Write Something Worth Reading
“Should I write something just because I set a goal to write something every day?” My friend, Dawn, has been working on growing her blog, Penguin’s Ponderings, and she sent me that question the other night. I immediately responded that she should write about that very thing and it turned into a post about motivation.
Creating consistency in a blog can be a challenge for beginners and experienced writers alike. There are just days when the words want to go in a different direction or refuse to come at all. It is more important to write something for the sake of writing or to let the day go without anything to share.
Skipping a day when I am trying to build my consistency will just mean skipping another day in the not too distant future. Procrastination has a way of growing into an out of control nuisance (much like Kudzu).
Writing words with no meaning or heart can hurt my relationship with my readers. It would be almost as bad as offering peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to my Thanksgiving dinner guests – and that would just be WRONG!
That means that it is important to write something worth reading even when I feel like skipping a day of writing. Getting to that place becomes the difference between a consistent writer and one that lets the muse hold the reins.
Top Tips for Writing Something Worth Reading
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1. Write naked – not so that the neighbors get a free peep show, but so that the readers see that you are a real person. I struggle to stay consistent so others should find comfort in knowing they are not alone.
2. Lean on a friend – let the inspiration of others guide the words that you write. The question that Dawn posed for herself was one I had to face the very next day. Her words of motivation helped inspire my own thoughts about what direction I needed to take.
3. Just do it – stop whining about having to write and write. The words may be worth keeping and they may be best served in File 13. Most of the time just starting to write provides me with some direction about what to write that is worth reading.
It seems that like most things in my life, building a successful blog and ultimately a successful writing career, comes back around to one thing. In this case, it is that I have to write. Getting to the point that I desire for my writing career can happen no other way. Even on those days when the words are hiding for dear life, I have to find a way to lure them out and write something worth reading.
What do you think? Should you write for the sake of writing or do you let a day go because the words are hiding out?
