Blog With Ease
Guest post by Kathleen Gage
Although your intention may be to blog on a regular basis, the reality can be very different. Yet, consistency in your blogging is one of the top recommendations of experts everywhere, myself included. When you make blogging a regular part of your routine you tend to stick to it. Here are five tips to assure you blog on a regular basis and to help you blog with ease:
Schedule time to write
There is no shortage of people who say, “Write when you’re inspired.” In theory that’s great. In reality, you may not be inspired as much as you need to be. Often, the inspiration comes once you begin writing. It’s been rumored that Stephen King writes no matter what.
“There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer.” Stephen King
If you want to get good at blogging, you have to blog. It’s like anything… the more you do it the better you are bound to get.
Don’t get caught up on long posts
My blog word count can vary, but, in general, they are 500 to 600 words long. Occasionally, when I am feeling compelled, they can exceed 1,000 words. Other times, they can be as few as a couple hundred words.
If writing isn’t something that flows for you, try a video blog. You can shoot short videos, write a short intro into the video and presto! You have a post.
Pictures work great to fill in space. Actually, pictures make your post more engaging. Especially animal pictures.
Getting over writer’s block
Writer’s block is a very real condition in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. The condition ranges in difficulty from coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce anything for extended periods.
The best way to overcome writer’s block is to write in an environment conducive to writing. In other words, if you can’t concentrate due to distractions, move to a quieter location. On the other hand, if you like writing in noisy environments then, by all means, find an environment to support this.
Often, a short walk can clear your head and get your ideas flowing.
Find your “best” time for writing.
Everybody has a time of day that’s best for them. For me, it’s early in the morning. Some of my most creative writing happens before the sun comes up. Find your “best” time and schedule your writing to coincide with this time period.
You may surprise yourself and find that you actually are more creative at times you didn’t think you were. Experiment and watch the ideas flow.
FAQ’s for ideas
It’s likely that your clients and customers ask similar questions as they search out solutions to their most common problems. It’s also likely there are no more than ten commonly asked questions.
Turn the ten questions into ten short blog posts. This is one of the easiest strategies to get ideas for your blog posts.
Conclusion
The bottom line for success in your blogging is this; the desire to get your message out absolutely must be greater than any obstacle you encounter. Think of how your information will benefit your readers. When you keep the end user in mind, the rest often takes care of itself.
About Kathleen Gage: As an early adopter of online marketing, Kathleen Gage is known for cutting through the fluff and helping people leave their sob stories behind so they can stop focusing on the past and start looking towards the future. She speaks and teaches about what she believes are the core elements of a successful life: accountability, integrity, honesty, and living with passion and hope.
Although she is best known for her no nonsense approach to life and business, when she’s not working with clients, creating information products, writing books or speaking on the platform, Kathleen can be found training for a marathon, walking her dogs, working in her many flower gardens, feeding her horses or playing a fierce game of cards.
(Photo: Shutterstock puppy and clock)
