WHETHER you are blogging for fun or for business, it still comes down to the fundamentals of writing. No matter how advanced your software and hardware are, and no matter how highly rated your platform is, your content will fall flat in the long run if you fail to constantly apply good writing habits. The following are some helpful habits that will serve as the foundation for your blogging activity.
I certainly am working on breaking some of my bad habits as well. These ideas aren’t new here at Blogussion, but warrants their own post… as self improvement can’t be a bad thing, right?
- Understand your mission and write it down. Jumping into content without a plan will leave you with a flimsy sense of direction. Good bloggers understand that everything they put out has a purpose, whether to inform, entertain, share, or express an idea, and they stick to it. Drafting your purpose, strategy, and aspirations – your mission statement – will help define your direction so you can write what you want to say.
- Do your research. Once you have determined your purpose, the next step is to prepare yourself with concrete information to support your content. The idea may seem tedious at first, but it makes the actual writing activity much easier. Even if you’re writing for fun or sheer entertainment, there is considerable weight in arming yourself with ample material that will help place you in the right frame of mind for blogging.
- Redirect your procrastination. All good bloggers sometimes fall into a rut where they delay their output. Sometimes we call it “writer’s block”, and sometimes it’s mere procrastination. Whatever you choose to call it, you can make this unproductive period work in your favor by redirecting your energies into constructive activity. For instance, you can clear your workspace, create drafts, engage in physical exercise, and read a variety of books and magazines, and freewrite. However, you should incorporate these activities into your daily routine as a form of discipline because in the long run, they will also help you build your blog.
- Engage in targeted activities. When you aren’t blogging, find hobbies and interests that support what you do. Attend seminars and workshops, read books and magazines on the same subjects that you blog about, interact with people who write about the same material as you do, and so on. The idea is to immerse yourself in several layers of your craft by being engaged in associated activities.
- Form your own cheering squad. As any artist knows, you will have to draw support from others from time to time, and you can’t always rely on your friends and family to do this. Find people who share the same interests and concerns that are in line with yours, and make it a point to interact with them at least once a week.
- Check for style and substance.You can’t have one without the other. Smart bloggers regularly check their material to see if it works, and they edit accordingly. One good tactic for cross-checking your work is to read other blogs with similar content for inspiration.
Break it down. If you have a long blog post to write, it helps to break down the outline into manageable chunks so the task won’t be overwhelming.
- Silence your inner critic. This is especially important at the start of any undertaking: squash the urge to criticize your work, or you’ll never get done! The initial stages of writing a blog post are generally done in broad strokes, and if that pesky inner critic gets in the way, it quickly destroys the underlying structure of your material.
- Learn from other critics. At the same time, listen to your critics, even those whose opinions seem unreasonable. Resist the urge to be defensive; instead, verify their standpoint then clarify yours. This will help transform a battle of egos into healthy debate, which in turn will help you view your own work more objectively.
- Know your tools. All bloggers have their own arsenal of writing techniques that work for them and themselves alone. Understanding what works and what doesn’t work for you will make it easier for you to bank on your writing strengths at a moment’s notice.
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p class="note">As we all know, it is much easier to form good habits than to break bad ones. Try out a few of the suggestions above and see how they change the way you blog.
Photo Credit: AJTxO
Carmela Maraan has written on various topics ranging from marketing, advertising, blogging, and creative writing to adult material. She is enthusiastic about expanding her repertoire as she views the world as one huge library. During her free time she is also a voracious reader, an irrepressible singer, and a mom who hardly sleeps.
The Discussion
Leave a Comment Read Again?I enjoyed reading this post very much. It groups together quite a few running topics on Blogussion, and is very helpful even to the novice blogger.
Thank you. Basically good blogging goes down to the fundamentals of healthy
Hi Carmela,
Enjoyed your article very much. I know we think these things are redundant but we need to hear them over and over to help us stay fresh and on target. It is too easy to loose sight of where we are going! Thanks for reminding everyone about those good habits we had when we started.
Mine would be to leverage Social Media but don’t let it be a distraction from content creation or your blog itself. Separate out your blog and content creation time from your social media time and don’t try to do both at the same time, your concentration will be lost and you won’t be as productive.
@Ann and Nancy: Thank you. Basically good blogging goes down to the fundamentals of healthy writing habits and a genuine passion for the craft. So many bloggers (me included) sometimes lose track of this fact in the race to earn more, get more traffic, etc. But in the end, it still goes back to what you have to offer the rest of your readers, what you have to say, and how you say it.
@Justin: Excellent point. Social media is a tool, yet it’s so easy to become swallowed up by its perks.
Thanks for your feedback; I really appreciate it and wish you all well with your blogging.
– Carmela
For me, the best way to motivate yourself as a blogger when the going gets tough is to re-read old posts and comments in which you have been praised by the fellow readers. The motivation and inspiration that I get from that is unmatched.
It’s hard to form good habits these days especially if there are lots of online distractions. But I have to agree with you especially when you say that we have to learn from critics. Nice one.
The distraction part is true, facebook and youtube always drive my attention away.
Very inspirational post.Learn lot from it.Research is one of the important thing we should do often for better blogging.
You have cited such commendable reasons about blogging. And the main topic I guess that I really like is the first one understanding your topic. If this clearly understood by the blogger and he knows and had outline his direction what he needs to do I guess tripping over has a small percentage compared to someone who don’t know which way to go.
Bloggers always face writer block all the time so we need to have a trick to use our time with something else that we love
highly recommended this post to new bloggers. Bloggers need to develop these habits in order to become a success in the blogging industry. Many of the new bloggers start withhout any discipline and leave writing with in the first month of blogging.
Good post here for we fellow bloggers. I particularly struggle with the procrastination aspect of all this. I have found that exercise–even as simple as getting up and doing some jumping jacks–can really help shift your mind and mood. Thanks!
I think one of the best habits that anyone can get into with blogging is to follow a routine! If you have a plan and a routine laid out there’s a much higher chance that you will actually get stuff done!
Research is the most important thing I think. Then you should know what you’re talking about.
I enjoyed reading this post very much.The tips given here are very helpful for newbies
i likes blogging.and i must learn about tips blogging with you.thanks for your information.next time i will to come back to this blog
First write the mission statement and then focus on content. This can help you to create a great blog with targeted audience.
Nice post.
Forming your own group of like-minded people is very important. I recently joined a group of work-at-home bloggers, and I can’t tell you how helpful it has been to me. It’s great to vent to people who understand. But also, I’ve learned so much from them.
These are really helpful points. As a blogger I am going through writing block. I don’t have anything to write. It just feel like I can’t write anymore. So today I try to search on the specific topic and I found your website, I think these are wonderful points I should concentrate before starting to write on my blog again.
Very helpful post. Thank you
It’s hard to form good habits these days especially if there are lots of online distractions. But I have to agree with you especially when you say that we have to learn from critics. Nice one.
Creating a mission statement is a great idea. Blogging can be something that you enjoy, but keeping in mind the focus and direction you want to take is important.
Content is king as they say…Content is king..
Very inspirational post.Learn lot from it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Carmela
I enjoyed your last post it very nice and Very inspirational post. it is very helpful for us. thanks for sharing it!!
“you should incorporate these activities into your daily routine as a form of discipline”
I agree with you.
Many tie i do like i ‘m an artist , I write the blog when i feel i want to like it not just i have to do it. Finally in one month i got only five article.
I need to work like it is my job not my part time job. People want to read something update. They do not wait until you have a good inspiration to write the article so that they gone:(
I find that at this moment I might feel a bit of procrastination.
Procrastination usually happens to people who are just starting. When you don’t have many traffic, you aren’t motivated enough to write more. But, I believe that for people who persevere it will be astounding in the end to see the growth of the blog.
Great points – i love the point on redirecting your procrastination. There have been a lot of times when i have had “writer’s block” and use the time to plan other activities that i need to do. Personally this gives me added confidence and magically, the block disappears.
Basically, you gotta stay on top of your stuff if you want to be a blogging pro. This stuff is really what separates the big bloggers from the little guys.
Respected Carmela Maraan ! its really wonderful experience to read your article, very much realistic views.All of your 10 tips are based on facts and experiences that people had gathered after a long time spending in blogging or writing value articles .Your headings are catchy ,such as “silence your inner critic” , “Learn from other critics” “Understand your Mission and write it down” etc.
A nice approach make bloggers learn a lot ! All the Best !
for me blogging is for fun and wish i could get money,i’m a newbie in blogging hope this article can motivate me to be great blogger
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