Friday Writing Exercise: Blog Away!

I have fun writing for the blogs I contribute to. I know by checking the analytics that people actually read what I write, too…sometimes. But it’s also okay if it feels as if I’m shouting into a huge, electronic void. As much as I like to imagine droves of people reading this before they are dragged away by the sound of a squirrel chewing wires in the attic or the constant lure of Facebook, I also like to picture myself reading this at the top of my lungs as I used to do while standing on my neighbor’s retaining wall across from my childhood home, then listening for an echo over the empty street. Hey, I was bored a lot as a kid.

Why do I like to write for blogs so much? For one thing, the amount of control is supreme. I can pick and choose what I write about, as long as it fits into the context of what the particular audience expects to read. Every week, I play the game of, “How do I take what’s on my mind and make it relevant to writing?” Since you can write about anything, it’s pretty easy to make what I want to write about into a blog about writing. Chances are, somehow, somewhere, a reader is writing about it, too.

Second of all, I like the speed of it. Hey, it’s time to write. I could A) work on my book, B) get stuff ready for my coauthor meeting tomorrow, C) send something out to a publisher, or D) work on a blog. I usually pick D first if I can, because I can finish it or revise it quickly, and then check it off my list. Done and done.

Related: 7 Tips for Getting Back into the Habit of Writing

Third, I know that even though it’s fun, it’s good for me. It feels like avoidance behavior, but it isn’t. I really do have to turn in this blog every week. It’s great to keep the writing muscles trim and fit. It’s like the journal writing “they” always tell you to do in order to keep your ideas flowing and make sure you write every day. I am actually doing that, but I am sharing my journal with lots of people. I think. (Echo, echo, echo.)

Today’s Writing Exercise:

Try blogging for your writing assignment. Pick up your megaphone, hop up on the soap box, and pick a topic about which you can be authoritative. You don’t have to have an actual blog to try this. Write it on a napkin if need be.

It also doesn’t have to be about writing. In fact, pick something else you know something about. Maybe it’s how to run a book club, or about how to fit yoga into your busy day, or how to design a database, or how to train a dog, or deal with celiac disease.

Now, imagine you’re writing for an audience that’s hanging on your every word. Tell your readers how you feel about the topic, share your expert tips, grind your favorite axe—whatever you think your audience wants to know. Ask questions, pose solutions, and engage your readers as much as possible.