Hello Amanda. You've already received some excellent tips and advice, but let me add this:

Most writers get "writers' block" (which seems to be your issue at the moment) because they have not established a clear main point for their writing. Therefore, it becomes difficult to focus and to determine which of the many ideas that come flooding into their minds are relevant to their writing.

You might think of it this way: Ask yourself..."If I had to explain this (whatever it is that you will write about) to someone but could only use one or two sentences, what would I say?"

If you do this correctly, that one sentence becomes your main point; your controlling theme; or your main purpose.

Then, begin brainstorming everything you can think of that has even a remote connection to that main point. I find it best to just list them as they come to me, leaving enough room for a column to the left of these entries. For this, you want overkill. Not everything will be relevant, but the more stuff you have listed; the easier it will be to see commonalities. Also, don't worry about writing full sentences at this stage--bullet points work well.

Once you are finished with brainstorming, you should have a pretty big list of "stuff."

Next, look at item #1 on your list and determine if it could be a detail, example, or reason that explains something about your main point. If it does, label it "A" in the column on the left (if not, just skip it for now).

Go to the next item. Determine if it could be a detail, example, or reason that explains something about your main point. If it does, determine if it falls into the same category as item #1 (previously labeled "A"). If it does, also label it "A"; if not, label it "B".

Do this again for item #3. If it is relevant and falls into the same category as A or B, label it accordingly. If not, label it “C”.

Continue in this manner for every item on the list. When you are finished, you should see groupings of items. For example, you may end up with 2 entries labeled “A”; 6 entries labeled “B”; 5 entries labeled “C”; 1 entry labeled “D”; and 8 entries labeled “E”.

What this means is that you have 3 groupings that will make pretty good sub-points; in this case:
B with 6 entries
C with 5 entries
E with 8 entries.

(Determine if A(2) and D(1) will fit into any of the other groups. If not, discard).

Now, determine the most logical order for B/C/E and rename them 1/2/3. These will be your three sub-points that will support your main point established earlier. Now, just develop your story based on this structure. Also, it's good to have an introduction and conclusion on each end of these sub-points.

I apologize for the length but hope everything is clear enough to follow. I’ll be happy to clarify anything that is unclear. Hope this helps.

Joshua

Hi Amanda - At some point - you just have to go for it and publish your post. If you're really worried pm me a copy and I'll critique it for you - but I'm sure that it's much better than you think it is. The more you keep trying to rewrite it - the more difficult it will become and the more you'll likely to think you're not good enough.

Hello AmandaRae, I would tell you your writing does not need to be perfect. It helps me to write a rough outline with a main topic or heading and 3 main points. Then tie in the closing to the heading or opening. Maybe start with a quote then end with the same quote. I would suggest keeping the writing as minimal as possible, seems like everyone has ADD when it comes to reading these days! If you do not like writing, how about adding video or screencasting to your site? Good luck and remember people will visit because your site has content worthy of reading or watching.

Hey Amanda,
I find it helpful to come up with an outline of the topics that you want to write about. Then the flow of ideas becomes easier for me to just write about each of those topics. Also, those topics become headers for each of the sections within your blog.

I agree with the general sentiment that it becomes easier the more you do it.

Best Regards,
Jim

Hey Amanda

Dont worry to much if its the first writing you have done for a while because you will get better at it. Like Angelsway says - Try to make it sound like a natural chat and you will better connect with your audience and you will come across as you. Dont worry about what you was like at English because your not writng an essay after all. Just relax and let it flow naturally and put your personallity into the article, your audience will appreciate that.

Mike

You have just done a fine job explaining just now. Dont think to hard. Your brain shuts down. Dont panic. Go and have a coffee. Sit down and think of it as a chat with a friend filling in the story as you go. I pretend lets say my mum is there and im chatting to her. Hope this helps amanda. One of the pros will prob get back to you with the nuts and bolts. Check out the tutorials, they are a huge help.