Writing is hard work...

I have been seriously writing for about over 6 months and I am now finding out that writing is hard work.  It is not the hardest work of all time, but it is up there.   Why do I believe that writing is hard work.   It is simple.

First of all, you have to consider your niche.   I learned about niches when I was earning my Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.  In case you are not familiar with the word, niche, think of it as as your expertise, something you are good at talking about, AND want to talk about.   Mine is Scrapbooking, paper crafting in general, traveling ( although finances have hindered me a little bit), dance, music, and interior decorating from a novice point of view (this includes organizing).   I also like marketing, parenting, learning about my computer and other technologies, fashion, and writing, but I categorize myself in those areas as always learning about them.

Next, what do you want to talk about?  What do you want people to know about that has already been said?  All of your content cannot be about the weather, unless your studied it for sometime, and you have discovered some mysterious cloud never seen before. Here is a hint:  you can give your opinion.   Give presence to what has been said before, and why you think it is important to say it again.   For example, suppose I want to talk about the important of learning how to play an instrument, instead of relying on the keyboard or guitar's on-board computer system.   There are 14 other articles just like the one I am writing on.   With Google getting really nasty about SEO keyword placement (another term that needs to be talked about later, and I am learning about it).   The article has to be placed so that Goggle does not throw it out, AND your article also needs lands on the first page of the site.

Who is your audience?   You do need to generate enough traffic to have a person come back for more of your wisdom.  Naturally, you would not talk about baseball on a motorcycle enthusiast's blog site.   You will either a) have them running to the hills, driving the traffic on the site to a screeching halt,  Or b) you may have a riot in the comments section.   So if the blog is about motorcycles, you can still talk about baseball.  Just make sure the subject is on something like "Motorcycle friendly Ballparks."

There are many different styles of writing, and each one has their pros and cons, but that is another subject for a different day.   Just remember, know your niche, know what you want to talk about, and consider your audience.   This is just a start, and this philosophy has carried me from the time I was in at least the 8th grade until now.  I have not always applied that concept but it works.

The next post will be on a few scrapbook pages.  Until then, God bless you, and be sure to check out my other two blogs:  Tricia's Baskets and My Blessed Life.