WriteRight

I am very excited about this new blog. Despite the facts that I have been blogging for years and writing is my passion, I have never had a blog strictly dedicated to the subject of writing. So that’s what this is about. I’m not going to bore you with a bunch of posts about me because I tend to include anecdotes about myself within my articles. you’ll learn enough (probably more than enough!) about me that way.

Since you are reading this, I can assume that you are either (A) a blogger or (B) someone who enjoys reading blogs. This means that writing is an important part of your life, even if you consider yourself only a reader. Considering my audience, this blog will focus on writing content for the web - from blog posts to sales pages. To start things off, I want to share the seven basic principles that I try to apply to any web content I create. I will be posting it in two parts so I can get into the details. Here are the first three:

• Learn the Rules, Then Break Them

  I know, you’ve heard this a million times. The reason why you’ve heard it a million times is because it is absolutely true. I’m not saying you need to become a grammar geek like me overnight, just become familiar with the basics and gather some resources to help you out in case you get stuck.

  The two classic resources I recommend you find copies of (and you should be able to find inexpensive used copies online or at a used bookstore) are Strunk and White’s Elements of Style and Sheridan Baker’s The Practical Stylist. There is also a book that came out about two years ago called Painless Grammar that I absolutely love. It was written by Rebecca Elliott and it will teach you the skills without putting you to sleep.

  A great example of rule breaking for the sake of irony is the title of this blog: Write Right. I know that is incorrect, thus making it ironic. If I didn’t know it was incorrect, then it would just be sad. In fact, I’m considering creating the header graphic so that “Right” is crossed out and replaced by “Correctly.” Do you think I should do that or leave it as is?

• When in Doubt, Look it Up

  One of the hardest things to develop on the internet is trust. It is also one of the most important. Establishing an audience of trusting readers is key to maintaining a successful blog. This is true regardless of how you define success - money, number of readers, link backs, etc.

  With all the (true)horror stories of fraud and scary MySpace pedophiles, trust is now something that must be earned by repeatedly serving up helpful, correct and interesting advice to your readers. That is why choosing a topic is so important (more on that in a later post) - because you must know that what you are sharing with your readers is true. If you aren’t sure about the verity of a statement you make in a post, look it up.

  It just takes a quick jump over to Google to double-check your facts. Be sure you find a reliable source when doing this. One slip-up can mean complete loss of your readers’ trust. And, usually, once you’ve lost a reader’s trust, you’ve lost a reader. Information is so readily available on the internet that if you don’t catch your slip, someone else will. And when he/she discovers that you’ve been telling untruths, he/she will let everyone else know. Once something like this happens, it is very hard to dig yourself out of the hole and then build up the trust you once had.

• Try to Have an Opinion

  If you want to encourage your readers to engage with you by commenting on your blog posts (and, believe me, you do), one of the best ways to do this is to have an opinion on the topic about which you are writing. Depending on your niche, there may be times when interjecting opinion is not appropriate, but in most cases the blogosphere allows for the free sharing of feelings and impressions. This may seem a bit controversial, but it helps if your opinion is a minority opinion. The fact is, people are more likely to speak up when they disagree with you than when they agree.

  Your opposition needs to come naturally though, you really can’t force it. If you get your readers all riled up and then can’t back up your negative view, then you don’t have an argument. If you can back it up, that’s great, but be sure you aren’t overly agressive about it. While everyone loves a good debate, flame wars in the comments can turn away those with whom you are arguing as well as other readers who didn’t stop by to read personal attacks.

  I also wouldn’t recommend pretending to have a negative opinion just to grab some attention. There is a good way and a bad way to create link bait and I consider “fake” opinions decidedly on the bad side. Though the tactic might work for some quick traffic, you aren’t likely to build a readership by being overly contrary, especially if you’re just making it up. In my opinion it is always best to present your authentic self to your readers.

That brings part one of my seven basic principles to an end. Tomorrow you can look forward to the last four. I’d tell you what they are, but I’d rather keep you in suspense.