AVOID BECOMING A STEREOTYPICAL BLOGGER

How To Avoid Becoming A Stereotypical Blogger

When I first began my career as a writer I was looking for tips and advice from the best writer possible. Sadly there was no one lined up to say anything more than “You’ll be good.” Luckily I had my husband, Jshuane, as educated on the mechanics, the basics and the fundamentals of writing as most of the teachers any of us will encounter. I am at my best and reaching beyond that because I often read and study his work. His tips, educations and critiques have been very value in my career. Actually I can honestly say that “Jshuane Melton is one of my top favorite writers.” You can take a peak at his work via www.NerdRimsAndBeards.com

Ultimately I feel I have learned and discovered many things I wish I didn’t have to learn the hard way, hence the reason I want to share a few tips with you.

Nowadays there are more blogs than we can count. From DIY blogs, relationship blogs, fitness blogs, natural hair blogs, parenting blogs, gossip blogs, and of course fashion blogs, blogging has become as popular as any other media outlet we turn to daily.

It seems like there is a blog for just about everything in life. Although there are countless blogs floating around the Internet world I submit only about a quarter or perhaps even less are worth their salt when it comes to the art and mechanics or writing. So don’t be afraid to at least make an attempt if you’re seriously thinking about staring a blog or becoming a writer.

The unfortunate thing about blogging is one often mistakes nice photos, gossip, ridicule, celebrity everything and fashion tips with the art writing, in many cases. Blogging doesn’t make you any more of a writer than standing in a garage makes you a car. It’s one thing to blend in with crowd of bloggers but it’s something completely different to stand among writers.

12 Tips: How To Avoid Becoming A Stereotypical Blogger

There are some essentials every writer should know in order to become a stronger writer and avoid becoming another stereotypical blogger.

1. Write because you enjoy it!

Otherwise it’s nothing more than other chore. Who needs another chore right?

2. Embrace and use your own voice.

Don’t compromise to fit in. Your writing style is your voice and it sets you apart and identifies you as a writer.

3. Take your craft seriously.

Although writing is a natural art for the majority of even the best writers, they all have to take their craft seriously and work hard.

4. Use writer’s integrity.

There’s something I call “writer’s integrity”, I believe every writer must use a sense of writer’s integrity to respect the fine art of writing. That doesn’t means you can’t write about celebrity gossip, that means you decide how you write about celebrity gossip.

5. Know the basic mechanics of writing and grammar.

It’s that simple. Spell and grammar check does not pick up everything. If you do not know or understand the basics it’s ok, you can learn them. Taking a basic course will only improve your skills making you a stronger writer. Professional development is always a plus.

6. Read.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking you do not have to read other writer’s work. Reading and writing go hand in hand. Reading other writers’ work can seriously strengthens your writing skills. You are not reading their work to imitate their style or to get story ideas, you are merely studying the art and loss of writing.

7. Don’t look for validation.

Not many people will acknowledge, or celebrate your work. Even if they love and admire your work, there will be some silence. That is perfectly ok. You are writing for the love of it, never for the applause. Even if you become a best selling author find little joy in the applause of others because it’s all an illusion. Make sure you are writing because you love it not for validation.

8. Have plenty of fun.

It sounds so cliche to say “have fun” but you must have fun with writing. If you do not enjoy it enough to have fun with it, you are wasting not only your time but it will certainly shows in your work over time.

9. Research

Doing your research is of upmost importance. With things moving so quickly and changing even quicker. It can be very difficult to keep up. However make sure you do your research before you “put it out there”. Information changing is a lot different than information being incorrect. Your audience must be able to trust you as a valid source. Do your research.

10. Read and reread.

Take your time to read and reread your work. Even if you have a deadline allow yourself enough time to be able to take your time. A typo, a sentence that doesn’t makes sense or just something you wish you could go back and delete can sometimes feel like the worst thing ever. Just know ALL the major magazines, best selling authors, and major media outlets make printed mistakes. It’s just something we want to avoid as very much as possible. So read and reread your work.

11. Keep writing.

Writing is self expression, so technically there isn’t a right or wrong way. Writing is also very therapeutic. Weather you use your writing professionally or personally, at very least use it for self expression and self-discovery. If you happen to change the world along the way, we’ll that’s a bonus.

12. Give yourself permission.

Do not ask for permission to be a great writer. Make an announcement. Your announcement comes with finding your niche and not being swayed by the opinions of others. Writing is one of your vehicle to tell world “Here I am and my voice my matters.”

And those are a few essentials every writer should know in order to become a stronger writer and avoid becoming another stereotypical blogger.

written by Simeaka Melton