How NOT To Suck At Blogging. This week marks the 6-month anniversary of the day I launched Man Vs. Debt! Yippee! It’s been a freaky journey up to this point. I feel like I swallowed both the red and blue pills in one big gulp. I rarely try to blog about blogging, however I thought it would be fun to reflect on what I’ve learned in these first 6 months. Before we get started, let me make something very clear. I don’t claim to be an expert, however I have been able to build what many would consider a thriving community within a relatively short amount of time (in blogging terms). And yes… I just coined the phrase ‘sucking hump’. As with any post I do, this will be based completely on my own experience and perspective.
If you aren’t 100% passionate, you will fail miserably. Every successful blogger I’ve talked to has said the same thing. All the resources provided throughout the rest of this post come back to this one point. So what’s the solution? [External link to video] When I launched Man Vs. Seriously, let go. 10 Ways Journaling Makes You a Better Writer « Live to Write – Write to Live. Journaling is a self-indulgent, narcissistic waste of time. It’s nothing more than self-administered therapy – the writer simultaneously on the couch and in the psychiatrist’s chair, endlessly picking apart the minutiae of her life to no good end. Time would be better spent alphabetizing the spice cupboard. I disagree. I have kept journals on and off since I was seven years old. My entries have ranged from copies of Shakespeare’s poems to what I did today to philosophical musings to documentation of the soap opera antics of the teenage years. I have professed love, eschewed love, and pined after lost love.
I have envisioned my future, questioned my past, and reveled in my present. In her book If You Want to Write (originally published in 1938), Brenda Ueland encourages writers to “Keep a Slovenly, Headling, Impulsive, Honest Diary.” I agree. Here are my top ten reasons why journaling will make you a better writer: Number 10: It helps develop better writing habits. Like this: Like Loading... Daily Writing Tips. 22523567.jpg 640×480 pixels. 10 Ways Journaling Makes You a Better Writer « Live to Write – Write to Live. Internet Resources - Writers Resources - Writing Links & Writers Links... Unsorted [/writers] James Patrick Kelly - Murder Your Darlings - "When time comes to make that final revision, however, you must harden your heart, sharpen the ax and murder your darlings. " Greda Vaso - Determining the Readability of a Book - includes formulas for Gunning's Fog Index, Flesch Formula, Powers Sumner Kearl L.
Kip Wheeler - Literary Terms and Definitions L. Kip Wheeler - Comp - Lit - Poetry - Links - more Style - Grammar - Errors in English [/writers]American Heritage - Book of English Usage - free download Band-Aid AP StylebookPaul Brians - Common Errors in EnglishCJ Cherryh - Writerisms and other Sins The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ Gary N. Curtis - The Fallacy Files - Logical fallacies and bad arguments Prof. Charles Darling [RIP] - Guide to Grammar and Writing The Economist (UK) - Style Guide John Eshleman - Logical Fallacies H.W. Daily Blog Tips.