A Chip Off the Old Blog
Something caught my eye this week that I feel compelled to write about. It isn’t about writing per se. Well, it is, kinda, because it’s about blogging, and blogging is writing, and that’s what we do, right?
Anyway, I was cruising through my Flipboard, (which, if you haven’t discovered it yet, is a fantastic treasure trove of inspiration for blogging ideas and deserves its own blog post which will be coming soon), and I had an epiphany of sorts.
“Dear Lord!” I said to myself. “There is an abundance of blogging advice out in the blogosphere!”
It turns out it literally never ends. It is infinitesimal. And after a while all I heard was “Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog blog….” Yet, the blogging world droned on.
It reminded me of the hilarious Netflix original series Arrested Development, in which attorney Bob Loblaw launches his new law blog, (try saying that three times when you’re drunk!). So, how did such a clever play on words actually become life imitating art? Because truly, it’s obscene!
Scrolling Flipboard’s blogging board, which, by the way has over 344,000 followers, is like trying to get to the last number of Pi. It literally never ends. Just when you think you’ve reached the bottom of the scroll bar it refreshes and you’re off to the races again. And the advice! So much advice! Everything from blogging for beginners (of course), to what to expect from blogging, mistakes to avoid, generating “yuge” blog traffic, and of course, how to make money blogging. Boy, are there plenty of those blog posts!
My point here is, if you really wanted to, you could never stop reading all the advice that’s out there about blogging, and you know what that means? It means you’ll never have to sit down and actually write.
Aha! The great “Gotcha Moment.” Being a member of Writers Anonymous, (“Hello, my name’s Zoe and I’m a writer.”) I know all the tricks to avoid putting pen to paper. It is something inherent in us. I’m convinced it’s in a writer’s DNA. All the great writers talk about procrastination as one of their greatest weaknesses. It’s the Kryptonite of the writing world. So, don’t fool yourself that you have to read every piece of advice about blogging to start blogging. Just do it, as Nike says.
Who cares if your mom is the only one who reads your blog when you start? Who cares if nobody reads it at first? It provides a great opportunity for you to practice your writing skills, including summarizing a topic in 500 words(ish), meeting a deadline (I recommend weekly), and finding your conversational voice.
Sure, some blogs are better suited to “vlogging,” i.e. video blogging, where you don’t have to write anything, just speak into a camera. If you’re a travel blogger, or a cook, for example, your subject may be better displayed visually. For the most part though, the written word still rules the day. So, don’t get waylaid by advice about the intricacies of blogging and how to make money at it. You certainly won’t make a penny unless you start. Do it because you have a passion for your subject. Hone your skills. Become disciplined enough to make it a regular habit. And then, just maybe, something magical will happen!
If anything magical has happened to you, (who cares if it had anything to do with blogging!) share below. We are all unicorns and fairies under the skin who need the scoop!
