So you want to write a blog. Who doesn’t?
Waiters are getting book deals, flight attendants are writing screenplays, call girls are starring in television series, and Julia Child fans are making films with Meryl Streep. Never mind that plaxoed was fired from Google and a congressman sued The Washingtonienne. You have something to say and you want to share it with the world. Your stories will be published in literary anthologies, the Canadian Authors Association will invite you to give seminars and workshops on blogging, local businesses will commission articles from you, you will be awarded a government grant to write a book based on your blogs, and your book editor will commission from you a blog about blogging entitled, “So You Want to Write a Blog.”
Oh wait, that’s my story.
I started Dance Diary in September 2008. Since then I have posted stories about my life every two weeks and accumulated just under 10,000 hits on my site. 10,000 hits! That was my first surprise. I started the blog to keep my friends and family updated on the wild shenanigans that went on at ballet school. Turns out, a lot of strangers were curious too, because I can assure you I do not have 10,000 friends or relatives.
The second surprise was that other writers were interested in my work. In 2009 one of my blog posts, “Falling From Grace,” was published in Volume One of the Canadian Authors Association Anthology, Montreal Branch. The CAA later invited me to give a seminar on How to Write a Blog with a follow-up workshop (dates TBA).
Around the same time, Studio Bliss Massage and Yoga Spa asked me to write a promotional piece for their website as well as a column in one of Montreal’s daily newspapers. The latter unfortunately did not come to fruition. However, the attention gave me the confidence I needed to apply for a book grant from the Quebec government. Surprise number three: Grant awarded!
I found myself an editor (actually, my Grandma T introduced me to her editor, Allyson Latta) and here I sit writing a blog about blogging on my editor’s website.
Now I am not going to lie. Because I am not a liar. I was not born under a lucky star and fairy dust does not shoot out of my orifices. It takes hard work to write a blog successfully and I am going to tell you how it is done.
Let’s take a look at my 10 Steps to a Successful Blog:
1. Choose a Host
I recommend WordPress.com because they host my blog, Dance Diary. Sign up with a free host, and do it quickly so we can move on to the next step. You also need to choose a “theme,” which is the layout of your blog. Do not agonize over this. Keep it simple. As Dear, my paternal grandmother, used to say, “You can hang chickens from the ceiling, for all I care.” Your readers won’t care about the décor as long as they can navigate the site.
2. Create a Title
This is very important. The title must sum up your blog in 4 words or less. It should be intriguing and mysterious as well. Check out 1000 Awesome Things or Stuff White People Like. You can add a tagline for further clarification. I did. My full title is, Dance Diary: An honest account of my life at ballet school. My title is not as intriguing or mysterious as it should be, but I can’t change it now. My regular readers would not appreciate that.
3. Start Writing
Sit down at your computer and type. Whatever thoughts pop into your head, whatever funny story happened today, WRITE IT DOWN. Write about the dried Portuguese fish you purchased at your discount grocer in order to understand why it is so popular. And stinky. Later you can decide it’s crap. (The writing, not the fish.) For now, start writing and see what you come up with.
4. Find Your Voice
Once you have written a few pages, see if there are any common threads. For example, listing annoying things people do on the subway is a thread. This can be expanded to annoying things people do in public and – BAM! You have a niche blog. Slap on a title like Public Disturbances: Annoying things people do and I bet you’ll have a book deal in no time (if you follow the rest of my steps). Yours does not need to be a niche blog. You do, however, need to find your voice and your style, and figure out what you are interested in writing about.
5. Be Consistent
Once you have found your voice and subject, stick to them. Write regularly with roughly the same length for each post, so your readers can come to rely on you. You should not try to cover a huge array of subjects such as philosophy, politics, yoga, cooking, and music, in order to give the impression that you are an interesting and well-rounded person.Your blog is not a personal dating service. You do not want to convince readers that you are the perfect woman or man. And if you were perfect, no one would want to read your blog anyway. Perfect is boring. Flawed is fun. Which brings me to my next point …
6. Don’t Apologize
To write a successful blog you need to have a fresh perspective. Chances are, some people won’t agree with you. That’s okay. Don’t apologize for your point of view. As the Senior Advisor to President Obama said at NYU Law School’s graduation on May 14, 2010, “Having to defend an argument makes it stronger.” Believe in yourself and your writing, and others will too.
7. Be Accessible
Write something others can relate to. Don’t worry, steps 6 & 7 are not contradictory. In fact, they go together. It is important that you write from your own point of view, but you must remember that you are writing for an audience. It can be a selective audience such as hockey fans, housewives, plastic surgeons, or shoe addicts. But whoever your audience is, your writing must appeal to them. The author of Hyperbole and a Half wrote a post about sandwiches. You want others to read your blog and think, “Yes, I have been there too.”
8. Spread the word
Send your URL to everyone you know. Then send it to everyone your parents, siblings, and friends know. Now you have a network of readers. Every time you write a new post, send an email to your network with an upbeat subject line such as, “New Blog Post: How to Kill a Bear with Your Toothbrush” or whatever the title is. Give a little excerpt and the link to your new post. This is how I got started. If your writing is good, people will forward it on.
9. Protect Your Privacy
If you are concerned about privacy issues do not publish your real name, address, phone number, employer’s name, or any confidential information. And choose wisely the photos and videos you will post.
10. If you see a toilet, pee in it
Not only is this sound bathroom advice from my father, it is a great metaphor for seizing opportunities. If someone comments on your blog or links to it, return the favour. If a writing opportunity presents itself (posting on someone else’s blog or website, promotional writing, reviewing, critiquing, etc.), grab it. The more experience you get, the better. Once you are established as a bloggist, you can be more discerning.
If you were to ask me which of the above 10 steps is the most important for a successful blog, I could not answer. That would be like deciding which religious holiday is the most sacred, or what tastes better, brownies or cookies. But I can tell you that from my 10 Steps to a Successful Blog, #4, #8, and #10 were the most helpful for me.
Which of these steps will be most helpful for you? Let me know once you get started.
Visit http://pbfink.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/so-you-want-to-write-a-blog to keep me updated on your progress. If you have any further questions you can ask them there — or visit my other blog, Queen of Counsel, where I am known as pbShrink.
In September 2008, Emily Finkelstein started her blog, Dance Diary, writing about her experiences in ballet school and more recently as a professional dancer. Since then one of her short stories has appeared in the anthology published by the Canadian Authors Association, Montreal Branch, and she’s written promotional articles for Montreal businesses. Emily has given seminars and workshops on blogging and she was recently awarded a government grant to develop a book based on Dance Diary. Emily writes in her Montreal Plateau apartment and travels home to Toronto often to visit her family.