Are Your Posts Complete When You Finish Writing?

It never ceases to surprise me that I cannot correctly predict which of my posts will be more or less popular with the readers.

I can post 4 or 5 different things in the course of a day, and when I look at my WordPress stats page, the one I really expected a lot of likes on gets 1, while the one that I jotted down off the top of my head ( yes. like this one💕) ….and I thought nothing of ….will get 40 likes.

When you are blogging, it is not always the posts that you researched for, the ones that you edited 3 times, or the ones that took you the longest to write…that people enjoy tbe most.

No matter how long you have been blogging, or how good your writing is, you can never really predict how your readers will respond, or what will draw new readers.

It is part the fun of blogging …..the unpredictability….and waiting and watching to see what will happen with the words you spilled upon the page…..or painfully bled upon the page….

So intersecting. Do you find this to be true for you?

Let me know what you think, and how you feel about the surprise when something you did not think much about gets many more likes and comments than you ever would have anticipated.

Blogging is a dance between the writer and the reader. You never can be sure what will catch people’ s interest and attention. Anything that people can really relate to tends to draw comments. But you never can know if the readers of the day will relate to what you are thinking about and feeling. 

Sometimes you just stream thoughts or feelings and they seem to connect right to other people’s feelings, thoughts or imagination.

The post I wrote about having a reader from Malta was so popular and I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone jumped in and wanted to tell me where they were reading my blog from.

It was quite fun as everyone shared their part of the world or part of their country. I never would have anticipated that. The comments made the post more interesting.

Sometimes as the readers get involved, and add thoughts and feelings and experiences, to the comments, it is like the writing itself is continuing without you…..like you began the post and your readers and continuing it.

In this way, if you think about it, the posts you write are never really done….until the readers make them bloom and blossom into something more. 💕

 

Twenty Ideas for Writer’s Block

1. Learn something new by googling a topic you are interested in or statr with Wikipedia.

2.  See where this leads you. I sometimes read a Wikipedia post on one topic and become introduced to a new phrase, inventor, author, or concept during the post.

3. Check out the highlighted words and phrases in the post you are reading. They can lead you to more highlighted words and phrases. (I have come up really cool new ideas for what to write about by doing this. )

4.Watch a youtube video about the most interesting idea you have found…or start with YouTube for researching topics to begin with.

5. See if anyone else has posted about this topic and form your own opinions, choose a side, expand by adding a new perspective or write a poem or short story about it.

6. Let the things you learn about inspire new ideas. Draw from your personal experience and your imagination.

7. You can use things you learn to write a researched post, an editorial style post, a self help post or a fictional story.

8. Try a new writing genre once in a while.  You may be pleasantly surprised that you can write outside of your usual nitch.

9. We tend to go with what is familiar. But it can become uninspiring. Let your brain be creative because the challenge will get tbe dopamine flowing.

10. Think outside the box. Just because no one has ever thought of something in quite the same way does not mean you cannot write it.

11. Think of the reader. What is the goal of the reader? Why do they read your blog? What else would they like you to give them?

12. Be authentic and write from tbe heart. You may think that no one is interested in your feelings, perspectives ad ideas but then again…you might be pleasantly surprised.

13. Blog about a question you have or something you are searching for answers about. Pose the qiestion to the readers. Tell them what this question means to you and why it is important to you.

14. Get ideas from the comments other bloggers leave you. Reading and replying to comments is a great way to find out what your readers are interested in and more importantly …why they are interested and what things mean to them.

15. Try a new medium or craft like photography, drawing, zen tangles. Post a picture of what you did and tell the readers you are learning this and why. Tell them why it is important to you to learn something new, why you chose this particular thing, etc.

16. Blogging is all about the individual perspective and what things mean to you. Even fiction writing has to do with the uniqie view of the person and the meaning of ideas to them.

17. Write something short. I have seen bloggers write one or two sentences that were thought provoking. Leave it up to tbe reader to add their personal meaning and fill in their own mental pictures.

18. Sometimes less is more. Do not feel obligated to write 600 words. People read books when they have more time and blog posts when tbey are short for time…or short on attention ability due to the stress of life.

19. Give people something to ponder. Give people something to work with in tbeir brains to get tbose creative juices flowing. You do not have to always ecplain things to death.

20. Try creating a meme with image chef. You only have to write one or two inspirational or thought provoking lines.

Messy, Lonely, Complex, Sad, Magical, Mystical and Beautiful

Writers can bring out the humanity in their readers. Humanity is messy, lonely, complex, sad, magical, mystical and beautiful. In order to really touch your readers,  pour your inner longing into your writing. Readers can tell when you are putting real emotion into your writing. It sends an energy connection from your soul to theirs.

Humanity

Great writers put their real feelings into their stories and poems. They infuse their own humanity, into their characters. The doubts and questions that haunt their own soul, are spilled into their work.

For fiction writing, the events in the story do not have to have really happened. But if you dig deep into your inner self, you will be able to breath life and humanity into your characters. In great stories the characters are as real as people you know in real life. You feel like you know them, and you have real emotions about them.

Humanity is the lifeblood of poetry, creative writing, and blog writing. If people can relate to the humanity in your writing, they will keep coming back for more.

People do not read a new blog because they want to learn about you, as much as they are searching to learn more about themselves.

They may come back to read your blog, because they care about you and how you are doing.  But initially they were searching for something that spoke to them personally.  

Readers are seeking to find a connection with their own experiences and feelings. They want to understand themselves better.

Put Your Heart Into Your Writing ❤

Your readers are looking for something about themselves in your writing. This is not to say that you are writing about them directly, but you are putting elements of your own humanity into your writing, that they can relate to.

Great writers will guide their readers into finding the truth within themselves. In order to do this, you must look inside your own mind with courage. You must take a journey into your own soul and see what is inside.

Blogging

Bloggers tend to write about things that are part of their daily lives. You can write about yourself and be honest about your own insecurities and inadequacies.

Transparency and honesty make readers feel safe. They feel safe that they are in the presence of a real human, who can understand and relate to them. You are relatable to your readers because you are not perfect. They will feel that stopping by your blog is like being in the arms of understanding and validation of their own humanity.

Creative Writing

Creative writing is about characters and how they interact with their surroundings and the situations they are put into. If you infuse your characters with real humanity, then they will take on a life of their own.

You can create characters and situations that are not from your real life. But put yourself into them. The elements of longing, suffering, desire, and searching for meaning in life, will give your characters a virtual reality that will capture the hearts of your readers.

Poetry

Poetry is a special kind of writing that paints emotions upon the page. It is free and you are not bound by any rules. It is a beautiful, thought provoking painting with words.

You can begin your  “word painting”  by splashing a color upon the page that represents the first emotion you feel, when you first sit down to write. Then dip into your color pallet as you paint the reality of the human condition upon the page.

Music, Art and Writing

I am a musician and an artist. I have trained in music for half of my life and have found it to be very expressive.  I am also an artist and have spent endless hours exploring ways to express human emotion with art.

 I find that writing has elements of both music and art.  Writing is a way for  humans to  connect with each  other, in a truly meaningful way. Great writers can connect  different generations and different cultures together.

Timeless Universal Truths 

Writers can magically unite past, present and future,  by writing in a way that is timeless. What does timeless mean? People refer to things as timeless when they are easily understood by people of any generation.

Love is a universal truth that is timeless. Other timeless human conditions are death, desire, longing, joy and sadness.  Trust, deception, betrayal, collaboration and sensuality are all  timeless realities as well.

When we see old movies, we can relate to these themes in the stories. If we could not, then the classic movies would not be “classic” at all.

Universal truths will speak to people from all different walks of life. The human experience is one that people need to connect with each other about. It is entirely too painful to endure alone.

When you are writing something, picture yourself as the reader. What elements of your own humanity would speak to you, if you were the reader? What would you need from the writer?

The Reader / Writer Relationship

The reader / writer relationship is a special one. It has elements of a romantic affair. The reader has inner desires and needs. The writer does their best to put themselves into the writing, in order to satisfy the desires of the reader.

Blessings for Peacefulness and Inspiration,

Annie ❤