Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers (and Writers)
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger had a group writing project going recently. He challenged the readers of his regular newsletter on Blogging to submit their top habits of highly effective bloggers. The resulting posts show some common threads amongst his readers, but also an amazing variety of approaches and perspectives. If you are at all serious about blogging, to the point of committing to becoming a “ProBlogger” (professional blogger), then you need to read Darren’s article at the very least. There are now dozens of other bloggers who have contributed their lists and comments on effective blogging (read their articles here).
Daunting Challenge
I came to the challenge feeling that I did not have much to contribute. This blog about books, writing and the writer’s life has only been going for about three months. Despite that, it is generating pleasing traffic on a daily basis. In comparison, my other blogs, Trevor’s Birding and Trevor’s Travels are generating a wide readership with many hits every day – and growing rapidly.
Effective Blogging Habits
On that basis, and because my birding blog has been up and running now for about nine months, I decided to contribute. On reflection, the article I have written is applicable to many writing situations. I hope that the habits I have highlighted will help other writers in developing highly effective writing habits.
To read my article called “Some Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers” click here.
Overcoming Writer’s Block
I’ve just read an interesting article on blogging. The author on the blog called The Qwertyrash Blogs has written a piece on Blogger’s Block. This is just a blogosphere term for the old fashioned “writer’s block.” (Update November 2013: The Qwertyrash Blogs no longer exist.)
He suggests that there are two distinct types of writer’s block.
1. Writer’s Block where you are “bereft of ideas.” He includes some useful hints on helping to overcome this malady, including carrying a notebook to jot down ideas.
I don’t so much suffer from writer’s block, but rather “writer’s forgettery” – so I have a pad of recycled paper (used stuff printed on one side only) and I immediately jot down ideas as they occur to me. That way I always have a list of topics to write about in my three blogs (see the Links section for my other blogs). I also have a file on my computer listing all the topics I could write about in the future. This is a long list. I don’t think I’ll run out of writing ideas for a few decades yet.
That reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbs cartoon I have somewhere in my files. Calvin looks extremely frazzled and the caption says, “God put me on Earth to achieve a certain number of things. Right now I’m so far behind I am going to live forever!”
2. Writer’s Glug is the lesser known form of writer’s block. I love that term. So descriptive! He says that writer’s glug is “where you have the ideas but writing feels like walking through deep mud – quite laborious.”
Yeah – like none of us know what that is like!
The article goes on to give some very useful hints on overcoming this particular problem. My solution is often to get out and go for a walk. It clears out the cobwebs. I also take my binoculars and go birdwatching. This will invariably give me something to write about in my birding blog!
What works for you?
I’d like to read the ideas of my readers. How do you overcome writer’s block?
Updated November 2013.
Review of WordPress
Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins has written a new review of the very popular blogging platform WordPress. I use this program for all of my blogs (see the archives section for my other blogs) and I find it very easy to use. Mind you, all the setting up and administration is done by my very technically competent son (see the Rhyme of Sim).
Having said that, from a purely technically-challenged user point of view I find WordPress very easy to use. One can add new posts very easily, the editing is also very easy and the result looks very clean and easy to read.
Sheila gives it a big wrap, saying that “it is definitely a highly recommended software for anyone who wants a powerful stand-alone and professional-looking weblog platform.”
Sheila has given it one of her rare 5-star ratings. That’s very high praise coming from her. To read her review click here.
Blooks and Blogs
From time to time one comes across a word one has never seen or heard before. Blog and blogging are such words to many people – especially those who spend very little or no time on the internet (yes- there are still such creatures in the world).
Today I came across a completely new word for me: blooks. I was reading the current newsletter of the South Australian Writers’ Centre which came in the mail today. The article was called “Blooks and Blogs” and the writer analysed some of the advantages of blogging, especially in relation to writers.
Blooks
Included in the text was a reference to and an explanation of a ‘blook’. It seems that a blook is a regular book that has been born from a blog. Now that is an interesting trend. Many blogs I have attempted to read in the last few weeks are just utter garbage. Personal rantings and puerile ravings.
Contrasted with these are the many beautifully written blogs one returns to frequently, for they are a sheer delight to read. Some have beautiful photos as well. To make the leap from blog to book is a huge step for a publisher – not to mention the delight for the author – and now it has been done this could become the way of the future. Or at least one way to publication in its traditional sense.
The ‘Blooker Prize’
The article mentions the inaugural winner of the ‘Blooker Prize’. This was won by an American author whose series of blog articles have now been published in traditional book format. Her articles detailed her attempts to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
To visit the South Australian Writers’ Centre click here.
LibraryThing
It’s amazing what you find on the internet.
I was reading a blog about good blog design. As you do.
This led me to a series of blogs that seemed to be really well designed – naturally.
Clear. Easy to read. Interesting. Informative.
As they should be.
Then one had a listing of books the author had recently added to his Library Catalogue. This linked to another page called LibraryThing. It’s a library cataloguing system. Brilliant in concept, simple to use and so useful.
In another life I was a school librarian for eight years. I love books. I read every day. No day is complete without reading. I have a BIG and GROWING collection of books. So does my wife.
Every so often I have to make another bookshelf to hold all the books. We have books about birds, travel, gardening, plants, flowers, Christianity, reference, novels, picture books, humour, history and the list goes on.
Now I could very easily get hooked on cataloguing all our books. I’ve been threatening to do that for about 25 years. Now – where do I get all that time that would be necessary to achieve this worthwhile task?
Until then – I’ll just use shelve them like they’ve always been shelved – non-fiction in approximately subject order, fiction alphabetically by author.
And I’ll find them using the Biblical System – “Seek And Ye Shall Find.”