So You Want to Write a Blog?

It seems like everyone and their kid wants to write a blog these days and nobody knows where to start and what the rules are. For some reason, people think blogging is different than life when it comes to starting it. But the truth is, there are no rules. You just have to take the leap of faith and start it.

So if you are in that awkward position where you have something to say, but you don’t know where to start, here are a couple tips to help you do just that.

1. Find Your Happy Place

   Think about what you are good at or what you would like to share and start there. It’s no secret that you have to have a niche. I’m a rebel in that my blog is just a hodgepodge of dating disasters and misadventures. It’s a blog about life, but I’m also not trying to make money on mine. I just write for love. If you are trying to monetize your blog eventually, or right now, find your niche.

2. Start Anonymously

   If you don’t think you are a great writer or you don’t think your family will approve of your subject matter or any number of other reasons that you keep stopping yourself from writing, you can always start blogging under a pen name. Nobody has to know it is you. And if you are worried that your writing skills aren’t at the top of their game, you can hire someone to proofread and/or edit your blogs until you get in the swing of doing it yourself. You can also download Grammarly and it will push you in the right direction 90% of the time. So stop telling yourself (and others) that you’re not a great writer. Great writing takes practice. Nobody starts out running marathons. They work to get to that 26.2 miles. Just do it!

3. Go for User-Friendly

   Find a blogging platform that is user-friendly to you. I use WordPress. And I used GoDaddy for my domain. And then my brother used his magic to make the two melt together like lovers on a mountain. Unlike lovers on a mountain, WordPress and GoDaddy have thus far lived happily ever after. If you are using something else that makes you happy, stick with it. Whatever stresses you out the least, use that one. When it comes to domains, buy the cheapest option, you are only using the name, you will use WordPress features for everything else. So if you are going to pay for premium services, pay your blogging platform.

4. Have Fun

   While choosing the design or designing your blog page, make sure you are having fun with it. If it starts to stress you out, take a break. This is supposed to make your life happy. It’s not supposed to make you feel like you burnt dinner on a first date. Unlike bad first dates, WordPress will be there waiting when you get your shit together and take another stab at it.

5. Write

   Don’t worry about who is seeing your blog. Don’t worry about how many words you are writing. Put yourself on a writing schedule and stick with it. Do you want to write a blog a day? Three blogs a week? One blog a week? Figure it out and hold yourself accountable.

6. Keep Your Heart Off Your Sleeve

   This may be the most important part of your whole blogging experience. You may have 1,500 friends on your Facebook and 7,000 Instagram and Twitter Followers. You may think you are going to get a million shares from your family and friends. Put that out of your mind right now. You will have a couple die-hard friends and a few family members that support you even if your writing is shit. But even if you are the next William Fucking Shakespeare, the majority aren’t going to share your stuff. They aren’t even going to read it. Don’t take it personally. You will slowly form your own tribe and they will be loyal and check in every day or whatever day you decide to post.

7. Just Keep Writing

   There are going to be days where you only have 10 people who read your blog. And other days where you have a thousand. Don’t get discouraged on the slow days. Just keep writing. As long as you are doing what you love, it will all be worth it in the end. Sure it would be nice to make all the money the experts who are trying to sell you a course say you could be making in 90 days or 18 months or whatever their pitch is, but it’s not about the money. It’s about having a creative outlet. And if it is about the money, by all means, take the courses. Let me know what you think of them.

Blogging should be fun. It should be about sharing your superpower with the world. You don’t have to make it difficult to just do it. Sit down. Open your blog window. Write.

Good luck and have fun!!!