Do You Want to Know the Key to Blogging?
Why do I love my blog? That’s a great question, and it’s also the answer to the one before it. Let’s unpack it to figure out what I believe is the key to blogging.
As some of you may have noticed, I have been working harder to write more often (See “How I Start Writing“, “Prolonged Focus“, and “The Difficulty of Writing“). That requires a place for the outpouring of the words. This poor blog has taken the brunt of that load. You, poor readers, have as well. Writing is fun, but is quite often difficult to start. There are any number of things that come up as distractions. Then there is the typical bout of procrastination.
But there is one thing that will get me going…
I like to write. I especially like to write when there is no real direction I have to go. Maybe it is my way of rebelling against something, but I really enjoy the freedom. I find that as soon as I have to write about a specific topic, then I am less likely to do it. That is especially true when I have to write about something for a long period of time. I can start on a topic, but to stick with it for a long period of time just becomes draining. That’s just the way I am. This blog is different
What does this blog provide that is different?
I am beholden to absolutely nobody on here. I can write about anything I want. The blog can ramble and most often does. The writing can be disjointed and most often is. The topic can run on too long, although it most often does not. The writing can leave you wanting more and this is totally the most likely scenario to happen.
Here’s the gold in the situation, my blog is anything I want it to be. My writing can go any direction I want it to go. When people ask me what it is about, I can answer that it is mostly about me and my thoughts on being a Dad and CEO. That is the loose tie that binds the posts.
What does this mean for you?
If you want to start blogging, then find something you love and start writing. It’s that simple. Don’t worry about the readers. Don’t worry if the post requires severe editing. They all do. Worry is for people sitting on the couch. Worry is not for people out there doing something. Put worry aside and go.
What do you want to write about? Is there a topic that gets you excited? What could you talk about for hours? Right now, if you had to write 1,000 words about something, what is the easiest topic for you to cover? By the way, this blog post is in the 700 word range, so you would be looking at another 300 words beyond what I have here.
The Homework
Start right now and write down 25 possible topics for blog posts. Write down anything that comes to mind. Here are some of the items from my list that I have already written.
- Prolonged focus
- What I’m reading right now?
- The power of influencers
- How I start writing
- The cost of interruption
- Surround yourself with good friends
- Do you hide from people you recognize?
- Why I love my blog? (This very post)
The list above is raw, so you will notice that the final product changed quite a bit from concept to final delivery. For those of you who have been following the blog closely, you will also notice this is not an exhaustive list.
Now that you have a list of 25, try to make it 50. Once you get to 50, you can stop making a list of potential blog posts and start writing one.
How do I know which blog post to write?
Take a look at your list. Which one of the ideas stands out to you the most? Grab it and go. There will probably be a handful in there that are good candidates, so take one and run with it. Remember my question above? It was about writing 1,000 words right now about the easiest topic for you to cover. That’s the one. Just start writing.
That’s pretty much it. Write what you love and love what you write. You will be glad you did.
