Have you ever written a post or article that seemed to write itself? You had a clear vision of your objective and the writing just flowed out. What causes this and how can we channel it into future posts?
I think a good place to start is understanding how our mind works. Our writing flows when two things occur.
- We know what we are writing about
- We know the questions our reader wants answered
Can you remember how it felt to effortlessly write a post? As you wrote your post or article, did you know what questions your reader had?
Yes, you probably did and you were happy to provide all of the answers. Is this some strange insight that randomly occurs or can we recreate it?
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Let’s say you are a cat person. You love cats. You could talk about cats all day. Could you write a post about cats? Yes, I’m sure you could.
What if a cat forum or cat blog ask you to write a guest post for their site about cats?
Would this be harder?
Would you take more time and think about your post?
The second example would be harder, but it is where your good writing lies. You would take extra time to research before writing because you would want to show your best qualities as a guest on their site.
You would think about what your audience wants and you would find the answers to those questions.
You don’t want to just write about things you love, you want to reach deep down and connect with the people who are interested in your topic.
How to Start
First, you will need a topic.
Topics are all around you right now. You just may not see them. I will give you a few examples.
- Do you use Facebook? Why? Does it help with your blog?
- Should I paint the walls in my house? Why?
- Do you use paper to write? Why?
The list goes on and on…
Once you have a few topics in your mind, I would take out multiple sheets of paper and put them on your desk or wherever you like to write.
I like to write a different topic on each piece of paper. Then, I jump back and forth writing about each topic. One topic will naturally start to rise to the surface.
Research is Easier Than you Think
This is where you want to start your research. Before you run off at the thought of research, remember that research doesn’t always mean reading through material. Research could mean thinking about things in your mind.
How so? I’m glad you ask.
Let’s say I want to write a post about lemons. I have my topic. But, I want to write my personal experience with lemons, not a research paper. If I spent a couple of hours thinking about lemons, do you think I would come up with some personal examples where lemons affected my day?
I don’t personally have any lemon stories, but a person who is passionate about lemons will probably have lots of memories and thoughts about lemons.
Once you have done your research, it’s time to start writing.
Pay very close attention to the questions you ask yourself when you’re writing about your topic.
What are things you want to know about your topic?
These are good places to start because your reader will probably have the same questions.
Don’t think about page views or how you can sound smart!
Be authentic and genuine. Let people connect with you. Just let your thoughts flow onto the page.
Don’t worry about how many followers you have or if anyone will read your posts. Just stay connected to your topic and write for that audience.
If you take the time to research your topic and think about what your audience wants to know, then your writing should be fairly easy. Just start writing. Connect dots as you move along and let the writing flow.
My Last Thoughts
I think that it’s human nature to drive ourselves crazy about things we wish we had. Take a minute to step back and enjoy this moment. You have a chance to share your ideas with the world! Don’t worry about things you cannot change. Just write in the moment.
If you feel this post could help someone, feel free to share it with them.
Thanks for your time…
P.S. As a reward for reading the entire length of this post, I will give you a rare insight into my writing. This post took approximately 6 hours to write (and lots of thinking).