I have a confession to make. I am not one of those savants that starting writing even before they learned to walk. I did not write clever stories in elementary school. I did not write poetry in grade school. And I didn’t write grandiose academic papers in high school (I’m actually a high school drop out.) I actually didn’t start writing regularly until I started college when I was much older.
So, you see, you don’t have to be an expert to be a great blogger.
This brings up tip number one: If you can talk, you can write.
Blogging is really just sharing, so you basically want to just share what you know like you were sitting at the kitchen table speaking to a friend.
Forget all that fancy writing grammar nonsense Mrs. Johnson taught you in high school... this is not that kind of writing. In fact, I have found that people who get too "fancy" actually turn off readers, because it comes across as less real.
I start sentences all the time with the word "And". And (see what I did there?) I don’t really know what a participle is, so I’m pretty sure I’ve dangled a few here or there.
If you're still concerned about the "rules", or English is not your first language, a couple of apps you could look at are Hemingway and Grammarly. They'll help with the little things like the occasional misspelled word and stuff -- I use them both all the time and they're great.
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Steve.
A great introduction to how to write for beginners. People just get caught in the details of what to include, spelling and grammar. The longer a document is, the more likely it will have mistakes. Our brains work faster than we type. We are so critical of our own work and we think it is never good, but guess what some people will be impressed, others not much so. That's life.
The only difference I would make is that I wouldn't recommend that the first draft is made in front of a computer. The computer will mock you. Instead write the first draft using pen and paper. In that way, when you transcribe it to the computer you will make changes and therefore your second draft.
Thank you for this great training.
Antonio
I agree with your thoughts on the first draft, but only in the sense that one must find what works for them.
For example, with my first drafts, I tend to "vomit" on the page, meaning I just want to get everything out as fast as I can. And since I can type a LOT faster than I can physically write, I actually have the exact opposite experience... it is the pen and paper that wind up mocking me with the cold stare of the blank page.
After all that typing, I tend to print out my writing where I can go through it, taking my time, correcting mistakes and editing for style.
As you can see, we both seem to follow the same process, only in a different order. And that's the beauty of writing: there's no one right way to do it. :-)
When we are writing the first draft, we are in the creative mode. Here we are just trying to get our ideas down. This creative act comes from the right side of the brain. This is where things like creativity and emotion live.
The logical mode is where we do all of our editing. We are using the left side of our brain. This is where things like logic, math, grammar, etc. live.
As you can see, since each requires a different part of the brain, the absolute worst thing you can do is the try and do both at the same time. The constant back and forth hinders your writing, slows you down, and simply wears your brain out; it's just too much to handle.
So, when it's time to write, write. When it's time to edit, edit. And, to quote Kipling, never shall the twain meet :-)
Now I feel motivated to JUST WRITE cause its actually easier and enjoyable.
Here's to Progress, not Perfection (well not just as yet hehe).
Thank you again. :-)
