Ultimate Guide to Writing for Non-Writers
If you have ever tried to write a blog before, you know it is hard. If you have ever tried to write one blog every week, you know that is even harder. Even non-writers can learn how to write blogs though. You won't win any literary prizes, but then that's not the point. The point is to get more traffic to your website, more eyeballs on your brand, and an increased chance of people clicking on your money-shot links.
Here is the secret: The strategies outlined in this blog post are used by all professional writers too. You see, writing is about process, not creativity. The more you do it, the better and more creative your writing will be, but it all starts with the process.
Before You Start to Write
The absolute worst thing you can do as a writer is to open up Microsoft Word, stare at the screen, and wait for the inspiration to come. Half an hour in, this is all you will see:
Instead, you have to go through a number of steps before you start thinking about writing sentences and paragraphs. Here are those steps:
* Decide on a topic â€" This can actually be the most difficult and time consuming part of the process, so here is a top tip: Don't do it. To be more specific, don't do it at a time when you actually want to spend time writing. Instead, allocate about an hour at a different time to brainstorm lots of different blog topic ideas. Write all those ideas down with rough potential headlines, key points (if necessary), and links to resources (if necessary). At the end of your hour, you will have 10â€"30 potential topics. When you are ready to write, you just have to pick one.
* Research the topic â€" Research the topic using your preferred method. For most people, that is a Google search, but tools like Twitter and LinkedIn are also helpful.
* Allocate time â€" Writing takes time, so make sure you allocate enough. In this guide, the writing process is broken into three stages. Here is a rough estimate of the time you will need to allocate to each part of the process if you are writing a post of about 1,000 words: before you start writing (20â€"40 minutes), writing (40â€"90 minutes), and after you write (20â€"40 minutes). These times vary depending on your writing experience and knowledge of the topic, but most people will need somewhere around two hours to complete a 1,000-word article.
* Write a catchy headline â€" Now write a headline, making it as attention grabbing and interesting as possible. At this point, you can think about SEOâ€"what keyword would a person put into Google to find the article you are about to write? Try to include that keyword in the headline. Remember, this is just a draft to get you started. You can change the headline later.
Writing
Now it is time to start actually writing. Here's how:
* Use Notepad or another distraction-free writing tool â€" Don't use Microsoft Word or any other word processing tool with lots of formatting help and tools. These will just distract you.
* Work out a structure â€" You need to structure what you are going to say. In simple terms, this means having a beginning, middle, and end. The best approach is to write all your subheadings first to form the structure of your blog.
* Write for your audience â€" Always think about your audience when writing, and write for them.
* Write in the second person â€" This post is written in the second person. It means you don't use â€Å"I†or â€Å"me.†You do use â€Å"you†though. You will see this in action as you continue reading this post (see?).
* Write in a way that is easy to read â€" If you want to learn more about this, you can read popular style guides, like the one used by writers for The Economist. The summary, however, is to use simple everyday words. You should also use simple and short sentences and paragraphs. Professional is okay but formal is not, and dump the jargon.
* Get to the point in the first sentence and paragraph â€" The reader should understand exactly what the article is about in the first sentence.
* Break up the content â€" Write every article so that it is easy to skim read on a mobile phone. This involves using short paragraphs, bullet points, numbered lists, and subheadings.
* Finish with a concluding sentence â€" Finish every blog with a summary or concluding sentence/paragraph. You don't have to use a Summary or Conclusion subheading (in fact, it is best if you don't), but you need to have an ending.
After You Write
The post-writing stage is about checking what you have written to polish it and get it ready for publication. Here are the steps you should take:
* Review your blog for SEO keywords â€" If the keyword you selected earlier is not in the text and you can add it in a natural way, do so. Never try to force this though.
* Spell check â€" Now run the blog through a spell checker. If you have Microsoft Word, it will do fine. You should also check the grammar. A good tool for doing this is Grammarly.
* Run it through The Readability Test Tool â€" This will check if your blog is easy to read and will highlight the sections that can be improved.
* Proofread â€" You should proofread everything you write. The best way to do this is to read it out loud. You will spot more mistakes by forcing yourself to read slowly enough that you can actually speak the words. You will also spot awkward sentences.
* Get someone else to proofread â€" The final step is to get someone else to proofread the blog. It is always good to get another pair of eyes to go over it before you publish.
You will now have a readable, well-written, and well-structured post ready to publish. You will also be more familiar with the writing process, and you will get better over time.
Here is the secret: The strategies outlined in this blog post are used by all professional writers too. You see, writing is about process, not creativity. The more you do it, the better and more creative your writing will be, but it all starts with the process.
Before You Start to Write
The absolute worst thing you can do as a writer is to open up Microsoft Word, stare at the screen, and wait for the inspiration to come. Half an hour in, this is all you will see:
Instead, you have to go through a number of steps before you start thinking about writing sentences and paragraphs. Here are those steps:
* Decide on a topic â€" This can actually be the most difficult and time consuming part of the process, so here is a top tip: Don't do it. To be more specific, don't do it at a time when you actually want to spend time writing. Instead, allocate about an hour at a different time to brainstorm lots of different blog topic ideas. Write all those ideas down with rough potential headlines, key points (if necessary), and links to resources (if necessary). At the end of your hour, you will have 10â€"30 potential topics. When you are ready to write, you just have to pick one.
* Research the topic â€" Research the topic using your preferred method. For most people, that is a Google search, but tools like Twitter and LinkedIn are also helpful.
* Allocate time â€" Writing takes time, so make sure you allocate enough. In this guide, the writing process is broken into three stages. Here is a rough estimate of the time you will need to allocate to each part of the process if you are writing a post of about 1,000 words: before you start writing (20â€"40 minutes), writing (40â€"90 minutes), and after you write (20â€"40 minutes). These times vary depending on your writing experience and knowledge of the topic, but most people will need somewhere around two hours to complete a 1,000-word article.
* Write a catchy headline â€" Now write a headline, making it as attention grabbing and interesting as possible. At this point, you can think about SEOâ€"what keyword would a person put into Google to find the article you are about to write? Try to include that keyword in the headline. Remember, this is just a draft to get you started. You can change the headline later.
Writing
Now it is time to start actually writing. Here's how:
* Use Notepad or another distraction-free writing tool â€" Don't use Microsoft Word or any other word processing tool with lots of formatting help and tools. These will just distract you.
* Work out a structure â€" You need to structure what you are going to say. In simple terms, this means having a beginning, middle, and end. The best approach is to write all your subheadings first to form the structure of your blog.
* Write for your audience â€" Always think about your audience when writing, and write for them.
* Write in the second person â€" This post is written in the second person. It means you don't use â€Å"I†or â€Å"me.†You do use â€Å"you†though. You will see this in action as you continue reading this post (see?).
* Write in a way that is easy to read â€" If you want to learn more about this, you can read popular style guides, like the one used by writers for The Economist. The summary, however, is to use simple everyday words. You should also use simple and short sentences and paragraphs. Professional is okay but formal is not, and dump the jargon.
* Get to the point in the first sentence and paragraph â€" The reader should understand exactly what the article is about in the first sentence.
* Break up the content â€" Write every article so that it is easy to skim read on a mobile phone. This involves using short paragraphs, bullet points, numbered lists, and subheadings.
* Finish with a concluding sentence â€" Finish every blog with a summary or concluding sentence/paragraph. You don't have to use a Summary or Conclusion subheading (in fact, it is best if you don't), but you need to have an ending.
After You Write
The post-writing stage is about checking what you have written to polish it and get it ready for publication. Here are the steps you should take:
* Review your blog for SEO keywords â€" If the keyword you selected earlier is not in the text and you can add it in a natural way, do so. Never try to force this though.
* Spell check â€" Now run the blog through a spell checker. If you have Microsoft Word, it will do fine. You should also check the grammar. A good tool for doing this is Grammarly.
* Run it through The Readability Test Tool â€" This will check if your blog is easy to read and will highlight the sections that can be improved.
* Proofread â€" You should proofread everything you write. The best way to do this is to read it out loud. You will spot more mistakes by forcing yourself to read slowly enough that you can actually speak the words. You will also spot awkward sentences.
* Get someone else to proofread â€" The final step is to get someone else to proofread the blog. It is always good to get another pair of eyes to go over it before you publish.
You will now have a readable, well-written, and well-structured post ready to publish. You will also be more familiar with the writing process, and you will get better over time.