All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
I have been blogging for about 20 years now. I don't think I am an expert on blogging, and I don't know how to make money with a blog which is the tip most people want to know. I just know what has worked for me for the last 20 years as the result of trial and error.
1. Write what you know.
Don't write what you think people want to read or what will sell. I think each person has something unique to offer to the public. Virtually every person I know has their one thing they know well. It could be fly fishing or kazoo playing or whatever. Whatever you know, someone else can benefit from it. Go ahead and write it down.
2. Write in simple sentences.
People have been complimenting me on my writing since middle school, but there is no secret to writing well. I write simple sentences. I don't pick the biggest words, and I seldom use adjectives. I just write those true sentences that Hemingway was talking about.
3. Don't write about people in your personal life.
Once upon a time many years ago, I had a post that included a picture of a co-worker in a state of inebriation and his full name. Sometime later, he begged me to remove it, and I did. That picture was giving him all sorts of grief in his work life. That was not my intention, but I learned to not do that anymore. Sometimes, I do write about people in my personal sphere, but they get a nickname instead of a real name. The only reputation I care to damage is my own.
4. Publish on a schedule.
This schedule could be daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever. Choose a schedule and stick to it. Since my accident, I have learned that publishing weekly is all that I can manage. Daily publishing is out of the question. Sometimes, it takes a whole week for me to write one of these posts.
5. Delete your combox.
I love comboxes, but they have to be managed. Otherwise, bad things can happen and will happen. I don't have the time or energy to police a combox or pre-approve comments. I took the cue from Leo Babauta to simplify my life and get rid of the combox. I miss the comments, but we can't always have nice things.
6. Have a simple blog title.
I have been watching Levi Hildebrand's issues over the copyrighted "Future Proof" brand he was building for his YouTube channel. If you have a brand dedicated to tearing down other brands, someone is going to tear down your brand. Levi finally settled on using his own name. I could have told him that from the beginning.
Our channel got shut down.
For some reason, people think they have to have a clever title for their blog, podcast, YouTube channel, etc. Oftentimes, it isn't clever at all but just stupid. If it is clever, someone probably already owns it. I recommend using your own name or using a pseudonym if you want to be anonymous. This also allows you to write what you know as a titled blog is usually dedicated to a single topic.
7. Don't write clickbait titles for blog posts.
Punking your readers is not a good way to build a following. Tricks and gimmicks work for a bit, but you are left with those tricks and gimmicks. Focus on writing the best content you know which goes back to writing that one true sentence Hemingway recommended. That one true sentence isn't clickbait.
8. Don't self promote on social media.
I did this for a season on Facebook until I realized I was spending more time on Facebook than on my blog. I even considered deleting the blog and being entirely on social media. I am glad I didn't do that. Today, I have eschewed all social media. This blog is as social as I get. If someone likes the content, they can post the link on their social media. I just write the content and promptly forget about it.
9. Don't be professional.
I try to keep a homemade quality here at the C-Blog. I use pictures from my flip phone. I will hand draw memes. I will do my own artwork in MSPaint. People can find that professional content somewhere else.
10. Eschew AI.
I see an inhuman future coming where people don't write anymore but let ChatGPT do the work for them. That's why I added "100% human generated content" to my tagline at the top of the blog. I know how to write. I want to keep writing alive in the 21st century.
Gentle Reader, that is all I have for blogging tips. I hope you found them helpful and educational.
UPDATE: After you write a blog post, you may find you have additional thoughts on the topic. I took a cue from Columbo with his "one more thing" tagline which came from the clever way the scriptwriters would go back and add in something they missed. You can do the same thing with your blog posts by tacking on updates to published posts like this one here. The downside is that some people may miss the updates. I recommend checking back on your favorite posts for those updates. This also liberates me to hit publish on posts that are not quite perfect. If I waited for perfection, you would have nothing to read, Gentle Reader.
