By Hilde
Garcia
here is my second review from the first ten sites that talked about HOW TO WRITE A BLOG POST.
These are sites 4, 5 and
6. And they are so great. I really enjoyed reviewing
them.
Happy
Reading!
101
Fabulous Blog Topic Ideas
I
started off the year all gung-ho and self-righteous that I had a solid editorial
plan and a never-ending list of blog post ideas I could ride through winter and
beyond. But like many bloggers, I hit a wall. Ooops. My topics were boring. The
content I’d planned lacked sparkle. I was tired, stuck, burned-out. I needed an
infusion of creative ideas that would get my blogatude back on track. So I wrote
this list of possibilities for myself, and I’m sharing them with
you.
Here
are six basic types of posts you can write, plus 101 blog post ideas and
prompts. I threw in a few links to other resources in case you want more.
“Best
of the web” posts
Essays –
personal
General
interest posts
How-to
posts
Ideas for
how-to posts:
Interviews and profiles
Interviews and profiles
Ideas for
interviews:
Lists
Opinions,
rebuttals, trends, debates, and predictions
Ideas for
opinion and predictions pieces:
Recap
posts
Reviews
Media-related
posts
And on
her site, each one of these topics has at least 10 examples
each!
NEXT
UP:
How to
Write a Blog Post Outline: A Simple Formula to Follow by Ginny
Soskey
What
makes a blog post bad?
There
are lots of reasons a blog post could be less-than-perfect. Poor formatting.
Poor grammar. Poor word choice. Poor shareability.
The
most pervasive problem?
Poor
flow. The
post jumps from one idea to the next to the next and then circles around again
for a split second to the first idea, then back to the fourth, and so on. Or the
post reads like a stream of consciousness -- but it wasn't a stylistic
choice.
Luckily,
you have a simple solution. Before diving headfirst into writing your post, you
can create an outline.
I'm
not talking about jotting down a few quick bullet points -- even experienced
writers can go astray with just a few talking points. I'm talking a fully
fleshed-out outline with enough details that make it virtually impossible for
your writing to go off the deep end. And it's pretty easy to
do.
1)
Nail your working title.
2)
Write down as many distinct takeaways from the article as you
can.
3)
Break up those takeaways into larger sections.
4)
Add more takeaways to some sections.
5)
Revise, remove, and reorganize details in each section.
6)
Include links to your examples and/or data.
7)
If any details come to you that you don't want to forget, add them
in.
You’re
beating your head against a wall. Staring at a blank screen. You need to write a
blog post fast, and it’s got to be good.
You
google “writers block” and hope to find a solution. If you had all day or all
weekend to write, you know you’d come up with something. You always
do.
But
this time, you only have a few hours, and you can’t think of anything.
Maybe you’ll just skip it. Who’s going to notice?
Stop.
Right. There. If you’ve been posting regularly, your readers are going to
notice. Even if they don’t, you will. And one of the most critical keys to a
writer’s success is following good writing habits—and sticking with
them.
Plus,
the problem isn’t the vague, catch-all excuse called writer’s block. The problem
is that you don’t have a system in place you can rely
on.
Using
a standard outline based on a 5-part essay can be a
lifesaver.
With
an outline, you can go from blank screen to polished post in a few hours or
less, depending on the length and complexity.
No
matter what kind of blog post you’re writing, though, or how much time you take,
using an outline can reduce time, stress, and worry. Plus it keeps you organized
and on track, especially if you’re writing something long and
involved.
Ready,
set, go!
