Blog Newbies – Four Ways to Make Writing Easier

Imagine this: you sit down to your computer to write, and the words flow easily and confidently from your brain to the keyboard.  On your first try, your thoughts are concise, well-crafted, entertaining, and engaging.  This post is destined to become a classic (at least in the blog world)!  No interruptions, no distractions, just a perfect blog post sure to inspire!

Keep dreaming.

Here’s what really happens:

You start to write, and just as you begin…

• The phone rings, blinks, or buzzes
• E-mail dings – it’s a client and they need help.  Now.
• Spotify is playing the same song for the third time this hour.  Must. Press. Forward.

And besides that, you’ve got writers block.  No ideas.  No motivation.  It’s hard to get started.  Why would anyone want to read what you’ve written, anyway?  So you decide to work on it later, the best thing to do is to find an example and do more research about the topic itself so you can process more what you are trying to say.

I’m relatively new to the practice of blogging, and I know it can be intimidating, frustrating, and all around overwhelming.  Here’s what runs through my mind sometimes – “There’s so much great stuff out there.  What could I possibly contribute that’s fresh?” “People won’t like what I write.” “Why can’t my blog be as witty or funny as…!”

You (and me) have got to stop beating ourselves up so much.  We all have a unique voice and a valuable perspective to share.  The trick is to take control of the things we can control (and there are a few).  Here are some ways to make writing and publishing easier:

First, Create a Mindmap

We use mindmaps all the time at Digital Relativity because it’s an easy way to throw all your ideas into one place and see what sticks.  It’s where we brainstorm.  Usually I start with a node I just call ‘Ideas’ and start branching off from there.  Soon a few different trees are sorted out.

We use Mindmeister, but other services such as FreeMind and MindJet might work for you.

If you can find a place just to start jotting down the ideas that are floating around in your brain, you’ll feel better.  Trust me on this one.

Plug it all into an Editorial Calendar

Next, we take that mindmap info and start plugging it all into an editorial calendar.  This is what we use to plan publishing for our blog and Twitter.  When we’re creating calendars for our partners, we also incorporate e-mail campaigns, Facebook, and any other outlet that makes sense for that particular partner.

Our calendars include due dates, engagement measurements, asset suggestions, and are shared with the whole team.

Find Your Best Time to Write

For some people, scheduling a block of time to write is what works.  For others, it can only happen at certain hours of the day.  Some people can crank out a post in an hour or so; some need several hours to get everything down on paper.  I like to write in spurts.  I come back to the same post several times a day to add a paragraph here or there, as inspiration strikes.

Do some testing and find out what works for you.  Play around with different times of day, different environments, different music (or no music).

The point is to make your environment as conducive to writing as possible, whatever that may mean for you.  What combination of elements is going to make writing easiest for you?  Writing when you’re at your best will give you confidence.

The Only Thing You Have To Fear is Fear Itself

And speaking of confidence, don’t spend too much time worrying about what might happen when you share your written work.  Yes, edit your work, make sure that you’ve cited sources, support your statements.  But don’t be paralyzed by the fear that someone else might not like what you’ve written.  Some won’t.  But plenty of others will, and will appreciate your willingness to share what you know.

Also remember: mistakes happen.  You’ve edited your writing for grammar and spelling, but somehow you post and there is still an error.  Don’t worry about this too much; sometimes its good for your readers to see that the post is actually written by a human, not some sort of corporate robot.

What else works for you when preparing to write for your blog?  We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.