Whether its a formal essay or an extended blog-post, long form writing can be incredibly daunting; here are 5 tips for making those long blog posts a bit more manageable.
1. Decide the whole of what you want to say, and sum it up in one sentence. Think of it as your thesis statement for your blog-post. Start by stating your main topic, and what about that topic is important/relevant to you.
2. Write an outline. Pick out the major important points that you want to hit on in your post. Write them down in list form with a bunch of room in between each one. Don't worry about grammar or fully formed sentences at this point, you're just trying to get the big picture out on paper. The goal is to be able to see on paper what you have envisioned in your head. Tip: Sometimes I write my outlines using post-it notes so I can switch ideas around easily.
3. Expand outward from your outline. Start adding in the details; indicate where you're going to add photos and links. Take each main point and expand your outline to full paragraphs. Go one point at a time and make sure each point makes sense individually before trying to tie them together. Use the last sentence of each point to lead into your next point.
4. Have someone else edit. Find someone who is willing to give your post a quick edit. They should let you know of any glaring grammar or spelling errors, but what you're looking for most is to find out if your post is readable. Does it flow well? Were they confused at any point in your post? Is there anything you should go back and clarify? Remember that you always have the final say, so if you don't like the edits you can always change them back.
5. Leave it alone overnight. Give yourself a day and then make the final edits. Read over the entire post in your head (or out loud). I've always found that after leaving it for a day, when I know the content is sound, I can fully concentrate on making the wording sound as good as possible. Make any final changes to your post and then publish!
What are your best tips for writing out long blog posts?
Do you work on them in your blog editor?
Do you write them out on paper?
The idea for today's post came from working through the amazing blogging resource: 365 Ideas for Blog Posts, Scrapbook Pages, and Art Journal entries by the awesome Campfire Kam of Campfire Chic. Anytime I'm in a rut, I refer back to my 365 notebook and come up with an awesome post idea.
