It used to be that you could only write an “opinion piece” if you were a regular contributor to a newspaper and had your own column. Social media now allows anyone to write what they want anywhere, anytime. Short thoughts can be tweeted. Daily events and pictures can be shared on Facebook. and more ambitious writers can start a blog.
Hmmmm.
Why would anybody want to write a blog? The comparison I can think of is not a very elegant one. Something is stuck in your mind and it wants out. So perhaps you end up writing a school essay on a topic of your own choosing. In the act of putting down your thoughts and letting them out, something of your personality will inevitably emerge.
A few tips:
–A blog writer has to be scrupulously honest, because readers will detect any insincerity or posturing.
–And if you hate “The Nutcracker” or “Swan Lake” or something else that everyone loves, just say so!
–At the same time you are not in the business of writing about yourself and you need to safeguard your privacy, so no nakedness. There are good reasons why clothes were invented. Keep confessions for your diary.
–You also have to remember that you are not writing a novel. You do have to tell a story to keep your readers wanting to know more.
–There are no restrictions on what you can write about. I was asked once, “Why don’t you write about advice?” So I wrote a blog about why I don’t give advice.
–Simple, concrete everyday words are more potent than abstract ones or circumlocutions. But if only an esoteric word can adequately describe your thought then use it. Some readers will know the word; others will guess or look it up.
–Avoid empty-calorie words like awesome, amazing or terrific. Their meaning has evaporated from overuse. Shun clichés like: “To make a long story short” or “The tip of the iceberg” or “Putting the cart before the horse” and many, many others.
And, most important, you need to enjoy writing your blog.
(I sure do)
Editor’s note: The word “blog” is a contraction of “weblog.”
Dear Simone:
I thought this was a very helpful and informative blog of its own. I am considering setting up an objective website with none of my opinions, but in parallel, I am pretty sure I would want to have a place to express myself. I will keep this information from you for that job.
Take care!
Ray Russell
There are also rules for comments. Dissenting opinions are welcome. However there should be no personal attacks, no insulting responses and no dissertations on unrelated topics.
We shall try to APPLY the rules even-handedly,
but there should also be no provocations
I’ve thought about writing a blog but I’m not sure how I would handle any criticism or negative comments. I’ve actually written a few articles that I haven’t posted yet because every time I think about people reading my thoughts, I get really nervous and stressed out. Maybe I could avoid some of the stress by not allowing comments on my posts. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Don’t even think of not allowing comments on your blog!
They tell you a lot. If the criticism is valid, you have learned
what not to do.
If it is not, learn how to defend your position and stand by
your ideas.
And if the comments praise your writing, isn’t that a validation?
Thanks for your reply. I’ve decided to take your advice and allow comments on my blog. There have been a couple of negative ones that I feel were unjustified but the positive ones truly make a big difference! I hope to attract more readers and also get noticed by Google. It’s a lot of work but I’m enjoying it immensely.