Write your blogs like no one is reading
Sing like no one is listening.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching,
and live like it’s heaven on earth.
~attributed to various authors, but commonly attributed to Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh who composed “Come from the Heart” which contained derivatives of the song.
I would add, "write your blogs like no one is reading," too.
I am not a fan of poor writing or poor use of grammar, although I am also guilty of misuse from time to time. I believe we can write as if we are talking to a friend and still use good skills.
Writing like no one is reading is along the same lines of dancing like no one is watching. When we dance like no one is watching, we let ourselves go. We try new moves, not caring if we get them right or wrong. We float, we flutter, we can do things we never thought possible.
But add even a single person and we suddenly have two left feet and neither one knows what to do. We don't know what to do with our hands or arms. Our bodies become rigid and inflexible.
I think (my own theory) that when we write like no one is reading, we are very free. We write things that maybe we wouldn't write if we knew someone was going to read it. We might come up with alternate theories, ideas and worlds that only exist in our imaginations. We will likely write very fluently and naturally.
If we start to write like people are reading then we start to steep our language use. We use BIG words that have little meaning to most people. We use phrases and similes and things that make our writing look BIG and IMPORTANT, but what it really does is make it difficult to read!
We have been trained here to write for our audience. I believe we can do that AND write like no one is reading. Write as if you are talking to your friends. If you do that, it is more natural and has a flow that is easier to read.
Write like you are telling a story around a campfire to a bunch of friends and family. The words flow. The emotions rise and you captivate your "audience" with your tale.
You can do it. Do you know how I know you can? Because this is exactly what I have done for the majority of this post! I have written the majority of this post like I am talking to a friend—you!
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁
Recent Comments
53
Thanks Karen. You make good sense with this post. Part of my work involved writing technical specifications for building projects, which affected any natural style of writing I may have had for years afterwards.
So your advice is useful for me to keep in mind when I write blog content.
Chris
I hear you on that, Chris. Having worked in journalism and having to write in a certain way for so many years, I felt like my creative abilities were diminishing, but then I started to write my newspaper stories in a more narrative way—like I was telling a story to a friend—and my readers have been enjoying that more. Our newspaper sales have increased and I think it is partially due to writing like no one is reading!
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁
I was taught when I first started with WA to write like you are talking to friends and family. So it is something that is always in the front of my mind when I am putting together a post.
I also agree about unnecessary big words, if someone has to look up a words meaning then you most probably have lost them as a reader.
Best wishes
Gaz
WA does such a great job teaching us how to write our websites. I just hope I can emphasize those lessons. Thanks for the comments, Gaz! Always appreciated.
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁
On the best days, even with no one around, my dancing just plain sux. 3 Left feet and my hands and arms are best used to keep weights from dropping to the floor.
That said, writing as if no is reading has a lot of value. With that in mind, you free yourself to let the creative juices flow. Good post Karin.
Greg
Ha ha, Greg. I bet you dance much better than you think! You sure do a fine job of writing, at least from what I have read!
Hope you are having a great week!
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁
You're right about the BIG words part - I used to think I needed that have them in there to get attention, but now I write more naturally.
Thanks for the post!
Isaiah 😊
Thanks for reading, Isaiah. BIG words are sometimes a necessary "evil," but for the most part, we can use words that speak to our readers and they can relate to.
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁
See more comments
I never thought of writing like that; thanks for the big change of perspective! It's always taught "think about the reader, what does your reader want".
But that can actually lead to boring text, because you write self-consciously when you think about who's going to read your text. If you write like nobody's going to read it, you express yourself freely.
I am glad you found the post helpful. Start your writing freedom today!
With 2020 vision,
Karin 😁