Okay – so I am no Seth Godin. But I read him on my iphone. Does that help be become a better blogger. Yes and No. I admire that he posts everyday . . . and THAT is what intimidated me. My personal list of favorite bloggers inspire me – educate me and challenge me to be myself. They encourage me to comment on the posts I read and write posts more often.
When it comes down to actually writing . . . the over all question that always comes up is – “what the hell could I write about everyday that would be of any interest to anyone other than myself.” Many clients ask this when encouraged to blog. And my advice has always been – write about what you are passionate about. But what happens when you are passionate about SO many things. Where do you start? What should your focus be? How do you keep it going?
Here is what I have learned so far ::
You have to Spark the Post.
Get inspired. – Go for a walk, play a game, read a book . . . step outside of your schedule to think about what you can write about TODAY! One of my favorite things to do is to read magazines. Look at the headlines – what words/images they use to grab your attention?
Keep a blog idea log. – I keep 4×6 note cards to flesh out ideas and doodle. Old school, I know – but its helpful to me to write. it. out. See it on paper, scribble – rewrite and rethink. You can’t get that from a computer.
Read more blogs. -Look at the blog articles you are drawn to. What topic interests you the most? Read more from that author and learn by their example. Often you will be inspired by a comment left by another reader or by the author themselves.
Schedule time to write. – Make an appointment to sit down everyday for an hour to write. If you want to see more activity on your blog – you have to be consistent. This may seem hard at first – but it gets easier, I promise. It’s kind of like the first day of a diet. . . hurts like hell, but you are doing the right thing.
Gather Tools. – Your best tools for blogging inspiration are the resources you use. Make a list of the people, newspapers, magazines, blogs etc. that you refer to on a daily basis. These resources are where you gather information that shapes your world, both personally and professionally.
A FEW OF MY RESOURCES
:: visit SETH GODIN
:: visit BLOG INSPIRATION
:: visit HOW TO MAKE MY BLOG
:: visit CHRIS BROGAN
:: visit MOLESKINERIE
:: visit SMASHINGSHARE
:: visit DAILY BLOG TIPS
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What inspires you to write blog posts?
