difficult.
6. Never surrender to writer’s block!
I guarantee that if you are serious about blogging, sometime in the next 6 months, you will hit a time when you feel extremely uncreative. You won’t want to write because you think you have nothing to write about. Through these times, stick with it! Write about having nothing to write about, or about ideas for writing, or about blogging itself – the more you write, the easier it will come! If you really need inspiration, imagine that you cannot use the computer or access your blog at all! That kind of loss always makes me feel like writing as soon as possible.
Anyway, to those just starting blogs, good luck! Even if your writing doesn’t last longer than a few months, you’ll always have those months to look back on. It was during that time that you produced regular written work! It’s an accomplishment, even if it is just a silly blog.
Related posts (automatically generated):