Do you have your own blog? If so, do you sometimes feel guilty about spending time writing for your blog rather than working on something which you consider more “worthwhile”? If you don’t have a blog, have you ever thought of starting one? Perhaps you’re not sure whether it would be worth the investment of your time and energy.
Here are five great ways that starting your own blog, or continuing writing the one you already have, can improve your writing.
1. You’ll get into the habit of writing regularly
We’ve covered ways to write every day before, and this really is a good habit to establish if you have serious writing ambitions. Blog posts tend to be short and can be online as soon as you’ve written them: it’s much easier to write daily on your blog than to keep plugging away on stories and articles that might not be published for months, if at all.
2. Instant feedback lets you know how you’re doing
If you are writing purely for yourself, you don’t need feedback. Most of us, though, feel that a piece of writing is not complete until it has a reader. (Indeed, there is a school of critical theory that insists a piece of writing only truly exists whilst it is being read.)
One of the best things about blogging is that not only is publishing instant, feedback is too. As soon as your piece is posted, readers will start adding their comments, emailing you, or even linking to it from their own blogs. You’ll know when your writing is good because you’ll get positive responses. Negative feedback, or none at all, will tip you off that your style might need work, or that the content of your piece may be boring, trite or over-done.
3. Having readers for your work is a big motivation
Do you have days when you sit down to write … and stare at the screen for ages before giving up in frustration? Sometimes you just aren’t “in the mood” to write. When you’re feeling motivated, though, the words come easily. Knowing that real people are reading what you write is a huge boost – something you can only appreciate once you’ve experienced it. Even on days when you’re feeling less than inspired, the thought of your readers can be enough to get you writing.
4. Your writing will improve
The best way to get better at anything is to practice. Writing frequently for your blog means your writing will improve – both as you react to feedback, and as you learn how to craft effective sentences and choose perfect words. If you already write a blog, look back at your earliest posts. Do they make you cringe, when compared to your writing now?
5. Blogs are an ideal medium for experimentation
Sometimes, you might want to try out a new style or form of writing. Short sentences. (With no verbs.)
- Bullet pointed lists
A more verbose, elegant and poised style, using the rhythms and cadences of the English language to transform a piece of writing into a work of art.
Writing a whole story, article or even a book in a new style could be a big risk – what if it doesn’t work? A blog post, on the other hand, is quick to write and free to publish: if it fails, you’ve not lost much. Blogging gives you the freedom to experiment, to try out something new.
If blogging’s made you a better writer, let us know how in the comments below.
I’ve been trying to tell this to my writing group for a long time because it is SO true. I have been blogging for 2 years now, an average of 4 days per week. It’s hard to get at it sometimes, but the feedback is great.
It has improved my writing as well as built my readership which is going to help when I pitch my next novel to a publisher!
Thanks for this article.
Hooked on Blogging,
Bonnie Winters
If you were looking for instant feedback (reason 2), then misspelling “cadence” is a good way to get it!
I like the reasons that you advance – have you got any advice on how to start a blog? And what with? I get the impression that most blogs are fairly self-indulgent and inconsequential. Who’s going to read a blog if the writer has nothing important to say? How would you advise the aspiring blogger to find a theme that will encourage continuing writing?
(You can tell I’m not – currently – a great fan of the amateur blog!)
Blogging is what made we realize I love to write…
thanks for this post – I agree full-heartedly. Point #3 is the strongest for me. There are days when I just don’t have the motivation to blog, but thinking about my small but loyal group of readers gives me that much needed boost.
13 million blogers around the world post content in the blog/online diary. Blogs is the best commucation tools for you to interact with your visitors.
Your visitors can give feedback/comments to you and you can improve your service/products and provide best solution to your visitors.
I wish to share with you the 6 principals to blog online. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
1) Communicate with your readers by posting your sincere review/ideas
2) Fresh content. Google love fresh content and your readers too. Post every 2-3 days when you are starting out
3) Build relationship with them and encourage them post comments on your blog
4) Write a sincere review about a product
5) Never “hard sell” or promote a product when you don’t even know what your customer needs and the qualify of the products
6) If it work, tell your readers why. If it doesn’t, be honest with them
To Your Success
Bryan Hee
I absolutely agree that blogging is a great medium for practicing writing. The more you write, the better you write.
It’s a great way to experiment, as you also mentioned. I do that with my blog all the time–especially with storytelling modes.
Great article!
Dawn
Is life challenging? There are humans so consume with unhealthy substance, which has no meaning such as cars, games, and clothes. Life comes with some many lessons that people do not stop to learn from them.
I love to blog…I actually had a forum a few years back and didn’t realize I was blogging…If I had something to say I wrote about it…I love the insights I have learned from inside myself and from others…Sometimes the words flow from my finger tips and I look at it and think wow that is really good…Blogging is writing without the pressure… Well except I am always a little uptight about my dyslexia…If I got the right word so that spell check will put it up…But with blogging I have improved…So that is always a plus 8)
I agree that blogging is one way to improve your writing, and try out new styles. It is fun.
I also agree that it can be a self-indulgent exercise, and trying to drive traffic it to it can be a waste of time.
Getting traffic with all the competition out there can take up valuable time for little return unless you are very good or smart at marketing. I regard mine as my hobby writing, although traffic is improving slowly.
I first began blogging for the purpose of shaking the rust off, but I really had no concept what a profound effect it would have on my writing and my life.
I agree wholeheartedly with all the above.
Oh, how I hate looking at my blog entries from the first two or three years after it went live … eight years ago. But that speaks to how writing and style improve over time with practice.
I used to write poems and fiction all the time while growing up… now I barely sputter the stuff. Why? I stopped practicing that kind of writing (well, high school and college didn’t encourage it much and I had better things to do than write in my free time).
I have three blogs I keep up with regularly, one for personal/family stuff and pictures, one for writing, and one for my interest in circus.
I also write for two tech blogs. I think blogging has made me a better writer, and it helps me to get ideas out of my head and onto paper/screen so I don’t have those ideas interfering with my fiction writing.
I don’t think it’s made me much of a better writer, but it has been enjoyable and I’ve been grateful because people actually comment and listen to me.
I do love blogging, with a serious passion, just as I love any writing. It’s all because of the community on the site though. I love the people there-so I keep writing. Because I know somebody will read it.
~Dianna
This is very true. I’ve been blogging for almost three years now and I’ve only switched blogs once. Looking back on the first entries of my current blog is a painful experience, but once I’ve seen how much my writing has matured, it gives me a reason to smile.
It’s great to hear so many stories about how blogging has improved people’s writing — thanks for sharing them all!
@Alex Down: Maybe I should put “blogging teaches you to proof-read more thoroughly” on the list. Thanks for the typo-spot, have fixed it now! I may have to write a whole new post to answer some of your other questions, though…
@Kimberly: I’ve heard so many bloggers say that it’s not only improved their writing, but their whole life — it’s always an encouragement to read that. 🙂
@Meryl: I don’t think it’s ever too late to go back to writing fiction… and I too look back at my earliest blogging attempts and cringe!
Regarding the points about blogging being self-indulgent: yes, I’d agree it certainly can be, though many people find this sort of blogging therapeutic and aren’t necessarily looking for a large audience.
Though I do agree with Dianna and Rachel who’ve emphasised that one of the key advantages of blogging is having readers for your work: if you’re producing any “serious”, thought-out content — rather than just a stream-of-consciousness ramble — then it’s lovely to be rewarded by a reader commenting favourably.
So many thanks to all of you for taking the time to add your experiences and thoughts. 🙂
Ali, oh you’re right — it’s never too late to do anything. It’s just now that life and my current writing career take up too much time for fiction. Writing fiction doesn’t rank high in my list of priorities.
Just wish I had kept my old writings. I have a little, but you’re not thinking like that as a kid. But I do keep my children’s more intriguing work.
Couldn’t agree more. The number one way of improving, in my mind, is to write more regularly.
Look the truth is that I wouldn’t have ever written except for myself if it wasn’t for blogging…It has improved my dyslexia also 8) that and spell check lol…sometimes I don’t get close enough and have to ask my 13 yr old editor daughter 8)…She thankfully doesn’t have it and is an a natural speller…She is amazing kinda love this kid 8) As I did my 4 grown (well maybe) sons…
Good article. Blogging may not be a superior writing form, without drawbacks, but it’s a lot easier to get started writing for blogs than for magazines. The instant feedback and instant publishing is unparalleled. However, blogging professionally has made me a worse writer as well as a better one, as I’ll discuss in an upcoming post.
Well i am a new user over here. it was my first time to read all this information.
i too think so that blogging will help me to improve my writing.
yes very much i agree, but can somebody tell asite where i could join as well??
many thanks
Amna
The pleasure and motivational value of quick feedback is great.
But there is a potential pitfall there too. If you’re like me, the instant gratification of interacting with people can easily sidetrack you from spending time on work that is more beneficial longer term.
I was an english/writing major in college, and i LOVE writing. I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN SO MUCH SINCE STARTING MY BLOGS.
However, I dont really agree that blogging makes EVERYONE a better writer, but if you are a writer to begin with, it DEFINITELY will make you better.
I am actually having a dispute with a contributor on one of my blogs. He is a GREAT contributor, but i ALWAYS have to rewrite the posts to make them easier to read. he is NOT a writer, but has good stories (if that makes sense) But now he is saying that edititng his writing is like telling a painter to change his painting. I COMPLETELY disagree. He’s not a skilled writer like a painter is a skilled at painting.
Anyways. GREAT article, and I would LOVE it if i a couple of you writers head over to my POLL and let me know what you feel about this whole dispute.
Ali,
To your points #2 and #3 above: To bloggers first starting out, it’s sometimes hard to build an audience initially (outside of immediate friends and family). It always starts that way of course but for those who need that extra boost of motivation from immediate feedback or writing for a larger, known readership, there are resources out there and even independent websites that help bloggers promote their sites and their writing, like StageofLife.com.
We wish everyone the best! Keep on writing.
Eric
CEO/Founder
Stage of Life
I agree with everything you said. People have told ne for years that I should blog and journal.
Unfortunately, I suck at it.
I can’t tell you how many blogs and journals I’ve started, and made exactly one entry in. Sometimes I manage to make three or four. But talking about my life and day bores me. I hate to think what it does to my poor reader.
I did write regularly, though. Fictionpress.com let’s anyone post anything they like. I used to post poetry and short stories and little novellas I was working on there. Had almost 150 postings in 3 years. It was quite an experience. The reviews really make an impact on your writing. Just knowing that someone wanted to hear more of a particular story gave me something to work for.
Also, the flames, though painful, were wonderful help. I had one person read one 4 page segment of a story in progress and call my character a Mary Sue, tell me I was describing too much detail in setting, and that there was too much back-story. She wasn’t nice about it, either. This was on one of my first postings (horrible stuff) and I was around 13 at the time, so I didn’t take it well. Never went near that story again.
But you can bet I did some research into how to improve those failings. And I have never allowed a character of mine to become a Mary Sue again.
I don’t know that that is really blogging. But it sure did a number on my writing. Now, I mostly restrict myself to commenting on other people’s blogs and in forums. It improves my writing, too, but it doesn’t require as much time and trouble.
Have a nice day, folks, and great comments! Almost makes me want to actually blog.
P.S. I’m sorry if there are any major grammar or spelling errors. My computer broke a while back and I can’t afford another. Instead, I make do with my iPhone. While it is acceptable for Internet surfing, a wonderful typing experience it is not. Editing is impossible as it won’t let you read but so much. So, please excuse the mess. Talk to y’all later!
Yes blogging does improves ones writing but you will also need some software to check what mistakes you are making.