A couple of months ago, Darren Rowse of Problogger wrote something on Google+ about blogging that caught my attention.
It was from a G+ post titled “Traits of Successful Bloggers #6 – Communicators.”
It caught my attention because it contradicted a belief I had about blogging.
Here’s the quote:
“Some might think that this point is all about bloggers having the ability to write well – but that is only part of being a good communicator.
Successful bloggers have a knack of knowing and connecting with readers that goes beyond the way they use words.”
So what’s the big deal? Why did this quote catch my attention?
It caught my attention because, to some degree at least, I still consider blogging to be a genre of writing that needs to be done “well.” And by well, I mean conforming to rules of writing that have been taught in schools for decades and decades. If it doesn’t perfectly conform to these rules, then it’s a complete waste of time.
But that’s just not the case. Blogging is much more than merely writing well, in that sense. It’s about communicating. It’s about conveying your idea to a larger audience.
These ideas may be communicated in well thought out sentences that match every known grammar rule, but they also may not. In the end, if the idea gets communicated that’s what matters.
I’m not arguing for sloth to be rewarded and for every writer to become a blogger that no longer worries about grammar and rules. What I’m trying to say, and what Mr. Rowse said very well, is that blogging is about more than that. It’s about communicating ideas well, and not as much about writing well, per se.
If bloggers are able to do both, that’s awesome. And that also should be the goal. Any improvement in writing benefits the delivery of ideas and influences how people perceive you and what you’ve written. If you leave typos in your prose and you don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” then you’ll lose some credibility with your audience.
But on the other hand, people are willing to overlook these mistakes. They realize that every blogger doesn’t have an editor looking over their shoulder catching every error. And they realize that not every blogger studied rhetoric at an Ivy League Institution.
What they don’t overlook are good ideas that are well thought and out and that connect with readers. They don’t overlook writing that serves the reader and gives him something that he wants.
So remember this: Blogging is about more than writing well. If you do write perfect prose, that’s a plus, but if you don’t, as long as you connect with your audience and communicate ideas that are worth listening to, you can be a blogger.
Don’t let perfectionism scare you from getting started with blog writing. It’s ok if you’re not perfect. Nobody else is anyway.
Just start writing.
Eventually, you’ll become a better writer simply due to the fact that you’re writing more. Focus on communicating the best ideas that you have at your disposal and learn more about writing as you go. In the end, you’ll become a better writer and communicator, and that’s what it’s all about.
Note: For those who are interested in becoming better blog writers, here are two posts that will help:
- 5 High School Grammar Rules Great Writers Learn to Break
- 5 Tips for Writing Significantly Better Blog Posts
Good tips Joseph.
Especially “just write and you’ll get better.”
I agree, Brandon.
The best way to become better at writing is to write, and blogging provides a great opportunity to do so.
Nice. Especially diggin’ how custom the newsletter is getting.
You’re welcome.
Love the subject here Joseph. I’ve seen many a great writer stink at blogging. I’ve also seen average writers rock at blogging. I do believe the two are merging together, but there clearly is more to all of this than writing well. I’d say the big 3 are:
1. Overcoming the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ so as to communicate on a reader’s level.
2. Coming across personal enough to induce trust.
3. Knowing the perfect mix of fact, opinion, emotion, and logic.
Just my thoughts, thanks again,
Marcus
Hi Marcus,
Number one on your list stands out to me because it’s difficult for a lot of people to distill what they know into a form that’s helpful for the average reader. The other two points are helpful as well.
Joe,
I enjoyed the post. I have to agree. By just starting to write, I feel like I’m becoming a better communicator. That’s the most important thing to make solid connection with your readers.
Thanks, Tom.
Hi Joseph,
I really emjoyed reading your post and I do agree. One thing that puzzled me though was how can good writing be anything but good communication?
All writing that has been done well must communicate effectively. If it doesn’t, then it is simply not good writing. That being said, the purpose of that communication might differ. So a piece of creative writing, a memoir, a personal essay, a historic piece – if they have been written well, they must be communicating well – for their own specific purposes.
The issue then becomes to have a clear purpose to your blog writing which is different to – say when you are writing to express yourself.
I just don’t agree that a well written piece can be bad at communication. (I am approaching this from an MBA background too) Every piece of writing starts with keeping the reader in mind and deciding on its purpose. With blogging, the purpose is different.
Great post!
Hi Marya,
I agree with you, and I personally define good writing as content that connects with readers. In the context of this post, I was considering 100% grammatically sound, academic-sounding content as writing that’s done well, which is something I think most people do. It’s entirely possible to “write well,” according to this definition, and not communicate well or connect well with readers.
As an example, there are bloggers who aren’t phenomenal writers but are great communicators. They wouldn’t win awards for their prose, and they may not know every single grammar rule in the book. But what they do know how to do is connect with readers and communicate ideas.
So my point is that great blogging isn’t necessarily about great writing. It’s awesome if both of those tie in together, and ultimately that’s the goal. But in order to be a great blogger, it’s more important to be a great communicator than a “great writer.” That’s my two cents.
Joseph, I know EXACTLY what you mean. I just think that writing with superior technical detail (vocab, grammar, punctuation, form etc) doesn’t necessarily mean that it is great writing. For me personally, it doesn’t equate to writing well unless it is ALSO communicating well. By my definition, if you write well, you communicate well and vice versa. But that’s just how I feel.
And this is why ‘brilliant’ writers often make lousy bloggers. Their prose might be technically flawless, but does it serve its purpose?
I am not arguing with you at all, just felt like saying this because not many agree on this one.
Marya
Hi Joseph
Great post and your points are especially true if your blog is your business. You see when I write I am not just thinking about the content and my writing. I am also thinking about the best way to teach a new skill that also shows off my expertise in the hope that people will want to buy my products of services.
It is a tough balance but one we should all aim for.
Ainslie
Hi Ainslie,
I agree that it’s a tough balance and that the #1 goal is to connect with readers.
I’ve been thinking about the idea of just how good my writing needs to be as well. I’m a perfectionist who has recently realized that despite my good grammar and spelling skills, I really don’t have very good proofreading skills. That means I sometimes make mistakes in my blog posts even though I know better.
And here’s my conclusion: I don’t care. People read my stuff, click my ads (on my projects that have ads) and seem to keep coming back. So I’m happy.
Nice to meet you, Joseph. I’ll be following you now.
Gip