Blogging is a continuous learning process. If you want to keep getting projects you have to get better at writing.
You must always be on the prowl for writing tips.
It’s great that there are so many blogs and online resources that offer writing tips (apart from traditional books on writing, of course) are readily available to anyone who wishes to make a living writing. With practice, you can soon be one of the big names in the blogosphere.
I recently stumbled upon a really cool website called BrainPickings where you’ll find lots of writing tips from successful and popular writers. They aren’t bloggers but the lessons they share are definitely helpful to anyone who has a blog.
Here’s a list of the very helpful writing tips from authors like Stephen King, David Ogilvy and Neil Gaiman
David Ogilvy
Write the way you talk. Naturally.
That’s why blog posts need to be conversational. Write as if you’re talking to one person. You’ll find it easier to get more people to read your work this way.
Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
Keep it short and simple. Most readers don’t have the time–and patience–to put up with long sentences.
Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
Aside from keeping it short, you must also use simple language. You’re not writing for the academe. Or the Pulitzer. Using jargons will alienate your readers.
Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning–and then edit it.
You’d be surprised at how much improvement can be made when you re-read your work several hours after.
Edgar Allan Poe
A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it.
Remember what they say about headlines? It must compel readers to read the first sentence, which must, again, convince readers to read the next and the next and the next.
Stephen King
Fiction is a lie, and good fiction is the truth inside the lie.
You know you’re a bad-ass writer when people believe the make-believe world you created. That’s a really tough trick to pull off.
George Higgins
You cannot write well without data
Research before you start writing. You’ll be able to outline and structure your posts better when you have all the data you need. Plus, data makes your work more credible and establish you as an expert in your niche.
Kurt Vonnegut
Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.
Passion is a huge part of successful blogging. The best posts are those that appeal to readers’ hearts. Write from the heart. Write out of the desire to inspire, inform, and help others.
John Steinbeck
Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
When you start writing, don’t stop until you’ve finished. Turn off your inner editor. Just get it done. There’s plenty of time later for editing.
In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person–a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
Again, write as if you’re talking to a friend. You’ll find the words easier when you’re only talking to one person. It will also make your blog post feel more heartfelt.
Henry Miller
Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
Structure is helpful. It will help you become more productive. Stick to a schedule and don’t write the whole day every day because you’ll burn out quicker. You still need a life, you know!
Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
Concentrate. Focus. Dismiss other thoughts when writing. Get it done first and then move on to the next idea.
Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
Most of the time, writing early in the morning is more effective because your mind is still fresh.
Keep human. See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
You’re not a writing machine. Make time for yourself. It’s even helpful to socialize because things like this trigger ideas and inspiration for your next posts.
Don’t be a draught-horse. Work with pleasure only.
Writing must give you pleasure. It must keep you happy. The moment it feels like labor is the time when you’ll notice that you’re not writing as great posts as before. If you don’t feel happy writing, then maybe blogging isn’t for you.
Who better to learn from than these successful writers?
Try these writing tips and you’ll surely see an improvement in how you write.
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Timeless Writing Tips from Successful Writers Of Our Time
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