Why Writing Shouldn't Be Effortless

Why Writing Shouldn't Be Effortless

|MoreWhy Writing Shouldn't Be Effortless

Blogs are a great tool for writers to learn many tricks of the trade while writing for an audience. Writers who don't follow some basic rules will find it hard to be taken seriously, though. Writing isn't supposed to be a chore, but neither is reading.

I read a long, rambling blog post this morning in which the blogger claimed that writing shouldn't be an effort. According to the blogger, making an effort would result in poor writing. Effortless writing, on the other hand, was the way to well-written blog posts.

Well, I didn't find it hard to believe that the blogger hadn't made an effort. The post was full of typos, long sentences and passive voice. Two of the tips directly contradicted each other. There were a few things the blogger had thrown in at random which distracted from the subject matter of the post without adding anything new. It read like a first draft, not like a blog post meant for publication.

Writers who want to write for an audience need to make an effort, though. Getting the first draft out is a rough and dirty affair. Once the rough material is there, writers who respect their readers will edit and revise it. The finished piece should not waste the readers' time. They are supposed to come back for more, aren't they?

Here's how to write clear, informative blog post readers will enjoy:

Select the topic of your post. Stick to one topic.
Jot down an outline: What to you want to cover, how do you want to present the topic, what material do you have to support your position?
Write the first draft in one go, if possible. Don't worry about spelling, grammar, inner logic. The important thing is to get the draft out.
If you have the time, go away for an hour.
Edit the draft: Use a spell-checker - but don't rely on it to find all typos and spelling mistakes, look for grammar mistakes, make sure you're sentences are mostly short, weed out irrelevant tangents.
Present your points in a logical order. Don't jump back and forth.
Check the paragraphs aren't to long.
If it's a long post, use subheadings and make them bold.
Add a short intro and a couple of sentences for the conclusion.
This looks like a lot to remember, but after a few posts the process will become second nature. Making an effort while crafting a blog post shows that you respect your readers. They will give you their time to read your post - make sure they don't think they wasted it.







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