This is a guest post by Steve Aedy.
These days, it seems all the blogging advice comes from professionals who know everything there is to know about SEO, plugins, themes, and killer content. While those topics are useful, there are other blogging experts who are willing to share their tips and tricks too.
While they probably couldn’t imagine it at the time, many of the world’s literary masters have offered up useful tips for writing blogs. Strip away all the technical aspects of blog ownership. Check out what these famous authors can teach you about running a blog.
Formatting
Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading…thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. – Elmore Leonard
What it means to you:
Visitors won’t read what they can’t read. Make sure your blog’s content is legible and skimmable (a blog reader’s favorite reading style).
- Use a color scheme that enhances readability. Generally, dark colors on a light background are best.
- Always use sans serif typefaces for your blog posts. Experiment sparingly with serif typeface in the sidebars and headings.
- Left-aligned copy is easiest to read. Full-justification should only be used for long lines of text; it appears choppy and distracting in narrow columns.
- Limit paragraphs to three or four sentences. Large blocks of text are intimidating.
Blogging Etiquette
Don’t wish ill on your colleagues. – Richard Ford
What it means to you:
You should always strive for a positive, upbeat feel on your blog. Share encouraging, informative posts. There will probably be occasions when negative things must be shared. However, never resort to blatant attacks of your various competitors. This is a surefire way to lose your readers’ trust.
Accuracy
Try to be accurate about stuff. – Anne Enright
What it means to you:
Take the time to fact check. Make sure you are offering your readers accurate, reliable information. It will be extremely embarrassing if a reader calls you out on your misleading statement in the comments section!
More importantly, make sure your blog posts properly cite those who deserve it.
- Reference the research studies where you gathered the information.
- Share a link to the online article you used for inspiration.
- Give credit to the artists who supplied your images and videos.
Audience
Never complain of being misunderstood. You can choose to be understood, or you can choose not to. – Neil Gaiman
What it means to you:
Know who your target audience is. Write for those readers. If you don’t appeal to your desired readers, they will leave. If you are writing for people outside your target audience, they probably aren’t seeing it. Focus on your loyal readers and what they want to see posted.
Attention Span
Hold the reader’s attention. This is likely to work better if you can hold your own. – Margaret Atwood
What it means to you:
Write about topics that interest you. If you can’t muster up the enthusiasm to read what you wrote, who else will?! Even the most boring nitches can be presented in an interesting light. Find a way to put an innovative, appealing, useful spin on your content that will appeal to your specific target audience.
Business
You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you’re on your own. Nobody is making you do this; you choose it, so don’t whine. – Margaret Atwood
What it means to you:
Your blog is your blog. It is your money maker. The amount of effort you put into it will directly correlate to the amount of money you get out of it. Sure, you can ask for help from guest writers, but this project isn’t their bread and butter. Don’t expect them to support you.
Passion
Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back. – PD James
What it means to you:
When you chose this profession, you chose it for a reason. When times get challenging, remember those reasons that drove you to blogging in the first place. Perhaps you are a mom who appreciates the extra income earned without having to leave the house. Perhaps you were desperate to get out of the dog-eat-dog environment of your last job. No matter what the reason, draw on that as inspiration on days when you feel less than enthusiastic. If that doesn’t work, maybe it is time to consider a different career path.
Process
Do it every day. Make a habit of putting your observations into words and gradually this will become instinct. – Geoff Dyer
What it means to you:
Carve out a spot in your day to write. Plan for it. Don’t let anything interfere with your scheduled writing time. You need to establish a routine. Otherwise, it will be too easy to procrastinate.
Writer’s Block
Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down. – Neil Gaiman
Don’t just plan to write – write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style. – PD James
What it means to you:
When it is time to write, write. Just let the words flow. Don’t stop to edit. Don’t stop to fix typos. Don’t stop to fact-check. Just write. When you are done, then you can go back and fix what you did. Otherwise you are bound to lose your concentration – and who knows if you’ll get it back again!
Distractions
Don’t write in public places. – Geoff Dyer
Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don’t let anything else interfere. Afterwards, it won’t matter to you that the kitchen is a mess. – Ester Freud
Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet. – Zadie Smith
Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you. – Zadie Smith
What it means to you:
Minimize distractions. For best results, inform your family, colleagues or anyone else around you that you don’t want to be disturbed for the next few hours. Turn off your phone. Close your email (because let’s be real…there is no such thing as a computer without internet!). Once you have established a distraction-free work zone, take advantage of it!
What are your favorite quotes about writing? Please share in the comments!
