In this post Abhijeet Mukherjee from Jeet Blog (where he writes about tech tweaks, blogging tips and productivity hacks) asks ‘do you write from the heart?’
As professional bloggers, freelancers or writers, sometimes we tend to be skeptical about our own content. We tend to think more about external aspects like marketing etc (which we can always do after we complete the article) even before we start writing and consequently the quality of the article dips down.
However most of us fail to understand that the questions which come to our mind, which bother us when we start writing, are completely unnecessary and doing no good to us. Do the following questions bother you?
1: Will readers like my post ?
Why to worry about this when you are writing something. You just need to give your best shot, thats it. And it is important that you are satisfied with your work before somebody else. Remember these words of Swami Vivekananda:
“Each work has to pass through these stages—ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood.”
Hence your work will be accepted sooner or later if you put your heart and soul into it.
2: Has someone already written about it?
I’ll start with an example. Look at this post in Mashable.Then here’s a post by Amit. So what do you find?. Both posts have similar information about a similar product. Both are A-list blogs.But there is a difference in presentation of post. And thats what you need to understand. If there is something you discover, just write about it.
When you discover something and feel that it could be useful to your readers, don’t think twice. Nothing gets old on the internet. I have seen topics covered way back in 2006 in some blogs being repeated in A-list blogs after 2 years. What matters is the presentation of the topic and your own, original views so that you are not copying stuff and you are creating value for the readers. So just focus on your presentation. (Like Skellie says here, its not a matter of writing, but how you present things online ).
3: What keywords I should use?
This question could be the most distracting while writing.Yes, you want to optimize your post for search engines but lets think about those humans first who will read your post and about keywords after writing the post.When you write a post, it is not about words..its about thoughts…and your thoughts cannot be the slave of few keywords.
And after you unleash your thoughts, you can always try and check if some keywords might fit in the post.
4: Am I writing in good English?
Hmm… that’s a valid question. Not all of us are language experts.So what to do then? Here’s what Seth Godin said in one of his posts:
“Don’t let the words get in the way. If you’re writing online, forget everything you were tortured by in high school English class. You’re not trying to win any awards or get an A. You’re just trying to be real, to make a point, to write something worth reading.”
So as he puts it… Just Say It!
5: Will I become a successful blogger?
Different people have different definitions for success. However to achieve that you need to work from your heart. In fact you’ll find that the only in the work in which you get absorbed, you are able to apply new techniques and new ideas. So its a myth that heart and mind have separate point of views. They both complement each other.
I would conclude this post with a memorable quote from the movie Jerry Maguire, where Tom Cruise explains the importance of playing from heart to Cuba Gooding ,Jr.
Jerry Maguire- “Alright here’s why you don’t have your ten million yet. Right now, you are a paycheck player. You play with your head, not your heart. In your personal life – (points to chest) Heart. But when you get on that field — it’s all about what you didn’t get, who’s to blame, who underthrew the pass, who’s got the contract you don’t, who’s not giving you your love. Well, that is not what inspires people. That’s not what inspires people. Shut up. Play the game. Play it from your heart. And you know what? I will show you the “kwan.” I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. Can you handle it? “
What Jerry (Tom Cruise) said above is true for every profession in the world till date…. believe me.
So do you write from your heart ?
Can’t be done any other way!
You said it! Great post, Darren.
You said it! Great post, Abhijeet.
It feels good to know that Hinduism and words of Swami Vivekananda helps in Blogging. In India we are forgetting our own roots and becoming more western, when people from the west are using our principles. Let me not deviate from the topic. Nice post, very informative. You forgot to tell THE most important point, ‘to use common sense’
Smart post, good quotes, but I must suggest that, while writing from the heart is perfect for a first draft, there’s more to connecting with your Reader than “just say it.”
Writers must remember that the point of writing anything other than a diary is TO BE READ, to connect with the Reader. So we must take into account not just “saying it” but also “what the Reader ‘hears’.”
If the writing, usage, and punctuation are poor, they hinder the Reader from ‘hearing’ your point. You should ‘write from the heart’ in your first capture-the-passion draft. THEN review, re-read, correct, edit, proof-not-just-run-spellcheck, and look at it with fresh eyes, like the Reader you intend to reach.
Using the writers’ tools correctly doesn’t hamper your passion; it’s the 2nd stage of the process of writing to connect with your Reader. Just ‘saying it’ leaves the Reader out of the equation. Sorry, but that’s called a diary.
Terrific post —
Yes haha, Darren! you are damn right. I well think if my readers will like my post or not. And the second thing: whether someone else wrote about it? also gives me some thought. Writing good english occupies me the most however. Since the blog is about creative writing and grammar, I have to proofread a little closely to find mistakes (sad that I am bad in editing).
However the most important question is are you honest in writing? I am 80 per cent honest, and 20 per cent dishonest (mean money oriented). I don’t target keywords in my writing, but it makes me sad that I cant give hundred percent honesty. There is a reason My blog is not making enough money (not even a penny from it so far) to quit my job. So, I have very limited time in which I have to post new entries every day, and do link building campaigns and commenting like this. So, some of my posts are quickly written! But definitely this is my field, and I am looking forward to full time blogging. When I can earn from my blog, my posts will be hundred percent pure, as your posts here are, Darren.
Lenin
To add to #5: Gerald Weinberg puts it this way: “Never attempt to write something you don’t care about.”