I used to hate writing. I never even considered blogging. I thought it was too tedious with no immediate satisfaction or gain.
I hated the fact that I needed to think deeply and construct my thoughts before putting out an article. When I started my first blog, It was a toil. I would write a 500-word article in approximately 7 days.
Sometimes, I would write an article and then delete it because I thought I wasn’t saying anything useful. Phew!
It was frustrating, but I continued because I knew writing was an important way to communicate. I thought to myself, if I could learn to write, then I would be able to write a better sales copy, I could write a book, I could write a speech, I could write a work report. I could build a blog with a large following. I could do so many things through writing and be better off for it.
So, I persevered.
Looking back, there are a few things I think every aspiring blogger should know if they want to learn to write and enjoy it.
With a few simple steps, you could start to write without worry. In fact, you could put out a 1,000 word article in the next 24 hours. You don’t have to be a perfect writer, you only have to be a happy writer.
If you are ready to become a happy writer, then the tips below would help you.
Start With A Free Blog
The first step to start blogging is to start with a free blog. Don’t spend any money on fancy domain names or customizations yet. Just get a free blog and write.
What this means is that your only goal for having a blog is to write and improve your skill as a writer. That should be your focus.
Don’t get distracted with how the blog looks or which platform is best. Just pick any blogging platform (Medium, Wix, Blogger, WordPress) and start writing.
Tell A Story
At this stage, your blog could be about anything you want. It could be as random and as boring as you want it to be.
A great way to start is to tell a story. Stories are easy to write and fun to read. You could tell a story about how your day went, your personal struggles, or about your pet.
Just write something interesting down and get someone to read it.
Use Speech-to-text
If writing seems intimidating to you, you could use a speech-to-text software or mobile app to begin your writing journey.
All you have to do is talk about the topic and then edit the final copy. This is one of the fastest ways to get started writing on your blog.
Blog About Your Passion
When I started out blogging, I noticed that my best articles were the ones I wrote on topics I was passionate about. I could ramble on and on without end. In fact, my first 2,000 word article was on a business topic I was passionate about.
So, let your passion guide you.
Do you love discussions on Fashion? Sports? Business? Politics? Travel? The ball is in your court.
If you like discussing it, then there is a great chance you would like writing about it. This is one of the easiest ways to become a happy writer.
Write At Your Own Pace
This is very important if you want to enjoy writing. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. All you want to do is write, learn, and improve.
It takes time to become a better writer, so let no one pressure you about taking shortcuts such as copying and pasting other people’s writing, or spinning articles from the web. If you resort to those tactics, you’ll never become a happy writer who gets paid for doing great work.
Write at your own pace, write in your own style, write the way you love to write. Enjoy the process and you will be happy writing.
Feature Other Writers
If you write in a particular focus niche, then you can feature other writers in the same niche. This would help you get company and make your writing journey easier.
I remember when I started a particular blog. I couldn’t write much on the blog due to a busy schedule, and I wasn’t too knowledgeable in the niche. What I did was feature my sister and a friend on the blog.
They loved writing on the topic, so I invited them to contribute. All I did was edit and proofread their articles before publishing. This helped me to learn more about the topic and also reduced my workload.
You could do the same and see how it works for you.
Don’t Compare Yourself With Other Writers
The fastest way to fail as a writer is to compare yourself with other writers. While it is healthy to read the works of other writers with the aim to improve, criticizing yourself in comparison with others will hinder your growth as a writer.
I remember a blog I abandoned for 2 years just because all the other blogs in the niche had longer articles. While other writers in the same niche were writing articles of more than 2,000 words, I could only come up with articles of 500 to 700 words.
As at then, long-form writing was very difficult for me. I found it excruciatingly difficult to write an article of up to 1,000 words. So, I gave up on the blog.
In fact, I never went back to that blog. It was abandoned and forgotten, just because I was comparing myself with other writers.
Blogging Could Be Your Portfolio
In conclusion, blogging is not just a leisure activity. It could be an archive or sort of a portfolio for you. You could use your blog to gauge your progress in writing and also keep an archive of your thoughts.
Nowadays, a blog could help you land a job or a freelance gig, as employers could use your blog to determine your communication skills and interests.
So, while you are blogging and improving your skills as a writer, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Endless opportunities await you as you decide to become a happy writer who is worth their weight in gold.
Here’s hoping you start writing as soon as possible, and build a successful blog.