Writing The Picture of a Personal Blog

By Edrei Zahari

Expanding on what I touched on in the beginning, I’ve mentioned previously that personal blogging is something that comes from the inside. It is dependant on our hearts, our thoughts and mostly our life. Our words are the verbal snapshots of moments in our life that means something to us. Yet, the question that most bloggers ask is an important one.

“Why write about your life when there is nothing interesting to write about?”

It’s true that niche blogs which have focus are easier to write, but by no means are they as interesting as personal blogs. It just means that whatever content they focus on are easily sought out by people that want to read them. Personal blogs on the other hand, have no specific topic to dwell on, but by no means does that mean they aren’t interesting. It just means that your content isn’t your topic.

Your content is the way you tell the story. Your story.

Let’s simplify things a little. Shawshank Redemption is a story about a man’s life in jail. Silence of the Lambs is about a serial killer. Each of them is something that we find in the news or in real life, but do we bat an eye at those? Not really. What makes those stories gripping and emotional? That’s what you have to pick up. So maybe you haven’t been to jail or be involved with brutal murders, that doesn’t mean that the story of your like that you tell has to be as “to the point” as a news update.

We’ve grown so used to the dry factual writing of niche-based blogs that we often temper our words with direct descriptions of events rather than drawing a picture of words. The failure of a personal blog then isn’t when you can’t think of a story to tell, it’s when you stop making it personal. You fail as a personal blog when you disconnect yourself from the perspectives of your own life.

To prevent things like this from happening there are a few tips I can suggest to spice up your writing.

1. Emulate personal bloggers and writers you like – I don’t mean copy the things that they write. Every writer and successful blogger has their own writing style. Understand their perspective and try to develop the same writing style. This way, you learn the basics of expression. Something you can use to develop your own writing style later on.
2. Learn to express without telling – There is a basic lesson that literature students go through. What you do is to describe something without using the adjectives for it. For instance, say that you’re cold without actually saying that you’re cold. Sometimes the most creative path isn’t always the most direct one.
3. Grow with your readers – Your blog is the reflection of who you are. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t learn something new. Let that reflect in your writing. It can mean that it changes the way you write. Don’t be afraid of changes like that. Everybody grows old, but let your writing tell the world you’re growing up.
4. Don’t overdo it – A lot of people seem to think that thoughtful philosophies make up for the heart of a personal blog. It can and it has, but only as far as a person’s writing would allow it. Allow yourself to keep things simple. Even waking up can be as interesting as you allow it to. As I said, topics don’t matter in a personal blog. How you write it on the other hand, does.
5. Don’t hold yourself back – Let it out. Express. Most people tell you to cool off before you blog. I’ve often found that writing in the heat of the moment freezes it in its purest form. Emotions, thoughts and feelings are what connects you to your readers. It’s hard not to be able to relate to such raw emotions. Tempered with the way you write, you have the ability to reach and touch the hearts and minds of everyone. Just let it flow, experience takes care of the rest.

Now I have a feeling that the list here is incomplete because I know there are plenty of other ways to improve the way you write, the way you blog a personal blog. If you have any other tips to share on how you can improve your writing style, please, don’t hesitate to add them here.

Your story shouldn’t be held back with excessive self-censorship and dry writing. Let it out. Express. Your blog is the story of your life. It is you in a written mirror. It’s time to be proud of your story. It’s time to let the whole world know that this is you and this is where it all starts.

Personal Blogging Series

If you haven’t already, you can read the rest of the Personal Blogging series linked here:

• Bringing Personal Blogging To Light
• Writing The Picture of a Personal Blog
• Public vs Private: Cryptic Writing For Personal Blogs
• Defining The Voice Of Your Blog

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Edrei blogs on Footsteps in the Mirror, a personal and commentary blog. He often writes about his personal exploits, life philosophies, as well as tips on blogging and WordPress. Edrei is also an active member of the 9rules community network. You can subscribe to him via RSS Feed.