A blog is a place where one writes, for others to read.
Now, why one would want to be read is a question whose answer may vary from one writer to another, but, whatever one’s reason for wanting to be read may be, there is another question that needs to be asked by every writer:
“Why should someone want to read what you write?”
If we look at blogs, it is easy to see that some of our favourite blogs are those which educate us, in addition to entertaining us. In today’s world, there are more than enough sources of entertainment, but the sources of education are few and far between. Most blogs that are popular today are a great source of knowledge for people who want to educate themselves about the subject the blogger writes about.
In that sense, every writer is a teacher.
Different teachers use different techniques to hold the interest of their students, and so do different writers use different styles to keep their readers engrossed. But, however stylish your writing may be, it won’t attract readers unless you add substance to your style.
Adding substance to your writing is a matter of learning. Before you can teach others, you must first learn yourself. This is the reason why most writers, even fiction writers, research the subject of their work extensively before sitting down to write.
As Richard Bach has said, “You teach best, what you need to learn most.”
I couldn’t agree more with his words. So, if you want to be an effective blogger, you need to have a strong passion for the subject you blog about. If, like me on this blog, you, too, blog about writing, you need to have a strong desire to keep learning and practising.
You will only be able to teach well, if you, yourself, are willing to learn. Wouldn’t you agree?
(Image courtesy: cobrasoft from sxc.hu)
What do you think?