Tips, Tricks and Advice

With any form of writing, authors are faced with a degree of challenges with every single sentence. What will I write about? Is this easy to understand or difficult? Will my audience enjoy it or just me? The anxiety can be problematic even for the most seasoned of writers.

Although I have managed a blog myself not too long ago, it is always strategical when it comes to posting. You don't want to overload your audience, or push them into a coma out of boredom. With some helpful tips from this site, this one, and these ones I have a more concrete understanding of what makes a successful blog tick. Let's run through the basics:

• Keep your posts short, but also to the point and interesting. The average attention span will not make it through a 500 word essay, so if you are writing about something needing the extra wordage break it up either literally or visually with images.
• Speaking of images, use them to your advantage. Make sure, of course, they are tasteful an relevant to your subject. Too many can be visually busy, too few can make it barren try to find a nice balance.
• Make sure to try and maintain your blog, as you would a plant (terrible reference but.) As long as you give it attention and take care of it, posting regularly and keeping things fresh,    the audience is inclined to keep reading and sharing your work.
• Don't be afraid to try and branch out to new ideas. Take videos, try a topic you haven't before, have a guest writer, whatever! This keeps the readers intrigued and might attract new ones that might not have thought to check it out. Have fun with your blog, it shouldn't be a ball and chain.

I've found the advice above some of the most general yet simply effective at establishing yourself and your blog. 

In my personal opinion, I think humor is one of the best ways to hold an audience. Depressing, dark or brutal stories can be a downer (unless of course that's what the reader truly enjoys, more power to them!) Some stories definitely need be in a serious tone, but keep it lighthearted often. It makes the reader appreciate you and know that you aren't taking this all too, too seriously. 

Another insight I have is SOCIAL MEDIA. My personal blog, I posted this little entry and somehow, I have no idea how, overnight it had garnered over 15,000 views amongst numerous likes and posts on Facebook and Twitter. I was stunned, and it all actually started because I posted the link to the story on my feed on Facebook. Then it got shared, and shared and the shares got shared and it was magic. Never underestimate the power you have with these services at your hand, use them! Wisely of course, no one likes to be assaulted with the same posts repeatedly so be casual with it. It's a great feeling to see that so many people have witnessed your work, and even more that they (might) have enjoyed it.

-Cameron