Are you being haunted by the blinking cursor? Did the agonizing keyboard sap all of your inspiration? Here are 10 writing strategies to help you avoid the doom and gloom of writer’s block and become the successful writer, blogger, or published author you’ve always dreamt of being.
Top Writing Tips for Bloggers: Write Your Way to Influence
Looking for a spark? These writing tips are meant to be a simple guide to help you shine as a writer and set your blog apart in an oversaturated digital world. Let these tips inspire you in your journey, hone your influence in the community, and allow you to put your best pen forward.
1. Write Every Single Day
Influencers don’t just wake-up being flawless—unless, you’re well, Beyoncé. But even Queen Bey practices her craft daily. If you want your readers to metaphorically "put a ring on it," you have to make a habit out of it. Even when it's the last thing on the to-do list, you have to take the daily plunge. Make it a habit and you might even begin to find your everyday life astonishing. By writing daily, you open yourself up to a whole new perspective, allowing room for a story to come into view. Now all you have to do is materialize it onto the page. Your words have power. Your message can have an astounding impact on the world, but only if you dare to write.
2. Find the Mission in the Omission
There's a message behind every great story. Create tactical blogging questions so you can stay one step ahead-- casting the nucleus of the masterpiece. Do you want to spread awareness about a particular political issue? What reaction are you hoping to conjure from the audience? Is the blog going to persuade readers into action or will it simply entertain? Think about the impact of your words and come up with your personal mission piece before you start chipping away.
3. Start at the End and Work Backward
Piggybacking off the tip above, you should plan your post before you write it. Establish an idea with a concise outline before you fill in the gaps with unique content. This tactical blogging blueprint will grant your writing direction and help to increase your readership. This writing method will also help you avoid any natural tendencies to be ambiguous or verbose, which can lead to inconsistencies and exaggerations. Use stronger paragraphs to ensure each word holds weight, works towards your end goal and drives home your main point.
4. Express Yourself in More Ways Than One
Connect unrelated ideas to wake your viewers up from their reading slumber. Add a spice of humor in a boring political piece or debate. Express yourself in verse and rhetoric. Consult your inner critic and open yourself up to feedback to find out what your fans like best. You might be surprised about what got them noodling. This will provide you with a new pair of eyes. Don't be afraid to change the game.
5. Associate Yourself with the Reader
Remember, you’re writing a blog—not a diary entry. If it doesn’t matter to your reader, you might as well be writing for yourself. Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself. Comedians are noteworthy because they're relatable. Comedy and humility have important roles to play in winning over an audience and should never be completely off the table. The public sphere tends to get heated when world issues come out to play, so a joke can provide a refreshing insight. If you can find the irony, poke fun at the commonly embarrassing or humorous side of the issue. Maybe even throw in a relevant pop-culture reference so your work is connected to the most intricate parts of the reader's life. Seinfeld jokes are always welcome!
6. Make a Habit Out of It
If your blog goes stale, you’re going to lose readers faster than you can blink. Update your blog consistently with varied content and structure. Provide your audience with new material each blog period so they have something to look forward to routinely. Perhaps consider publishing "Monday Motivation" quotes to inspire your followers to get through the week or write a series of related blog posts that stem from one main topic. Keep your blog fresh and alive.
7. Set Yourself Apart
The only way to be a leader is to stand out from the crowd. Blogging is an opportunity to present a different perspective to your readers. For instance, you may want to write a stirring blog equating hot tea to the the current political climate. You could compare the two by presenting a political debate with a compelling headline: “Some of us may love the idea of a hot cup of tea, but no one likes it when it’s burning your lap. Same goes for Politics.” Your insights, tone, use (or omission) of humor can connect unrelated ideas, wakening your readers up from their reading slumber like a rhetorical Red Bull. Embrace originality to keep readers on their toes.
8. Find Inspiration in Your Daily Life
Look outside! The beautiful fall leaves may inspire you to write a fall bucket list. The aroma of your freshly brewed cup of coffee may waft up some blogging ideas surrounding the history behind the saying "cup of joe." Reading your favorite book may incite you to write down metaphors or ideas that arise from the pages. Whatever inspires you, find it, analyze it, and tap into that inspiration daily.
9. Stay True to Yourself
Each person carries with them a unique story no one else has experienced in the same way before and may never again. Writing allows you to be the narrator of your own story. Share your testimony, fine-tune your history, or comb through your not so finer moments and channel this to connect with your reader. No matter what the case may be, don't be afraid to be vulnerable for the cause.
10. Read Between the Lines
Be confrontational with the norm. Every influencer must eventually make peace with the fact that they're not going to win everyone's approval. While balancing both world views is equally as essential, it's okay to sacrifice a little bit of your reputation for the greater good.
Writing is ineffective if no one's listening. The best way to grapple with the public's average attention span of a goldfish is to evoke raw emotion. Get people engaged with a shocking truth. Don't stray away from the taboo. Open the public eye to a new perspective on real world issues.
Writers are the world's greatest influencers. No matter which culture you're analyzing, writers are undoubtedly the most influential puppeteers, creators, and scribes of human history-- for they hold, at the tip of their pen, the power of the beginning and end of the world's greatest and most harrowing truths. Do you think they altered history by following the rules?
Write on it.