There's a myth out there that content writing is easy. Yes, when you start writing online, you can write about whatever you want. But,don’t think that online writing doesn't need lots of thought or effort put into it. You can’t just type whatever comes to you and hit 'publish' and expect it to be good web writing.
Content Writing is NOT Easy
Technically, you can write whatever you want online. But as with anything, the more thought and effort you put into your web writing, the better results you’ll get out of it. So, while you can write content on any topic, you need to be sure that you write it in a way that people can find it
You don’t have to write the perfect post every time, though. Yes, there are those of us that can whip out a blog post in 15-20 minutes, slap a Creative Commons or public domain photo on it, give it a snazzy title, and publish it with an immediate audience.
But, is that true of most online writers? Certainly not.
Write Fast, Fix Later
There are writers who can write 1000 words in 20 minutes. But don't feel bad if you can't write that fast right now. It takes LOTS of practice to be able to write so quickly. For me, it was years of journal writing that started back in junior high. But, what helped me the most over the years was retyping my journals into the computer. It helped me practice typing. Also, it also made me rethink how I worded things.
Obviously, when you’re writing in your own journal, you're not going to be as cognizant of how you're wording things. You're just going to write whatever comes to you. It seems that a lot of people think that writing perfect prose just comes naturally to web writers. That’s not true. For every post I whip out in 15-30 minutes, there are five more on my back burner. Of these five, three or four of those will likely end up scrapped.
There are also plenty of articles I whip out, then go back and revise. Online writers are always tweaking. After all, what you write is live to the world. If you’re not happy with it, you’re going to change it. You want to always show something that is strong work. Even if it’s not your best, you want it to be something you’re fine with having your name associated with when it comes to web writing.
Write Ahead, Always Be Ahead
To make up for those times where the writing flow isn’t working, many online writers write ahead. This is why you see so many web writers hammer out a lot of posts at once. That way, you can go back and decide if something is ready to publish or not.
It’s easy to have an idea that you’re not sure how to optimize for search. That’s fine. Write it first, then figure out your keywords. It’s easier to SEO a post after getting it completely written. While many people write to keywords, I usually write first, then keyword later. It sounds backwards, but it helps me to just get words out and not sound like an article spinning machine.
Still, everyone's writing process is different. Some of us take a lot of time to craft the best blog post that we can. When I have a post that I really want to come out the right way, it can be a long process. That post can take days or even weeks to get published online.
What Makes a Good Article or Blog Post?
There is plenty of thought that goes into articles and blog posts. A lot of it is research. Not only are you fact-checking or looking for additional info, but you have to know if that post is going to actually get interest. Will this topic resonate with your intended audience? Is it a subject people will even care about? There's so much going on behind the writing that most people never think about.
Sure, you can just sit there and use a blog as your journal. That's perfectly fine. I used to do web writing that way. That’s when I just wanted to connect with others through online writing without really thinking about it as a career. Web writers should just do whatever works for them. But, if you want to take your web writing to another level, that’s when you have to start treating it with far more care.
Yes, it's absolutely a myth that web writing doesn't require a lot of time and effort. It really does, especially when you're trying to grow it. Just starting a blog and writing anything takes time and effort. Even if you’re just writing for fun, it's never as easy as it looks! After all you're putting something out to the general worldwide public. That’s nothing to sneeze at!
So, the old saying “if you blog, they will come” isn't exactly true. You have to put in a lot of time and effort for a blog or website to live on. For those that can do it consistently, be proud of them for doing something they love! If you have the passion to put extra thought into effort into everything you publish online, there will be a pay-off in the end.
Content Writing is NOT Easy
Technically, you can write whatever you want online. But as with anything, the more thought and effort you put into your web writing, the better results you’ll get out of it. So, while you can write content on any topic, you need to be sure that you write it in a way that people can find it
You don’t have to write the perfect post every time, though. Yes, there are those of us that can whip out a blog post in 15-20 minutes, slap a Creative Commons or public domain photo on it, give it a snazzy title, and publish it with an immediate audience.
But, is that true of most online writers? Certainly not.
Write Fast, Fix Later
There are writers who can write 1000 words in 20 minutes. But don't feel bad if you can't write that fast right now. It takes LOTS of practice to be able to write so quickly. For me, it was years of journal writing that started back in junior high. But, what helped me the most over the years was retyping my journals into the computer. It helped me practice typing. Also, it also made me rethink how I worded things.
Obviously, when you’re writing in your own journal, you're not going to be as cognizant of how you're wording things. You're just going to write whatever comes to you. It seems that a lot of people think that writing perfect prose just comes naturally to web writers. That’s not true. For every post I whip out in 15-30 minutes, there are five more on my back burner. Of these five, three or four of those will likely end up scrapped.
There are also plenty of articles I whip out, then go back and revise. Online writers are always tweaking. After all, what you write is live to the world. If you’re not happy with it, you’re going to change it. You want to always show something that is strong work. Even if it’s not your best, you want it to be something you’re fine with having your name associated with when it comes to web writing.
Write Ahead, Always Be Ahead
To make up for those times where the writing flow isn’t working, many online writers write ahead. This is why you see so many web writers hammer out a lot of posts at once. That way, you can go back and decide if something is ready to publish or not.
It’s easy to have an idea that you’re not sure how to optimize for search. That’s fine. Write it first, then figure out your keywords. It’s easier to SEO a post after getting it completely written. While many people write to keywords, I usually write first, then keyword later. It sounds backwards, but it helps me to just get words out and not sound like an article spinning machine.
Still, everyone's writing process is different. Some of us take a lot of time to craft the best blog post that we can. When I have a post that I really want to come out the right way, it can be a long process. That post can take days or even weeks to get published online.
What Makes a Good Article or Blog Post?
There is plenty of thought that goes into articles and blog posts. A lot of it is research. Not only are you fact-checking or looking for additional info, but you have to know if that post is going to actually get interest. Will this topic resonate with your intended audience? Is it a subject people will even care about? There's so much going on behind the writing that most people never think about.
Sure, you can just sit there and use a blog as your journal. That's perfectly fine. I used to do web writing that way. That’s when I just wanted to connect with others through online writing without really thinking about it as a career. Web writers should just do whatever works for them. But, if you want to take your web writing to another level, that’s when you have to start treating it with far more care.
Yes, it's absolutely a myth that web writing doesn't require a lot of time and effort. It really does, especially when you're trying to grow it. Just starting a blog and writing anything takes time and effort. Even if you’re just writing for fun, it's never as easy as it looks! After all you're putting something out to the general worldwide public. That’s nothing to sneeze at!
So, the old saying “if you blog, they will come” isn't exactly true. You have to put in a lot of time and effort for a blog or website to live on. For those that can do it consistently, be proud of them for doing something they love! If you have the passion to put extra thought into effort into everything you publish online, there will be a pay-off in the end.
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