Aug 26 2008
How To Create A Creative Writing Blog
As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, I get a few of my ideas from the keyword searches for my site (sites). As I was going through my search word list, I found that someone had looked up the term “How do I create a creative writing blog”. That got me to thinking, and I’ve come up with a few things that a person may want to do if thinking about creating their own site. First of all, please understand that I do not think of myself as an expert. I’m simply someone who’s been working on this for the past 10 years online. I can’t promise that what I’m about to tell you will make you successful, because if it does, please tell me how you did it. However, I can tell you that the following has worked for me.
Throw “What You Know” out the window–From the first time I started writing online, I visited every site/forum/message board I could find. And on each of those sites, I was told to write what I know. For someone just getting started, this is great advice, but I quickly found that this really limited my options for publications. So, I started looking into topics that I knew nothing about. Guess what, you can teach an old dog new tricks.
The bigger picture–Creating a creative writing blog doesn’t just have to be about creative writing as a whole. There are a lot of topics within this one topic. For instance, you could write about creative poetry or writing creative non-fiction. You could do a creative writing blog on romance stories or ideas for creative fantasy stories. Sometimes, the more narrow you’re topic, the better.
Talk up, not down–Don’t assume that any of your readers are new to the craft. In fact, it’s a good idea to write as if you’re talking to a room full of experts. Why? Because you’re readers will be able to tell if you’re talking down to them. Remember that you’re readers are also your fellow writers. They’re probably looking more for new ideas than for ways to become a creative writer. Just talk to your readers as though you’re all sitting down to coffee together.
It’s not all make believe–Not all creative writers are fiction writers. In fact, in order to write non-fiction, you’ve got to be very creative in your wording and your ideas. I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction, and I’ve found that fiction is usually easier. When writing non-fiction, you’ve got to be able to stand out from the rest of the pack, without copying someone else’s work.
Be true to you–If you’re going to put together a creative writing blog, remember to just be yourself. You don’t have to try and be the most intelligent person online, nor do you have to know all the biggest words in the dictionary. You only have pass on the information you’ve picked up in your own experiences. You’ll find that within a short amount of time, you’ll have a small following of readers who will look forward to each and every post, and will offer their own insights. Before you know it, you’ve created a creative writing blog and a great writing resource that will last for years to come.
all sounds like very good advice to me
I too put the write what you know thing in the trash cart. It may have some bearing on new writers who need the security blanket of knowing what they’re writing about before they start but an experienced writer should be able to write about anything. There was one book I read when first starting out that said to write not what you knew, but what you were passionate about because that would bring the words to life. This made much more sense to me. I had a client request me to write about something recently that had him make the comment, “I now know you can write about anything.” I have to say that having completed his project I agree with him!
I know what you mean. When I was asked to write 15 articles about cellulite, I thought I might have been in over my head. But I did the assignment, and did it pretty well.
Thanks all for reading.
Mine was about cosmetic surgery to beautify specific ummm parts of the female anatomy! ROFL When the project arrived in my in-box I thought …huh? But hey, bit of research for info and I’m an enlightened woman! hahahaha