The inspiration for this post comes from a recent writing group I attended. Now, if you really want to make it as a blogger, I do recommend checking out local writing groups both for writing advice and access to resources. And sometimes the group can even provide inspiration for a topic to cover.
At the meeting I attended, one member read a short piece written for a contest. The contest challenge was to write about a well known event but with a personal touch. The piece presented discussed the aftermath of a hurricane that hit our state. The main problem with the article was a problem I see journalists fall into. The person aspect of the story stopped for a paragraph of hurricane statistics. Once that happened the tone or voice of the piece went from “personal” to “Wikipedia.” So the group provided feedback on how to bring it back to the personal.
But have you thought about the tone or voice you’ll use for your blog? What voice will work best for your topic? Right now, I’m aiming for chatty and informal. Chatty because I’m using both “I” and “you” for this post to make the reader feel like we’re having a conversation. Now, see, when I just said “the reader,” I changed your feelings about the post a bit, didn’t I? When I refer to you as “the reader,” I put distance between us. Distance isn’t good.
Also, you’ll notice that I write with contractions and informal language. Essentially writing as I would speak. This informality makes it easier for “the reader” to relate to the post. I’m not presenting a peer-review article on brain surgery here. I’m just talking to you about how to make blogging a better experience. I want you to feel like we’re sitting in that writing group together and having a conversation. That’s my blogging voice. What’s yours?