My Creative Process: Blogs

Writing a blog about writing a blog is weird.

It’s like when Hollywood makes a movie about the movie industry.

Though it feels strange to write about them, blogs are effective marketing if done right. That means thinking seriously about structure and readability. It’s not just cranking out 1,000 words.

(You better have a good reason if your blog is 1,000 words.)

Here’s what I do:

Have a Game Plan to Keep the Blog’s Message Focused

I'm assuming you know the blog’s topic.

Before you write a single word, spend enough time researching. Find relevant data. See what others have said about it. Make sure you comprehend the subject.

When research is over and it’s time to start writing, having a “game plan” means two things:

• What do you want the reader to take away from the piece?

At the very top of the Word/Google doc, write a single sentence about the point of the blog. If you can’t summarize it in one reasonably-sized sentence, you’re trying to cover too much. Find one main thesis and stick to it.

This will become your North Star. While writing the blog, think if the sentence/paragraph you just wrote is relevant to your North Star? If it’s not, delete it.

(My North Star for this: "Telling my process for writing clear, concise, effective blog copy.")

• Write a semi-structured outline for the entire piece.

It may feel like you’re back in English class, but it keeps your writing focused. Sometimes you can create the outline directly in your word processor. Or like how I did for this, it’s on the back of a receipt while sitting at a restaurant.

When it’s finally time to write, write the first draft in one sitting. It’s not going to be very good – believe me, most of my first drafts are garbage. But it’s not effective to write a section, go do something else, then come back a few days later to do another section. Fragmented writing robs you of creative momentum.

Be Flexible When You Write Your Introduction (Let Inspiration Lead the Dance Sometimes)

Sometimes I know my opener right away. Sometimes I have no idea how I’m going to get the figurative airplane in the air.

If you’re looking at a blank page for a long time, start writing the meat of the blog and save the introduction for the end. You’d be surprised how often that really works.

Write for Scannability Because People Probably Won’t Read the Whole Thing

Write with the reader in mind.

Too often writers fall in love with their own writing and want to write more and more and more. That is counterproductive, like drinking more and more salt water when you’re thirsty. Instead, think as a reader: would I read this?

Examples of writing for scannability:

• Write short paragraphs. White space is your friend. If somebody sees monster paragraphs, they won’t even begin to read. Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences) are crumbs leading your reader through the article.
• Use subheads that are full thoughts. The reader will get the point you’re making (your North Star) even if they don’t read the whole piece. Say “Write for Scannability Because People Probably Won’t Read the Whole Thing” as a subhead instead of “Scannability."
• Use bullet points. Like short paragraphs, bullet points show information faster and create more of that beautiful white space.
• Use numerals when possible, especially for important data. This will get me in trouble with the Style Police. However, numbers (when used sparingly) stand out in articles because they are different than letters (wow, great insight there.) What I mean is, when something is different, it stands out more. Instead of “half of all,” say “50% of all.” Instead of “twenty pounds,” say “20 pounds.”

Cut Everything You Possible Can Because Your First Draft Is Full of Useless Crap

Word counts are guide maps to writing wastelands. People think “This must be at least 1,000 words, it simply must!” Then you fill your writing with clutter to get to that number. You use 7 words instead of 2. You add a paragraph that doesn’t relate to your North Star. You make the reader do more work .

My process for cutting:

Step 1: Write a bad first draft. Don’t worry about clutter here. Just write. Power through it and then sit back in self-hatred about how awful it is.

Step 2: Print the blog out on paper. I know, saving trees and all that. But I find clutter when it’s on paper that I wouldn’t catch on the computer.

Step 3: Proofread for typos. Don’t worry about anything but catching the errors.

Step 4: Ruthlessly proofread it again, this time with the mindset of cutting. Hatchet away pointless sentences that provide any value. Go Patrick Bateman on your copy.

Step 5: Make all the edits and print it out again. (I know, I know.)

Step 6: Proofread it at least one more time and be super picky about cutting words. This is when the hatchet has turned into an X-ACTO knife. Cut as much as you can. Realistically, if you had a 600-word blog, you can get it down to 400.

Come up with a Great Headline … Then Come up with 10 More

Writing good headlines is hard. The final step in the process, find a balance between a bland headline and a click bait, “What Happens Next Will Blow Your Mind” BuzzFeed headline. For an educational blog, consider your North Star as you create your headline. Focus on what the reader can learn.

If you come up with 10 headlines, often the headline you run with is a combination of two or three of them.