PR professionals write. A lot. It’s what we do.
Even so, we understand that blogging can be a real challenge. Don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of blowhards out there, like me, telling you how to protect your brand, promote your product, sling your latest paperback, or publicize yourself – often through a blog.
However, while writing for a blog can be difficult for people who write for a living, it can be nearly impossible for those who aren’t expected to eloquently craft documents around the clock. So then, why do we unfairly expect just about everyone to possess the skills to pick up writing for a blog without any training or support?
For those who typically write in a professional style with a clear, defined purpose, it can be challenging to transition to a more casual style. For others, writing for a blog can be as hard as diagramming a sentence when you were in grade school. (Question for the English teachers in the audience: Do they still do this?)
There are way too many websites and books devoted to writing – in fact, Google “how to write for a blog” and you’ll receive 22,600 pages. Happy reading.
So, the only tip I’m going to offer is in order to learn how to write, you have to write. That may sound trite, but you wouldn’t try to learn how to ride a bike by reading a book or a blog. Would you?
I recently stumbled across a great website, onepageperday. The site is “a very simple web typewriter that presents you with a single blank page each day,” which frees you, according to the site, “from the tyranny of the infinite page.”
Log in through your Google or Twitter account and you’re presented with one blank page. Then, just start writing. Every day you will receive a reminder to log in and write one page.
So get started! By this time next year, you may have written the next great American novel, the prologue to “The History of the Earth According to You,” or enough one-page ramblings to make your great-grandchildren think people valued your opinion.
Good luck. And, enjoy the journey.
Leave a Reply