Blogging is frequently derided as a hack’s sport: a dumping ground for navel-gazing anecdotes that contribute little but clutter to the digital landscape. However, like any other art form, the quality of the blog is as dependent on the writer’s dedication to the craft as his or her chosen subject matter. Distinguishing your blog from the average WordPress blurb comes down to understanding the five different ways to “write outside the box.”
1. Structure
Structure may sound simple. After all, what do you need aside from an intro, a middle, and an end? The truth is that the structure of each blog post must be fashioned to clearly communicate an idea to the reader. Many blog posts start strong but get lost in the middle. Some introduce too many new ideas without supporting them, while others fail to persuade the reader of the blog’s point in the concluding paragraph. When writing your blog posts, do yourself a favor and try to sum up the point of the entire post in a sentence. If you find you have too much say, you have not structured your blog post effectively.
2. Brevity
Why say something in 1,000 words that you could say in 500? Research has shown that people will wait an average of 4 seconds for a web page to load before they lose interest and click on to the next site. With that kind of attention span, your blog post has to be captivating from the first word all the way through to the last. Be concise; say what you mean in the most efficient manner possible. Don’t get drunk on your own prose style. If you can trim a sentence but still retain the meaning, your readers will thank you.
3. Musicality
Average blogs read like train announcements: flat, repetitive, and with no attempt to engage those who are unlucky enough to encounter them. Before posting your blog, try reading it aloud. Do the sentences flow together naturally, or do you struggle for breath? Are you using the same words over and over again? Do your sentences sound sonorous, or forced? The best writing is also the most beautiful, and will please the ear as much as the mind.
4. Topic Choice
The number of blogs dedicated to celebrities or cute pet facial expressions far outstrips the number of blogs detailing the experiences of an electrical engineer. Writers are best when they can focus on their genuine thoughts and feelings, especially in relationship to an unusual career, hobby, or train of thought. Don’t write about what someone else thinks is interesting; write about what excites you personally.
5. Voice
Finding your writing ‘voice’ is the most difficult and ultimately rewarding exercise you will ever undertake. Much like adolescence, there’s no easy way through; finding your voice simply takes time and experience. Those who write every day will gradually discover they favor certain phrases and syntax, and find other constructions pompous or overwrought. Never try to ‘sound’ like another writer: your voice is your own. The best writers ultimately transcribe their personalities onto the page: read anything by Mark Twain, and the man seems to suddenly inhabit the room.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Whatever you do, don’t stop blogging. Consistency is 99% of a blog’s success.
21 thoughts on “5 Ways To Write Blogs Outside of the Box”
Nice information about consistency.
Thanks for sharing.
Good idea, but how understand what topic is interesting for people. All readers cant like one topic.
This is a great article. Thanks for all the information. I will definitely check and re-check my blog posts before I post them. 🙂
Point #2 regarding brevity is such a good reminder. I need to have that one stamped above my keyboard when writing out a post.
I agree that finding a voice is important – too often just posting for the sake of keeping regular updates is not helpful.
People forget what you are blogging about and won’t return to your page if you go off topic too regularly.
amazing experience, thanks
#4 is an obvious one that gets overlooked a lot. You state that you should be writing about stuff that excites you personally, and I think that is nearly impossible for a lot of companies because the outsource the writing of the blog! I mean obviously die-hard blog writers are gonna say that there is no way for that to succeed. And for the most part I agree, though I think somebody who is truly passionate about writing anything can probably muster up enough interest in the topic to make it a good read.
Likewise, if somebody is terrible at writing and lacks even a primitive personality, they could be writing about the most interesting thing in the world to them and it would still come out drier than a pack of silica gel in the Mojave at noon
these tips are great, just started out with blogging and so I can really use this info!
Good point about consistency
Good point about consistency. If you write regulary your own ‘voice’ will develop naturally.
John
Leamington Spa, England
Lorelle on WordPress, I just published Security and Protection: Understand the Social in a Crime Network and How to Protect Yourself, an article that shares the story of how my purse was stolen recently, and the fascinating story of
Interesting Post. The ideas seem so common and simple but I think chances are these ideas would work on some extent. This post would prove helpful to every reader in some way or another.
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there is trust between author and reader, that’s what I mean. In his articles, I was afraid to seem too simple, but then I realized that the openness and accessibility of the presented it well
I think it is important simply articles, answers to very simple questions. Sometimes people are looking on the internet smye seemingly known to all things. And you can tell in simple language. Then a person understands the story easily and had increased self-esteem
Play with your blog title and the picture which will make your blog out of box or maybe can be said as shine in the dark.
Title is damn important to make you look different with other blogger.
Sometime your own blogging style also will cause you shine but this mostly less happening because not everyone can made it.
Some interesting points well worth mentioning again. Mentioned before in the comment above but consistency really is the key to becoming a successful blogger.
Idea is very strong, and benefited a lot, thanks for sharing!
Faye, I say this all the time – “Consistency is 99% of a blog’s success.” So true.
I recently started blogging more frequently myself just this year and have seen tremendous success, not just in terms of traffic but also in the number of fans, followers, connections, and overall engagement level of readers!
So if there’s nothing else people take away from this post, I hope they understand that consistency is king! 🙂
~Kesha
what a great article – short and cut to the bone. I just sat two minutes staring out of the window thinking about your article.
“find your writing voice” – that is more important than most people think. I was tought that I should always come out as an expert, eventhough I really wasn’t. Just Fake it till you make it – but doing that gave me such a writing block, that made me stay away from writing articles.
Today I write as me and it has changed my entire approach to blogging. To be honest I am falling more and more in love with blogging and finding an article like your just makes it even more fun.
Thanks 🙂
Tina
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