Published Article
by Patricia Fry
How to Write a Daily Blog
Do you blog every day? When someone tells you that they do, do you express total disbelief? This is certainly the reaction I get when I tell someone that I post to my blog every day.
They want to know where I find the time and how I think of something to say every day.
Well, I’ve been explaining to non-writers and writers alike for years that what I do is write. So, of course, I have the time to write—it’s my way of life. So putting together a daily 300 to 600-word blog is just as much a part of my schedule as is pouring a glass of orange juice first thing in the morning.
How do I think of what to write? As my blog followers know, I attempt to adhere to the rules of blogging etiquette and good sense and offer something of value in each and every blog post. Sure, I use it to tell guests about my books and services. But mainly, they get tips, techniques, resources, perspective, insight and news.
So what do I recommend to those of you who are just starting out with a blog, who are considering a blog or who have been blogging, but not very regularly?
• Jot down topics when they occur to you. Presumably, you are blogging about the subject of your book. Also presumably, you are promoting that book day in and day out. So you are always in the mode of your book—gardening, pet photography, family budgeting, dog-showing, healthy-eating, living green, travel, public speaking or—in my case, writing and publishing.
• Respond to questions. You may receive questions via email, while giving a presentation or even on the street about an aspect of your expertise. Use these questions as a theme for your blog.
• Seek themes for your blog through Google Alerts, HARO, newsletters in your book’s topic, teleseminars, appropriate forums and other such resources.
http://www.google.com/alerts
http://www.helpareporter.com
• Interact with others, be they colleagues, experts in your topic, individuals involved in the subject of your book and so forth. Listen to what they say and use some of their ideas or concerns to create useful blog posts.
• I get ideas for my blog from my clients and customers as they are also my blog followers. At least, they have some of the same challenges.
• I might use a quote, a poorly written sentence or an outrageous comment as fodder for my blog.
As you can see, blog ideas are wherever you look for them. It’s a matter of opening your eyes, ears and mind to them. And about the time element: if you don’t believe that you have the time to blog every day, just rethink your schedule. I generally write my daily blog posts in 20 to 45 minutes first thing in the morning.
If you watch TV at night, for example, simply go to the computer at every commercial break, maybe three times during a program, and you should be able to write a fairly decent blog post. Don’t click “send” until the next morning when you’re fresh. Instead of watching the Morning Show or reading the newspaper, re-read your blog post, revise where necessary and then post it.
If this is a stretch at first, keep on keeping on and you will develop the ability to create more useful blog posts in less time. Practice, practice, practice.
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Patricia Fry is the Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) www.spawn.org and the author of 35 books. See her most recent books in the left column of this page.
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