I wrote before about three of the most common style books: The Chicago Manual of Style, The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, and the Associated Press Stylebook. Two others are worth considering if you do most of your work online. The Yahoo! Style Guide is a huge compendium that not …
Category: Writing
Grammar and Spelling Resources
Last time, we looked at the first two parts of PUGS, Punctuation and Usage. Today we’ll look at the others. Grammar In common speech, we often use “grammar” to encompass all parts of writing, including spelling and punctuation. But grammar really refers specifically to the way we assemble words into …
Don’t neglect punctuation and usage on your blog
Back in the day, amateur bloggers could often get away with sloppy craft. The novelty of the medium meant readers were very forgiving. Even today, the readers of someone’s personal blog may not care about slips such as using intrical to mean integral. But the more professional your blog is, …
Three Elements of a Good Blog Post
When writing your blog post, keep these three elements in mind. Attention-getting headlines are a must. Write your headlines with your reader in mind. Think about what sort of terms people would use on Google to find the subject you’re writing about. Put that term in your headline. Back in …
Do Your Research, but Not Too Much
Research can be a great source of ideas. It can also be a huge time sink. If you’re doing research solely for a single blog post, set a limit on your time. Decide when you will stop researching and start writing. For most blog posts, an hour or two should …
Introduce Your Readers to Someone New
Writing a feature about someone in your business can be good for almost any blogger. Nonfiction bloggers can feature industry experts, and fiction writers can highlight other authors whose readership is similar to the one you want to reach. There are several different ways to do a personality story: Profile—This …
Types of Articles You Can Write for Your Blog
In my last post, I alluded to some different types of articles you might write for your blog. Every blog post doesn’t need to be instructional or inspirational, although those are two of the most popular types. Depending on your blog’s purpose and audience, you may want to specialize in …
Structure your blog posts for simplicity
Once during a training session at the newspaper, I asked a senior editor whether he thought reporters should outline their stories. He agreed they probably should, but admitted that most don’t. I have written before about the power of the outline. When you’re writing something as short as a news …
Use your blog to serve readers
WordPress is far and away the blogging platform that hits the sweet spot between ease of use and powerful capabilities. There are platforms that are easier but won’t be as powerful, and more powerful platforms that are harder to use. I use WordPress and recommend it. But the mechanics of …
Why You Should Be Blogging
Writers are forever being told to blog. You have to get your name out there. You have to build a platform. You have to demonstrate your expertise. All of this is true. The problem, especially for fiction writers, is doing all that in a way that doesn’t rob you of …