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Rated: E · Book · How-To/Advice · #2033503
This is an information blogazine for new writers and bloggers.
This is a blog documenting my writing time here and in other platforms. I'm beginning to find my voice and the topic is becoming more clear. I intend to make this blog an educational forum for new writers who want to successfully promote their writing and build an audience with blogging as a tool. I learn new things every day. My approach to writing is enthusiastic encouraging and, hopefully, uplifting. That's my mission statement to my readers. As I learn I'll share. Let's grow together.

"Enthusiasm is the fuel that powers your ambition"


If you enjoy my writing I invite you to drop by and check out my blog
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The Northern Optimist
http://www.thenorthernoptimist.com/?

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April 5, 2015 at 12:56pm
April 5, 2015 at 12:56pm
#845891
I often hear writers who want to blog ask what they should write about. It’s one thing to write a random thought or muse that comes to mind but it’s another thing to choose a topic that you will consistently write about and provide content for over an extended period of time. When you choose a topic keep in mind that it’s something you’ll be writing about for a long time so it should be something that you’re really passionate about.

Many people look on the internet to find information. They’re looking to solve problems, fulfill a need or desire or doing research. One great way to build a readership on the internet is to be helpful to the people you want to write for and provide the information they want. When people look at your writing as a source of the information they want and think it’s helpful they’ll come back to your website to read more. Regular readers will even be willing to pay the information you provide.

There are many ways to find a topic to write about. Simply look at some of the things you’ve done in the past. What are your hobbies? What are your interests? Consider something that really interests you and write an article about it. Is it something you could expand on? Is it something you could write a weekly article about and provide new information for. Another important consideration is: are there other people discussing this topic already? People sometimes think competition is a bad thing but in the blogging world that’s not true. Competition means there’s already an existing audience for this content and all you have to do is find where they are and provide them with your content. If no one is discussing the topic on line chances are finding an audience for it will be difficult. That doesn't mean it’s impossible but it’ll be a lot harder. It makes more sense to choose a topic that’s already being discussed then put your view or spin on it and attract readers from the existing pool.

Information products are very popular on the internet. People routinely search for instructional documents and blogs relating to problem solving or informative articles about hobbies, technology, entertainment and other interests. Do some research to find out what people are reading: what books, magazines, television shows and blogs are popular will help you come up with ideas to write about. If you have a hobby consider writing about it because chances are there are people who are looking for information about it.
If there’s something you want to learn it can be a great topic to write about. You don’t have to know everything about a topic you just need to know enough to be engaging and informative. The audience will enjoy reading about the learning experience you’re having and want to learn with you. It’s also a great way to engage an audience in dialog because readers will feel they have something to contribute. People don’t always want to be in charge of a project but if someone takes the lead and starts it they’ll be encouraged to participate and contribute.

Finally, don’t over think your writing project. It’s likely that whatever you want to write about, even if you’re not certain, is right in front of you. If you keep thinking about it without taking action it will never get started. Nothing will ever be perfect and nothing is certain. If you keep waiting for the perfect topic you’ll just keep procrastinating. All you need to know to have certainty is that there are already people discussing the topic on the web. If the readers already exist then the topic is worth writing about because the audience is there.

Choosing a topic to build a blog around, coming up with regular material and building and audience is possible if you focus on the following:

-Research what topics are being discussed on the internet, preferably a popular topic
-Write for an existing audience
-Provide useful information
-Write about something you know
-Write about something you want to learn
-Be helpful
-Take action: choose the topic and write

If you begin focusing on these things now you could have that blog going and start building that audience very soon.

I hope you enjoyed this article and, most of all, I hope you found it useful. As I always say, if you benefited from it please share it. If you have any comments or suggestions please write them below.

Thanks for reading, Joseph
March 29, 2015 at 11:23am
March 29, 2015 at 11:23am
#845202
When it comes to writing content on a regular basis one issue that keeps coming up, or shall I say, doesn’t come up, is subject matter. How do I keep writing articles on my subject of choice on a regular basis and not run out of ideas? Let’s face it: sometimes I have nothing. But I committed to writing an article once or twice a week and I have regular readers who look forward to my publications. Also, I don’t want to write articles just for the sake of writing or because I have a deadline I must meet. I want to produce quality, informative articles my reader’s value.

Ideally, I want my readers to feel they can come to my blog on a regular basis and find new content they can use to help them with their own goals and aspirations. I hope to provide content they can use and I want them to come back and read more of it. I want them to feel I’m the writer they can depend on to provide the information they’re looking for to help them get further with their pursuits. The only way I can do that is by being sincere and helpful with the content I write. That’s how I target my audience and build a readership: by providing useful information for a specific subject.

1. Choose a specific topic and understand it
It’s much easier to come up with valuable content for an article when you have a specific topic that you’re writing about. The best success will come from a topic you know well or want to learn about. If you know it well then you already have a lot of material you can write about. If you want to learn about it you’ll be enthusiastic about researching the topic, that enthusiasm will come out on the page and your readers will feel that excitement in your writing.

2. Collect information about your topic and for articles
Knowing your topic is one thing but you must organize the subject matter in a way that you can write about it clearly and that your audience can read it in a logical sequence. It’s a great idea to take a notebook or open a word processor file and write down in point form all the points you can think about regarding your topic. It doesn’t matter how trivial it seems, just write down everything that comes to your mind about the topic. For example if I was writing about house plants I’d make a list like:

House Plants:
-type of plants
-different types of plants
-planting
-soil
-fertilizers
-pots
-lighting
-terrariums

(Please don't judge my knowledge on house plants because I have none)

Now I have a number of different ideas for articles and I have numerous categories I can expend on for different articles over time. I want to write on a regular basis and I have a lot of material I can research that’s related to my topic and I can easily come up with an article once or twice a week. Keep that information available for yourself to build your blog articles with.

You have the foundation that you’re going to build your blog on. Now is the time to write key articles that you want your audience to read when they come to your blog. They are the basic items required to understand the subject matter and exactly what your audience is looking for and why they came to your blog. Once they’ve read those articles and used the information to help them achieve their goal they’re going to keep coming back to read more of what you have to write about the subject. Also, it’s important to understand that people love to get information that’s concise and easy to follow. If they’re satisfied with how you wrote it you’ll establish yourself as an authority on the subject to your readers.

3. Plan your publishing schedule
Readers are habitual and come to depend on regular publications. If you don’t publish regularly you won’t get regular readers. Once they’ve consumed your material they’ll move on to another writer who will provide them with the material they want and they won’t usually come back. To get loyal readers you must provide content on a regular basis.

The best way to provide a steady flow of content is to plan a day or two a week to publish your writing. Choose a schedule you can stick with and commit to publishing on that day. Take into account that you must write the material and plan a writing schedule. Maybe you can write every day or perhaps once every couple of days but the material with be there for your once or twice weekly publishing day. After a while you’ll have enough material that if you miss writing you can still publish because you’ll have material on reserve. Maybe you already have material that you previously wrote just waiting to be published.

Using the techniques above will make it easier to come up with articles on a regular schedule. By writing regularly and publishing the articles on a planned schedule you’ll never run out of material to publish and your readers will love the concise content you provide.

I hope this article was useful and if you enjoyed reading it or have any suggestions or comments you’d like to add please put them below. I love reading the comments and it helps me come up with future material.



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Best Regards, Joseph
March 22, 2015 at 9:58am
March 22, 2015 at 9:58am
#844691
The dream of every writer is to get published which provides validation that their writing is worthy of a readership. I think as writers we all want someone to read our work and provide us with some affirmation that what we do is worthwhile and provide some value to others. It would also be great and a huge inspiration for someone to actually pay us for our work. I write because I’m compelled to every day but also because I want people to know what I’m thinking and I want to share my ideas.

I hope to attract a few readers to this post and encourage them to answer some questions. Also, I’d like to encourage people to ask a few questions of their own if they have any, which, I’m sure they do. I believe these questions are important to what we do and what we want to accomplish as writers and I think, together, we can come up with some answers. So, I’m going to ask the following questions and I hope everyone who reads this takes the time to answer them:

1. If you could have any result you wanted without failure, what would you want to accomplish with your writing?
2. Why is that result so important to you as a writer?
3. What would that result change in your life or how you approached writing?
4. What obstacles must overcome to reach that result?
5. What are your most important questions about achieving that result?

Well, that’s it. A few simple questions I hope a few people take the time to answer for me. I think the best way to find solutions is to consider the problem and that’s what this exercise is: a brainstorming session. Please take a few minutes to answer these questions and I thank you in advance.



If you enjoy my writing please visit my blog
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thenorthernoptimist.com
http://www.thenorthernoptimist.com/?page_id=17

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Best Regards, Joseph
March 14, 2015 at 9:25am
March 14, 2015 at 9:25am
#844099
An unorganized blog without direction and focus on its subject matter is hard to follow. The readers have no reference to find the content they're looking for. It appears as just a scrambled mess of words and articles that are more work to figure out and create more of a headache then provides any pleasure to read. It’s more likely the readers that come by will skim it over, decide it doesn’t provide what they want and leave without coming back. They may find an article they like or not. The point is they won’t be able to sift through the valuable content you wrote and want them to see. This is a classic example of not considering the reader and losing the audience’s attention.

An organized blog is appealing to the readers. The content they’re looking for is easy to find and the writer comes through as having direction in their purpose and work. It can give the writer direction in their writing and can inspire future content on the topic. It also shows that the writer is considering the reader and making an effort to provide a valuable reading experience. The appearance of organization and ease with which the readers can go through the material and find what they’re looking for gives the writer credibility and provide confidence in the mind of the reader.

I found a few simple techniques very helpful to keep myself focused on my content, stay organized and help me come up with future articles. If you have a topic in mind when you write it’s a lot easier to come up with content. So, logically, the first step is to have a topic you want to write about. I’ll assume, for the purpose of this article, that you already determined that.

The next technique I use will be very obvious once I tell you. Just look over how I wrote this article and it’ll come right out at you. I write my articles with three things in mind: problem, desired outcome, and the solution. With those three stages of the article in mind it’s very easy for me to present the topic in a logical way the reader can relate to. I identify the problem my reader is having, I provide a desired outcome the reader would like and I provide the way to achieve it.

There are always subtopics to every topic. It’s helpful to the writer and the reader if you consider your topic of choice and divide it into categories. This works because the writer can easily divide their work into sections, subjects, or categories. It’s easy for the writer to provide a menu in the side bar of the blog with the categories linked to the articles and the reader can easily find the articles they’re looking for.

Write key articles for the categories of your topic. These are articles you want to direct your audience to read and they should provide important information you know the readers need to understand the topic. These are the articles that are going to attract your readers and build credibility for you blog and you as a writer on the topic.

Keep the writing style and language consistent across the blog and all your articles. There’s nothing more aggravating to read about a subject and the writer uses a word that’s new and, apparently, refers to a new concept but there’s nothing about it to be found. It’s confusing and aggravating to the reader. For example in this article the words “subtopic” and “category” are synonymous. I will always use the word “category” from now on, unless I say otherwise, because blogging software uses that word to create tabs to file the articles. If I use another word I risk confusing the reader. Also, make sure that the way you present the content is consistent when publishing and creating titles. For example, If you use all caps in one title or heading, use all caps in all of them. It appears more consistent and is more visually appealing if everything is done the same way.

Well, that was a lot of material I covered. To summarize, I wrote about five techniques I use:

• Choose a topic
• Design an article with a problem, a desired outcome and the solution
• Divide the topic into categories
• Write key articles for each category you want to direct your audience to read
• Keep the language and writing style consistent.

I hope this article was informative and helps you get clarity and focus on your subject of interest. If you’re currently running a blog or thinking of starting one begin writing with the ideas I wrote here and I’m sure it will help you keep focus and find new inspiration for future writing. It will definitely help keep your articles organized and help your readers find the article you want them to read.

Thanks for taking the time to read my article. If you enjoyed it or found it useful I want to ask that you share it with friends and other members. If you have any questions or comments that that help me make my articles better or provide future articles please write them in the comment section below.

Until next time, Joseph.
March 8, 2015 at 10:33am
March 8, 2015 at 10:33am
#843530
Good Morning WDC world.

I looks like I have a little audience, four views, Woohoo! Fantastic.

The audience is what I want to write about today. Over the years I learned that building an audience can be difficult. Getting published can be really difficult. Often a manuscript gets returned without even being looked at. This happened to an author I know a few times. It can even happen to an author who's known and previously published. Writing is a very competitive field difficult and sometimes disappointing occupation.

The internet changed that for the better in my opinion. Now it's possible for beginning writers to reach an audience they never could have dreamed of reaching before. The internet is a huge international audience with people of all kinds of interests. There's an audience for everyone who wants to write. Yes, anyone who wants to write and acquire an audience is capable of doing it. That's the reason I like to blog. I blog because I know there are people out there, like me, who love to write and want people to read their work.

How do you build that audience? If you start a blog people aren't just going to flock to it and start reading your work. There are over a hundred and fifty million blogs in the blogosphere. That's a lot of blogs. There's a lot of great material and a lot of worthless crap. So how can you start a blog and actually get people to read it? Sure, you're going to get the odd visitor or referral but what you want to do is attract those people to come back regularly to read your work.

I learned a few tricks about audience building and the most important thing I learned was you have to choose a target audience. Who do you want to write for? Who are the people you want to read your work? You must be specific about the audience you want to attract. Many writers are self absorbed. They never consider the people they need to read their material. Writing is like any other occupation: you must provide value to the reader. If readers find value in your work they'll read it and they'll pay you for it.

The best audience for a writer consists of people they understand. That’s because you can relate to those people either from past experience, present circumstances or future aspirations. Whatever you’re passionate about is something the audience will feel from you and they’ll love reading your work. They’ll feel like you understand them, which you do, because you experienced it, have the same questions they have and you provide the answers. They’ll feel they have a connection with you and that’s the secret to building a loyal audience. It’s important to have empathy with an audience and that’s what will continually keep attracting people to your writing.

When you write have the readers in mind. Understand what they’re feeling and how they’re benefitting from your work. If you have the attitude that, it’s your writing and you can say or do what you want without caring about the readers feelings or how they perceive your work, you’re going to fail. It’s that simple. The readers are who you write for. Without them your writing will remain in obscurity.

I hope you enjoyed this entry in THE DAILY GRIND. Please bare with me as I try to figure out all the bells and whistles in this forum. I know a bit about HTML but I'm not great with it so my articles my seem bland for a little while but I'll catch on.

Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this piece please share it with your friends and other members. I'll try to deliver some good content. If you like uplifting reading you can join me on my blog at:

http://www.thenorthernoptimist.com/?page_id=17

Take care.


March 7, 2015 at 4:38pm
March 7, 2015 at 4:38pm
#843475
Here I am writing the to my WDC blog. I'm not exactly sure how to make it look great. I thought I added a photo but it didn't show up so I'll have to fix it later. But I just want to jump right in.

I've been writing here at WDC for a few years now. I learned a lot and, although, I haven't always been consistent I always come back. I have an idea of where I want this blog to go but I also want to be flexible because I haven't got the whole plan visualized. Basically I want this to be a learning experience for me and my readers. Not that I have any readers right now but I'm hopeful.

I write and I blog because I must. It compels me. I've always written and I always will. I may not be a great writer, hell, I may not even be a good writer. But It keeps me focused. I journalize almost every day. I've been doing that since I was about eight years old. It's a habit I developed and now when I miss a day I feel as if there's something missing. It causes my day to be off. Of course there are days that I don't write and although it bugs me I get over it.

So, welcome to the daily grind. I'm not exactly sure where it's going but I know I'll get there. I hope you join me.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: this is going to be pretty candid stuff. It may be rough around the edges sometimes but I can live with it because It's a learning experience.

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