The other week Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame did a live Q&A on his writing blog Write to Done. I was fortunate enough to get my question in and answered by Leo and it was great to be able to interact with a true blogging hero.
Here’s my question:
“I am a fairly new blogger. I don’t have a problem coming up with ideas for posts, defining post structure and writing the first draft, I do however struggle to finish, and edit my posts for publication.
Have you any tips for applying the finishing touches to posts, and editing to take them from a draft to publishable form. “
And here’s Leo’s answer:
“@Chris: Tips on taking a post from draft to published post … I generally follow the same structure and write my posts this way:
* I’m a list-maker, so I’ll often start with a list of tips or main points
* Then I’ll write an intro that shows the reader why he should care about the post. It might be anywhere from 3-7 paragraphs. Not too long.
* Then I’ll expand the list — it might turn out that each point in the list is a subsection of the post, or they could just be items on a list with a few sentences after the main point.
* To put on some finishing touches, I’ll often do some quotes from great people, maybe links to relevant articles (on my site or others), and definitely a great photo that attracts the eye.
* Of course, don’t forget a great headline!”
I’ve been following Leo’s blog for a long time now and it was one of the main inspirations for me to take up blogging myself. I do follow a similar posting pattern to above and it seems to work for me.
It was great to get an insight from such a great blogger and I recommend you check out the post to see all the other questions and answers if you are a blogger as well (as I know a lot of my readers are).
Incidentally if you are a new, or not so new blogger and haven’t read Yaro Starak’s Blog Profits Blueprint then I can highly recommend it (you can download as an audio book for free too – I listen to it in the car).
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Bits & Bobs:
- Had a great time in NYC, thanks to all those staying in touch via Twitter.
- I’m planning a series of competitions on my blog starting very soon. Make sure you are subscribed for more updates.
- I made my first money online with an affiliate sale via my blog! It’s nice to get some money towards to costs of hosting etc.
Image Credit: by Oberazzi on Flickr via Creative Commons
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Time for Three:
Reading around the web:
- http://genuinechris.com/2008/11/30/sidebar-up-goals-and-more/
- http://flabble.net
- http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/why-you-shouldnt-care-what-others-think-about-you/
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Thanks for reading.
I hope you enjoyed my post. I’d love to hear your comments below or get a Digg or Stumble!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the link–really appreciate it! I subscribed you…
@Genuine Chris Johnson – No problem, I enjoyed your post and sidebar! Thanks for subscribing, hope you find it useful!
Hi
Great question to Leo (and a very helpful answer). Thank you for sharing it.
Cheers
Juliet
LifeMadeGreat | Juliet’s last blog post..Why to Focus on Strengths And Not Weaknesses at Work
@Juliet – Thanks! It was great to get the opportunity to ask him a question.
I find Leo’s approach very interesting because I’m not a list maker. When I’m preparing posts, I let myself ramble on paper, like I was talking to someone, then I go through it and make each paragraph flow from one to the next. And I cut – my posts are often fewer than 500 words, so I’m quite rigorous with my cutting.
It’s always good to see other ways, however.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..Fear, Unique Pathways & Self-Awareness: Lessons from the Lab-Rats
@Alex Fayle – I’ve always used the list approach, I think it’s just how my mind works but it is great to hear about other people’s techniques! Thanks for your comment.
Good call on giving this link. I was part of that Q & A as well and I found it to be invaluable! Leo seems to still care about helping people, and he is trying to convince others they can do it too. Some of the elite bloggers out there have seem to have lost that helping mentality. They spend way too much time telling bloggers it is hard, and you need luck, and most fail. No one wants to hear that! Good Stuff Chris!
@Jay – Thanks. You are right, Leo stays humble and inspiring – it’s great to watch him blog.