Essential writing tips you need to know before you start a blog

Do you want to be the next J.K. Rowling? If you have a passion for writing, then your answer is probably yes. However, in today’s age of technology, more and more writers are turning towards a much more accessible and cost-effective medium – Blogging!

Writing a blog is much different than composing a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. This medium requires disseminating information in chunks or “bite-size” pieces, which means your writing has to be concise but also interesting. Smart bloggers understand this as they know modern readers have short attention spans.
Becoming a great writer isn’t easy. If you are just-kick starting your blog, you may often end up feeling discouraged. However, even if your first few pieces are not up to the mark, you can always improve your skills by taking the following advice!

Cut the Fluff.

The more fat you trim from your writing, the better it will appear. Concise writing is free of fluff and fillers and readers can leaf through it without any effort. Here are some pointers that you may want to consider.

• Avoid passive voice: Passive voice not just makes your sentence longer, but it also makes it less impactful and assertive. For example, “I ate a sandwich,” is a short and sweet sentence. But when you change it to passive voice, it becomes “A sandwich was eaten by me,” which lacks power.
• Eliminate Unnecessary Prepositions: Change sentences with unnecessary prepositions, like “The director of the board interviewed the intern from Australia” to “The board’s director interviewed the Australian intern.” Adding unnecessary prepositions can make your viewers lose track of what they are reading.
• Reduce –tion Words: Instead of writing “She will help him with the correction of his homework,” write, “She will help him correct his homework.” The latter sentence sounds more crisp and clear.

A Single Sentence Should Present A Single Idea.

Sometimes, in an effort to appear smarter, we tend to make our sentence longer by incorporating more than one idea into them. This results in long-winding and very confusing sentences. It is also counterproductive as your readers are unable to understand the solution to their problems. Keep your sentence simple with only one idea at the core of them.

Reduce Redundancy.

Blog writers need to be compelling. This means crafting a sentence while keeping in mind its surrounding sentences. Make sure you do not repeat the same adjectives or verb or talk about a similar idea in back-to-back sentences. This can create redundancy. To write in a stimulating way, cut out repetitive information and keep your language varied. If you are all out of words, use the online Power Thesaurus for writers. It’s free!

Be Diverse.

Variety is the spice of life so it is important that you use varying sentence lengths and structure in your writing. Use a blend of short, medium-length and long, elaborate sentences in your writing, which complement each other.

If you use the same length of sentence in an entire passage, your blog will become monotonous and
boring. However, variety and diversity, as with all things, will make your content engrossing.

Nobody Likes a Cliché.

Cliches are cringe-worthy and lazy. They also leach all the originality from your writing. Overusing certain phrases can make them go stale and lose their true meaning. A good way to test your writing for clichés is to ask yourself whether you remember hearing the particular phrase or term before. If you have, it is better to try some fresh and unique ideas of your own.

Tell A Story.

Not all stories need to start with “once upon a time…” Storytelling in blogs is about conveying your ideas and experiences in a memorable and enthralling way. You can become a storyteller by adding resonating stories in your blog. When you tell a story, your readers should see, smell, hear, touch and taste your experiences.

Let It Go.

When you write a sophisticated paragraph in your blog, your inner writer grabs on to it and refuses to let it go. Even if it doesn’t fit into the context and scope of your content, you still try to force it there. However, you need to understand that beautiful, artistic writing doesn’t necessarily deepen your viewers’ understanding or give them the solution to their problem. If your writing doesn’t provide value, it is best to scrap it and start from scratch.

Read Great Writers.

Stephen King famously said “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” If you want to write great blog posts, it makes sense to read the works of other great writers, both inside and outside your industry. This will help your brain think outside your comfort zone and spark inspiration for more great ideas. The simple truth is that if you don’t read great writers, your dream of becoming a successful blog writer may evade you forever.

Writing is a complex art and needs a lot of effort to hone. Not everyone is up to the task and there is no shame in that. If you feel that your writing skills are not up to par, consider using the expertise of professional blog writing services.

Author Bio

Dave Brown is a Sr. Editor at Content Development Pros – a leading inbound marketing company that provides comprehensive content solutions, web design and development, SEO, and content writing services to small and mid-sized businesses. With more than a decade of experience and over 60,000 completed projects to their credit, they enjoy the trust of hundreds of regular customers from all industries and parts of the world.