Welcome back from the weekend!
I am distraught. As an editor, sure, maybe (maybe) certain errors upset me more than others. And sure, certain errors might upset me more than they should at all. But this Slate article about American punctuation with quotation marks is making me squirm. I say, “I don’t like this one bit”. “Nope”, I say. “Not one bit”.
By the way, nobody cares about your damn blog.
But if you want to keep writing one anyway, here are 21 ways to create compelling content. Beg, borrow, and steal. (No but seriously, this Copyblogger post is an excellent resource for anyone struggling to find ideas but who is resourceful enough to understand the importance of quality, regular content for readers. Plus anyone that tells me watching TV—like maybe Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights or perhaps some re-runs of Dawson’s Creek?—is an effective way of inspiring content is a friend by me.)
It has been a long-standing strategy for bloggers to write about controversial topics in order to gain comments and discussions on their blogs, with hopefully some back links and re-posting. The ALA released a list of the top 10 most frequently challenged books. Why not take up the cause of a book? Like The Hunger Games. Seriously? The only reason to challenge this book is because it’s so awesome I re-read it over and over again, brushing off all other responsibilities.
And for those kick-butt women who don’t have to fight other teens to the death in an area controlled by an oppressive government, we have Salon’s list of the ten funniest women writers on the Internet. Over again on this list, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: Voice is vital. To find and encourage your voice without becoming a caricature of yourself is a huge element in reader popularity. These women are inspiration to any writer looking to find themselves—and be hilarious. If you’re interested in humor writing (or any creative writing) subscribe to their content and read, read, read. Absorb. Learn. Then write.
What about you? If you find any interesting links about content marketing or writing, add the link to the comment section and maybe I’ll feature it in next week’s Round-up!
