Finding The Words To Write A blog

When you sit down, finding the words to write a blog entails finding something that seems interesting to you. When I’m interested in a topic the words come easily. Do you know exactly what you are going to say or do you wing it? Some people, I hear, prepare an outline, spread out Post-It notes, open related books to bookmarked pages, scour the Internet for fact-checking and even then, they face a blank screen with a blinking mouse.

I find my best writing comes when I let my fingers do the typing. If I give a topic too much thought, I might never write it. So, I let the words fall where they may because I can always go back and clean them up later. You know, to write a blog always remove all the profanity. 🙂 Just kidding!

Most readers, I find, want to know why they should read your words, so your title ought to be compelling, in some sense. Basically, readers want to know:

• What you are writing about
• Why it is important
• How they can use this information
• Pros and Cons 
• What you can share that they won’t find elsewhere

I try to write from a very narrow viewpoint, meaning I want to convey one general thought. Notwithstanding the fact that writing around keywords is good for SEO, it also helps to keep your blog focused. Writing a blog every day is a commitment as your readers will expect something every day and try to post at a consistent time.

Sometimes I am simply amazed that I have so much to say about what could be considered a mundane topic. I can’t count the number of times I’ve started to write about a phrase, wondering to myself exactly what information do I have to share and why would anybody care? But by the time I am nearly finished and find myself running to the end of my character allotment (at About.com, now The Balance, most stuff I wrote about was restricted to 5,000 characters or less), I am often dumbfounded that I had so many ideas running around in my head and that I actually captured them on paper. 

To write a blog entails trusting yourself and trusting your instincts.  Everyone may not agree with what you write, especially if you write about selling Sacramento real estate. Trust me, everyone will not agree with your words but then isn’t that the point? Let readers decide if what you are saying evokes something from the reader. I’d like to know if this has happened to you. Do you ever scratch your head and mutter: “Where did these words come from?” 🙂 

If you are interested in buying or selling real estate please call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors at RE/MAX Gold, 916-233-6759.

— Elizabeth Weintraub