How to Write a Blog Post

 The green pastures, and the still waters…

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

–Psalm 23

There are many different methods of writing and different outlets for writers to express their creativity; a blog is just the most common form of publication that writers use as a platform for their ideas. 

If you want to write a good blog post, you need to ask yourself why? The first question that defines anything you will write, is why you are writing it. This blog, as much as I hate to say it, was never intended to be for the readers. Let me explain myself: this blog was created as a way for me to put to use words that I was already writing every day. Words without reason are just groups of letters. I needed to find a purpose for my writing, I needed to find a place where I could devote my writing to the benefit of others, but also to the benefit of myself.

If my readers take away anything for my blog posts, if they really get anything out of them, then the blog posts were successful. But I would write them regardless, because my intention in starting a blog was to express myself, in a professional and personal way.

So, why did you start a blog? What was its purpose? What is its theme? Then, once you have established that in your own mind, pick a topic.

Topic and Title:

I combined those two because they go hand in hand with me. Sometimes I’ll get a great idea from a title, sometimes I’ll get a great title after writing the whole post without one. The topic will ultimately define your post, but the title will make it iconic and novel. When choosing a title for a post, make it catchy, short, intriguing, a play on words, or a line from a movie or song. Find a title that makes you want to read it; remember, others are just like you, only different. So make it new and fresh to you, and it will be to them also.

When choosing a post to go along with a title, try to think of what that title means to you. What part of it sticks out? What makes it a great title? Then write about that. It’s more difficult for many to write this way, but I find it easier in some cases.

Ideas form around a single thought or phrase, think about the meaning behind those ideas to get a really good post out of just a title.

Beginnings and Endings:

What are the two major parts of anything that people remember the most? The correct answer is the beginning and ending. In real life, people judge you the moment they first set eyes on you, before you even speak; and they remember you by your exit. In writing, the beginning of your post and your ending will have the most impact on the reader for they retain those two things better than everything in between. 

Make your opening statement something special, something memorable and pertinent to the post or to the timing. The opening should acclimate, or ease in the reader to the post, so don’t overload the theology in the first sentence. 

The ending should summarize everything you’ve said before it, bringing all the information to a single point. That point is what you are emphasizing, and what you want to be remembered.

Personalization:

I’ve saved the best for last. This is possibly the most important area of creating a post. If words without purpose are just groups of letters, a post without personalization is just information. Your post won’t make much of a difference if people don’t feel you in it. With all of the millions of bloggers in the world, what makes you any different? Why should anyone listen to anything you have to say? 

Because blogging is not so much about the information but about the people, if you make the post more like you, you’ll find that you’ll put more into it and your readers will get more out of it. Some fun ways to personalize blog posts are: opening comics strips, quotes or words to a song that means something to you, and standard closing statements: this is my favorite one. I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t have a standard closing statement, but I decided to have one because it gives a personability to the blog itself. It has a sense of security, like it will always be there, and it’s constant. It’s my signature, my trademark, something that everyone can identify as belonging to me. That’s why I like it so much, because it’s not about what it says, but that it’s always there.

Summary:

In closing, I hope you got something out of this. If you’re looking into starting a blog or enhancing and rethinking yours, remember that everything needs a purpose and every piece of a blog post is there for a reason. What will you be remembered by? 

As always, thanks for reading.

–the anonymous novelist