When writing a post for a blog like Steemit, you could in some way compare it to writing a speech or putting whatever you want to say into sentences. As easy as this may sound, putting your thoughts onto paper isn't always the easiest thing in the world, especially when your readers cannot hear the tone of voice you are using or if the language of writing isn't your first language.
One thing is for certain - whatever you are writing can't just fall from the sky - you can't just start writing without planning what you want to bring across. Just as you have to plan your Christmas family dinner when you've invited guests over to your home, the same goes for writing a quality piece of work.
You have to plan your menu, make sure you have the right ingredients, design an invitation, make sure the decor is perfect, entertain your guests and make sure they don't throw you under the bus because they've contracted food poisoning! You also would not want to serve dessert before the main course and you wouldn't want to leave the turkey in the oven too long, would you? No, because everything should be timed, prepared and served at the right time to keep your guests coming back or to make it a memorable experience for them.
With that being said - and I know you have already seen where I'm going with this - it works the same with blogging.
Punctuation is the spice of life! The spices you use for your turkey are very important. With the use of careful punctuation, you can make what you write clearer to the reader. Capital letters, full stops, commas, colons and semi-colons should be used at the right times and in the right places to make reading easier for your readers. It's like adding too little or too much salt in your food. No one wants to eat it...and no one wants to read it!
Another very important part of your dinner, is making sure that your guests don't die of thirst. You also don't want to run back and forth to the shop to buy the basic drinks and it's important that your guests always have something in their glass. So, when writing, decide when something happened and stick to it. Don't run back to the past (tense) and then hop back into the future (tense). Keep your drinks nearby and keep your tenses sensible.
Stories have characters, something happens in stories and stories take place in particular places. If you're writing a story, make sure your reader knows who or what the story is about, what happened in logical order and where it happened. Let's compare it to your dinner invitation! Your guests should know who's house to go to, where it is and when to be there. You'll also want to put a little effort into making your invitation stand out from other invitations. In the same way, your heading should be interesting and invite the reader to choose your story over someone else's.
Just as there is a reading process, there is also a writing process.
- It's a good idea to use a mind map or a plan. Write down all your ideas and then organize your thoughts into groups of ideas.
- Form the plan. Write the first draft, read it carefully and correct mistakes.
- Rewrite the corrected piece and then proofread it to see that you have not made any more mistakes.
- Ask a friend to check it too.
It's not a competition!
Plan your post, write it, type it and DON'T HIT ''POST''!
Stand up, stretch your legs, pour yourself a of cup of whatever it is you're drinking, and then read it again from top to bottom.
Not sure whether your post is a money-maker??? Here's a checklist for you:
- Have I planned my story carefully?
- Have I formulated descriptive paragraphs?
- Did I use supporting ideas such as examples or descriptions?
- Do my sentences flow logically into each other?
- Did I recheck my punctuation?
- Is my tenses the same throughout my story?
- Did I check that I haven't made any spelling- or typing errors?
- Is my heading attractive? Would I read it?
- Did I reference every picture or sentence that isn't my own?
Reputation is not a number, you have to earn it!
