Single Grain

Did that title sum you up in a sentence?  Do you write like a shotgun, do you sit down and give it all you have got without any regard for the outcome?  When you pull the trigger on a shotgun, it goes off, it doesn’t think about whats in front of it or the damage it may cause, it is simply an instant reaction.  Many bloggers perform the same way, they sit down and right without any thought of what they are writing about or where they want to go with the article or the possible repercussion of their words as they spill onto the screen.

Thoughts and ideas need to be developed and built upon to form an article.  Simply slapping text on the screen is not enough.  Readers are often aware when you have given little thought to an article because it reflects in your work.  It often results in a short, poorly written piece with little interest or emotion.  Some commonly seen blog posts that are a result of no thought are “5 links of the day” or a simple paragraph explaining somebody else’s post with a link to that.  These types of posts bring no interest to readers, anyone can develop a list of more than five links, but you chose not to spend the time doing so and it makes you look bad.

Devote Time to Your Blog

Devoting time to your blog is crucial to its success.  Many shotgun bloggers find themselves trying to cram a quickie article in before they go to bed, usually because they neglected to write anything the rest of the day.  Even if you work or attend school you should devote a minimum of an hour to writing every single day.  If you give yourself an hour, you should have ample time to construct an article and respond to comments from the day before.  Create a plan for your blog, give it some direction and things will naturally come easier as you move ahead.  Many blogs that are not given enough time eventually sizzle and die and it is unfortunate because had the blogger worked a little harder and devoted a little more time, they would have had a potential for success.

Think of your blogs as children, they require attention, time and love to grow.  You can’t just leave them off to the side or they will eventually get into trouble.  You have to be passionate about taking care of your blogs or perhaps you should consider doing something else.  Your writing needs time and shouldn’t be rushed, so create a schedule and go by that, your blog and readers will thank you.  If you are unsure if blogging is right for you, take a look at Blogging 101, Introduction to Blogging, for a better understanding.