“It’s alright for you” I get often… “You’re an ex-journalist so you can write”… but what do I talk about…? I get this all the time…. and if you think it is any easier for me then dream on…
OK, when inspired I can go on finish a 500-word blog fairly easily and get a beginning, middle, and end with a few references, pics, and whatever… but actually so can you. It‘s no harder than an essay at school and actually, you are much better than you think… what your real problem is seeing what is holding you back.
I read extensively, in fact actually given the information overload all over the web, we all do… and I read in color and in pictures… which apparently is a gift… I have always done this so just assume it is normal… I’d like to think it is so painting a picture about what I am writing about is automatic. Try describing something in a manner that helps this makes the reader experience much better so when thinking about what to blog about… choose something you are passionate about then you will describe it much better.
Just look around you and all manner of things will appear… even just the weather… I seem to remember blogging about some fairly fit workmen working without shirts one sunny day which left a minor dent in my memory… but I digress… what is in your emails? on the television? being discussed in the shop queue?
What or who has helped you and would that information help someone else? What would be useful to those people you have collected… those you have connected with or who are following you… Actually, the latter is always a good thing… go and see what they are talking about (or even worse not talking about ie they are very quiet) and learn a bit more… helping someone is always a welcome thing and actually by helping one person directly you may be indirectly helping hundreds more.
It is probably best to stick to things you are comfortable with. I have started loads of blogs and got halfway through them to realize I actually do not feel comfortable talking about it… so have stopped them half-finished. I decided if I wasn’t comfortable just sharing… then I most certainly wasn’t with any reaction or interaction.
That leads to another point… what do you want to be found for? because you almost certainly will…. if you write about it google and the world will find it and when someone searches for you it will be part of your digital footprint… and what better way to raise your profile, show off your expertise and show you are actually a bonafide human being with real feelings, interests, and character.
Now with everything going on around us, it is not so much what the heck to write about but how to order it… add a calendar to your blog and start adding scheduled titles so when you get around to it you have an idea of what you were thinking about and it makes it much easier…All this is quite similar to growing a social media channel where you buy views on TikTok or any social medial account that you are using.
Often things that have affected us emotionally become rants rather than blogs… be careful the power of the internet is that you or the person you are talking about may be found in google for your writing long after the heat of the moment has dissipated… I am often now very careful when I want to use the internet to vent about poor service… I don’t want the power the internet wields to cause anyone any harm no matter how rubbish they have been.
