If you’ve read my latest book, 52 Writing Tips: Fast and Easy Ways to Polish Your Writing, you know that I devote one section to blogging, with several articles to help both novice and experienced bloggers.
Why, then, would I describe blogging as dangerous?
Done correctly, blogging can enhance your brand, attract customers and clients, and interest readers in your other products, such as podcasts, books, and courses.
Done incorrectly, it will not only fail to achieve the above goals, but it can hold you back in developing your skill as a writer.
Here’s the biggest danger of blogging.
Writing Too Much and Too Fast is a Danger of Blogging
If, for example, you’ve set a goal to publish five times a week, you have to write frequently and quickly. Since 2009, I’ve blogged on three sites, with topics geared to patients, legal nurse consultants, and writers. I find a no more than twice a week schedule works just fine.
If you attempt to blog five times a week, the chances are that you won’t allow enough time to do your best possible job. You will most likely skip editing and proofreading.
That’s a danger of blogging and a mistake.
Why? You wonder. It’s only a blog.
When it comes to writing, there’s no “it is only a blog.” Anything you write reflects who you are, your attention to detail, the logic of your thinking, your ability to teach and explain.
The person who reads your carelessly written blog post is unlikely to buy your book. The potential customer who sees mistakes in your writing may think you could make mistakes in working for him or her.
If you have dreams of writing a book for publication, poor writing habits will hamper you, making this one of the dangers of blogging.
Editing and Proofreading Are Part of Writing
It’s fine to write your first draft quickly. In fact, most writing professionals encourage that. You can set down your ideas without interruption. Your creativity flows.
Later on—and if you’re writing regular blogs, it might be an hour later—you review what you wrote. You ask if it makes sense, if you could express yourself more clearly, and, on a very basic level, if words are missing or misspelled, and if you have major grammatical or punctuation errors.
“But I Don’t Have Time.”
If you’re thinking that, perhaps you’ve set yourself an overly-ambitious schedule for posting blogs. If your goal is five a week, cut back to three. Whatever you’ve set as a goal, reduce it.
This doesn’t have to hold true forever. When you have more experience writing, it will all come more quickly, and you can gradually increase your output.
You can also evaluate your schedule. Maybe you need to set fixed times for blog writing. You might also—and I recommend this—need to build a backlog. Don’t write a blog post at the last moment. Have a supply into which you can dip. You’ll feel much more comfortable about the whole process if you have that stockpile of posts.
You wouldn’t go to a meeting with a potential client in shabby, dirty clothing. You’d want to look your best.
Writing the best blog posts you can equals that attention to your appearance. Put your best words forward.
I understand how it feels to question your writing skills, to worry about what you’ve written and wonder, “Does it look professional?”
Would you like to move from insecure and confused to confident and respected?
Would you like to move from the state of avoiding writing because you are blocked to being able to write more quickly and efficiently?
Order 52 Writing Tips Today!
Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter, book coach, and editor who helps businesspeople share their knowledge in a book. She works with experts to make writing a book possible. Contact her through her website at patiyer.com/contact.
