3 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Blogs

• Written by Vibha Bharaddwaj

That’s right. I wish I had known the things when I started my blogs.

I made lot of mistakes, some that I am not shy to admit.

I can summarise my learning into 3 Key lessons, that I am about to share.
Anything more than that I am sure you will start to lose interest.

And that is not the intent.

First, You need to develop the habit of writing!

Sounds Simple. It is actually so.

Many share with me saying “I have never written before……what if it’s too late to start now….as there are already too many blog writers out there”.

Well, there are too many for too many things and yet we do.

For the simple fact, as my mentor says, with such a large population, there is enough and more for everyone.

With that said, re-adjust your attitude.

Get a notepad and a pen.

I am sure the next thing that will pop in your head is “What do I write about?”.

Your whole mind has suddenly gone blank.

It happens to everyone and you are the not the first neither will you be the last.

It just shows that you are not alone.

Start simple.

How about starting with “How was your Sunday?”
Write about two amazing people whom you met on Thursday (or any day of your choice) who impressed you the most?

In other words, choose a topic from your own life.

I am sure you have enough life experience (I am assuming that you are over 18 years of age 🙂 ).

Once you decide on a topic, this magical mind will start pouring ideas as it will get something to focus on.

And you may not stop with one page. It will run to several pages.

That’s the reason I asked you to pick up a notepad.

As you fill the pages, you will be amazed by the number of pages that you have actually written.

Next, You need to now schedule this activity, so that you make it a habit.
For ex- We brush our teeth first thing in the morning (well most of us do). Initially, one of our parent would make us do till it became a habit.

Consider this the same. Initially you may need some kind of reminder too, till it becomes a habit to do it everyday.

Schedule a time and write for 10 mins initially (at least a week) and slowly increase it to half hour.

Make sure you stick to this schedule for at least a week.

I too exactly did the same thing. Initial one week I wrote only for 10 minutes and later I increased it to half an hour a day..

You can add some fun element by counting the number of words you write and the speed at which you are writing. #of Words in #30minutes.

Understand this, all that what you have written is for your eyes only.

So do not get bogged down by “Who will read my blog”. We will come to that in a while. For now, it is just “Making it a habit to write”.

I suggest you follow this routine for a month before you move to the next one.

SECOND, Get Ready to WRITE For OTHERS.

As you grow proficient in writing, start writing for others.

Decide whom will this piece of content be for?

Working Professionals, Home Makers, Children who???

And what is it that you are going to write about. –
What can be of interest to them that you can serve from your own life experience.

If you are writing about any industry or any technology, it will require you to do some research and find facts with some studies made by well-known agencies. This is a topic for another day.

However, if it something that you can leverage your experience and expertise for then start with those first.

Believe me when you use your life experiences, you will be authentic. Content will flow smoothly and as it will have your flavour in it, it will be most authentic.

Decide what do you want your audience to learn from your blog.Can you summarise it in a catchy phrase?
If you could do that then it will indeed draw attention of your readers.

As you are new, focus on adding value to your audience.

This is where stories help.

Can you narrate something from your life experience, in the form of a story.

If you can, then please do so.
As stories are more relatable and easy to remember, your audience will prefer that.

Once you have written the article, start with 500 words first and then gradually increase it.

Publish this article in the form of a blog. (I have written a short e-book on how to publish a blog, write to me in the comment section and I will share the link to download)

THIRD and THE LAST, Invite participation from your audience.

Share the link to your blog on various popular social media sites.

Invite comments.

Engage with them.

Ask them what other topics would be of interest so that you can start writing on those.

I did not know much about all this when I started and now after several years of blogging, I learnt the hard way.

I want you all to know this, when you take up Blogging.

Hope you enjoyed this article.

Please leave a comment.

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