Let’s be honest, most of us have written blog content for quite a while. It’s a great way to hone our writing abilities while also building a following that may help vault us to the next level in our careers. So how do we create quality blog writing without getting lost in the sea of blogs that are flooding the Internet?
Blog content is more than just relaying facts, although you may find others who argue that point. Anybody can find facts and rewrite them, but breaking the facts down into a point of view that challenges what others may think about a subject can make you stand apart from the crowd. While relaying those facts it helps that you not take yourself too seriously. Challenging your own thought process adds the depth you need to challenge the thought process of readers.
Jimmy Buffett is a great example of a man who did not take himself too seriously. He was turned down by the country music Powers that Be and forced to take his career along a different route. Not only did he follow his own path with a sense of humor, but it lead him right back to Nashville 30 years later. “Margaritaville” is a song that details a state of mind. That idea turned into a billion-dollar industry that many more make millions of dollars on. So how did he go about writing?
“Humor has bailed me out of more tight situations than I can think of. If you go with your instincts and keep your humor, creativity follows. With luck, success comes, too.”
As I continue to blog on a wide variety of subjects, keeping that content fresh and new is a constant challenge. I have a support system in my wife that is both encouraging and inspiring. With her unfathomable love of music and the tropics she introduced me to a song by Jimmy Buffett called “Schoolboy Heart.” The lyrics tell a story that describes who I see myself as. “I have a schoolboy heart, a novelist eye, stout sailor’s legs and a license to fly.”
It may not mean anything to anyone else, but it tells me to take my ideas and jump off the deep end. The tools and inspiration for my writing and blogging are at my disposal. Applying that thought to blog content is simple. If the content does not seem fresh, add a fresh take.
Blogging in motor sports leaves me in a sea of bloggers who are fighting for some kind of notoriety. Yet everyone seems to write the same popular opinion. I often do not agree with those opinions, so I find myself writing my own take. Raising questions that challenge a common thought creates a dialogue that requires a response. I once had someone challenge a piece I wrote on motor sports. Their goal was to intimidate me into capitulation to their point of view, but instead I felt a challenge to validate my argument. That led to other pieces that garnered more attention. Controversy stirs up attention.
Creating quality blog writing that is relevant is not always easy. Standing out from the crowd requires confidence in a point of view that can be supported. When you tackle your next topic, find where your opinion strays from the common opinion. Take that point of view and validate it with facts that are relevant. You might find that even though people disagree, you have created a dialogue that inspires others to challenge their thoughts on the subject as well.
Richie S. is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.
