Tag Archives: Writing

Stay on Track With a Blogging Schedule

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As many of you already know, I’m a screenwriter. When I set out to develop a longer story, say for a web project or a screenplay, I plan ahead. My initial idea might begin with a cool character or situation, but an idea alone is too flimsy to carry me through to the end. Characters, no matter how cool, need goals, conflicts, and other characters to relate to. A story needs a theme, a plot, and a direction. If I jump in without at least a notion of what the major components of my story are or how they fit together, I can’t know where I’m headed. Without a clear path, it’s too easy to lose my way—and my motivation.

In many ways, your blog is like an unfolding story. You may have started with an idea, but now you need to develop that idea and establish a direction and a clear path to follow. Otherwise, you might find yourself at a loss for material and disconnected from your original purpose and motivation.

So far in this series on blogging, we’ve discussed many of the path-building tools at your disposal. Today we’re going to look at another powerful tool that helps you stay on track and stay motivated: the blogging schedule. Once you know how frequently you want to post, you can begin to schedule what topics you’ll cover when. By following these tips, you’ll soon have a dynamic writing tool for getting those posts done.

Grab your favorite calendar tool.  These tips will make more sense if you can already start integrating them into your blogging schedule. For this you’ll need a calendar. You can work with a paper or a digital version. Just make sure you’re looking at a full month at a time. If you’re working on paper, you might want to use pencil. A blogging schedule is an ever-changing thing!

Schedule by category. Categories help you organize your posts so that your readers can find what they’re interested in more easily. TwoPointUhOh’s categories include Blogs, Building Visibility, Getting Started, Interviews, Mastering Technology, Social Media, Storytelling, Tools, Track Progress, Websites, and Why To. If we’re ever stuck for ideas, a glance at our categories is often enough to stir the creative juices. Right now, for example, I see we’re due for another interview. (Excuse me while I make a note in our blogging calendar.) Once you have identified some categories for your blog, look at your calendar and see if it would make sense to schedule weekly or monthly posts on a particular category.

Schedule by type of post. If you’ve been following our discussion, you’ve been introduced to several different types of blog posts. For example, you might want to do an interview on Mondays or answer reader questions on Tuesdays. A popular blogging trend which I only just discovered myself is Wordless Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, participating bloggers substitute a photo post  for their usual written post. Or you might decide to reserve the last Thursday of the month for guest bloggers or Fridays for list posts. Whatever you choose, mark it in your calendar.

Take notes. The more you blog, the more you’ll develop a sixth sense for juicy blog items. Jot down your ideas, even if they’re vague, and put them in your calendar a few weeks out. Don’t worry about fleshing them out yet. You don’t need to turn them into polished posts right away.

Let things simmer. Allowing ideas to simmer on the back burner can yield rich treasures, as long as you’ve put fresh ideas into the pot. When you add your rough notes to your blogging schedule, you’re spurring your subconscious into action. It continues working on those ideas–even when the conscious you is not. This is one of the wonderful mysteries of the creative process. Don’t question it, just embrace it. And keep taking those notes!

Outline posts. Each week, revisit your calendar. Take one of those rough ideas off the back burner and see if you’re ready to tackle it. Do some brainstorming. Can you give your post a title? Can you identify at least three key points to discuss? Great, you now have an outline for your post! The next step, a completed post, should now be infinitely easier.

Research. But maybe your idea isn’t ripe enough yet. No worries—that’s what Google is for. A quick search will turn up a wealth of information, including what’s already been covered and questions that people may have about your topic. See if you can find a fresh angle. Add your notes and discoveries to your calendar.

Create sequences and series. One of my favorite pieces of writerly advice comes from Ernest Hemingway: “Stop writing when you know what will happen next so you have momentum to continue the next day.” Do you have an idea for a longer post? Consider breaking it down and scheduling it as a two or three-part piece. Do you have an idea for a series, like this one on blogs? Schedule it into your calendar.

As you can see, using a blogging schedule encourages you to work on more than one post at a time. On any given day, you may be fleshing out an outline into a full-blown post, brainstorming new ideas, checking over your categories for inspiration, expanding on some notes for a second post, and doing research on a third post. This keeps the momentum going, making it easier for you to stick with your blog.

7 Standard Blog Posts To Get Past Writer’s Block

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If you’re considering starting a blog, you’re probably wondering how you’ll ever be able to think of something interesting to write about each time you need to post. Athletes call this mental block “hitting a brick wall.” Writers call it writer’s block.

I have to admit when I first started this blog with Alexis, I thought I’d have writer’s block almost every week. I was sure I’d run out of topics or that I wouldn’t be creative enough to keep the reader’s attention.

Applying the Athlete’s Attitude to Writer’s Block

When Alexis and I met in a Parisian café last September to plan Two Point Uh Oh!, I was thinking, “What am I getting into? I coach athletes to reach their goals, not bloggers! How will I ever engage readers?”

Uh oh!

But then I remembered that I knew how to keep my own interest as an athlete. People ask me all the time how I can be such a dedicated triathlete. “Don’t you ever get bored?” they want to know. No, I don’t, because I have a strategy to stay engaged. I plan a variety of workouts, and I make sure never to do the same workout too many times in a row. I alternate between short sprints, longer workout at a steady pace, cross training, core workouts, and fun runs. The types of workouts I can do to stay interested and to keep myself from hitting the brick wall are endless.

The same strategy of alternation applies to blogs. To beat writer’s block, maintain momentum, and keep your readers engaged, you can alternate between different types of posts. Just like working out, if you mix it up, you’ll keep it more interesting for you and for your readers.

3 Categories of Posts

Over the next three weeks, we’ll be looking at 3 categories of posts:

  1. The Standard Posts In this category, you’ll find the most basic types of blog posts. You can consider these types of posts as your go-to posts. They will make up the bulk of your blog. We’ll be covering standard posts today.
  2. The Unconventional Posts This category covers types of blog posts that you might use from time to time to spice things up for your readers. We’ll cover unconventional posts next week. 
  3. Audio and Video Posts This category takes a look at how you can integrate technology to create a more immediate and personal connection with your audience. We’ll cover this in two weeks’ time.

7 Types of Standard Posts

Standard posts can be likened to what you might see in a newspaper or magazine. Taking the form of articles written from the author’s point of view, standard posts present information or ideas to the reader. While in many or even most cases, such broadcasting posts are the ideal choice, at other times they may seem somewhat limited. That’s where the unconventional posts we’ll discuss next week come in. But for now, here are 7 types of standard posts:

1. How-To or Tutorial Posts This type of post is by far the most common. Information imparted in a how-to format is the “bread and butter” of most blogs. Two Point Uh Oh! relies heavily on tutorial posts, and most businesses or blogs can probably add tutorial or how-to to their mix. This past summer, the fig tree in the back yard of my new home produced a bumper crop of figs. The only solution I could think of was to make fig jam, so I looked up a tutorial blog post on the subject and voilà… soon I had 90 jars of fig and lavender jam.

2. Definition Posts If you think your readers might have a question that begins with “what is” followed by a blank to be filled in, then you might want to consider a basic definition post. Defining your terms is a great way to ensure your readers will get the most out of your posts. We created a definition post with this post on Web 2.0.

3. Personal Story or Experience Posts People love to hear stories, especially of someone’s personal experience. A good, well-structured story with a clear point can make your post come alive for your reader. This can be especially true if you traveled the path that they are now on. For example, a yoga teacher who works with injured people might want to include some stories about her own healing journey with yoga. Other examples of great stories to share can include a from-failure-to-success story, your personal reflections and how you came to them, the lessons you’ve learned, or a story about an inspirational moment or person who changed your life. Key to this kind of post is to make sure the story is relevant to your reader. On this blog, we like to mix in a little storytelling with our tutorials, like I did in the introduction to this post.

4. Personal Opinion or Op-Ed Posts Just as many newspapers carry op-ed columns, your blog can include op-ed in its posts. Use opinion pieces to discuss something you feel strongly about, establish your expertise, and help you stand out from the crowd. Depending on your style and personality, your opinion might be presented in a way that’s balanced or bold. You may even opt to put forth an opinion that goes against the grain of your industry. The key to a personal opinion post is to make sure you know whereof you speak. If you disagree with the mainstream thinking on a particular topic, make sure to present your arguments in a logical and cohesive way. Be passionate–but don’t be all over the place. Personal opinion is not the same as a personal rant. A great example of a successful personal opinion approach is the blog Altucher Confidential by author and entrepreneur James Altucher.

5. Problem-and-Solution Posts This is another type of post that fits nicely into many small business blogs. Identify a problem your readers might have and then offer a solution. RealSimple does problem and solution articles and posts very well. Here’s a great example: How to Deal With Nuisance Neighbors

6. List Posts List posts have several advantages. First, they are a great way to get you over writer’s block. If you’re really stuck, sit down and brainstorm a top 10 tips (or top 3 or top 5) list having to do with your niche. Second, list posts organize information in a way that’s easy to skim and read. Finally, they provide catchy titles to attract readers: “The Top 3 Reasons To Visit Paris,” “The 5 Best Job Interview Tips,” “16 Ways You Can Make a Difference.” This post is an example of a list post. Here is another list post on one of my favorite topics: the best chocolate shops in Paris.

7. News, Predictions, and Trends Posts  Does your business depend on your staying on top of the latest happenings and trends? Then consider including these in your post mix. Make sure to credit original sources and include your own point of view. A good example is this post on Digital Publishing Predictions.

That should keep you busy for a while. Next week, we’ll take a look at unconventional posts for those moments when you want to give your readers something new!

Hello, I’m Alexis and I’m a Webaholic

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As we’ve said before, TwoPointUhOh is not about re-creating the tons of social media information already online. We’re about clarifying and simplifying that information for people who are just starting out.

How many of us are building profiles online? That’s how many different ways there are to go about it. The question is, What’s going to work for you? Honestly, that depends on who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish, who you want to reach, the learning curve you’re facing, and how you feel about the process.

In short, there are several variables with many possible combinations and one common denominator: YOU.

We’re here to help you define those variables for yourself and to identify a strategy that feels right and works for your business.

Our Philosophy

We believe context is important, concrete examples are indispensable, and story is the best way to learn. What better place to start than with our own stories?  This week I’ll introduce myself. Next week will be Mary’s turn.

Bear with me as we seemingly take a detour. Sometimes the longer path between two points is more enriching than the shorter one.

From The Personal…

Growing up, my family moved a lot. I lived in New York (twice); Athens, Greece (twice); and the then divided city of Berlin, Germany (also twice). As a college student I moved to Paris (for the first time), and then to New York again, where I stayed for 8 years. Then it was back to Paris (for the second time), and Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany (once each) and finally Paris for the third time. In between there were trips, endless trips (my father was a pilot with Pan Am).

Håkan Dahlström Photography

Four countries. Four languages. Four cultures. Twenty plus moves. Change and starting over is what I was weaned on. The result? A lifetime of not really fitting in anywhere. I struggled to make sense of the world around me, no matter where I was.

I used technology to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world. From the telephone and letters, to the fax machine and email, I was all over it. As Web 2.0 began to emerge, I jumped on board from the start. Soon I found myself enrolling in online classes, joining forums and writing groups, and meeting like-minded people. No longer bound by geography or hampered by language, I could find and converse with my tribe wherever they were.

What liberation!

By the glow of my iMac

For someone like me who’s always been a little bit everywhere but never really anywhere, the Web became a way of connecting far-flung dots. Several years before Facebook or Twitter, I was finding old friends and making new ones.

I was hooked on Web 2.0.

…To The Professional

In 1994, when I was living in Paris for the second time, I started to hear about portable careers—careers that could move with you wherever you went. This spoke to me, and I began seeking out portable work: teaching, translating, writing. Sure, each time I moved I’d have to find a new customer base, but I felt that was possible. Wherever I’d been, I’d always found a sizable Anglophone expat community and the companies and organizations that hired them. This was the early days of Web 2.0, and my mind was still thinking locally.

Between 1996 and 2002, I lived in Germany, where I trained as an Alexander Technique teacher, a mind-body method of centering, connecting, and feeling more whole. (You can see why I needed it, right? If you want to know more, click here.) To support myself, I worked as a translator. The Web allowed me to translate from home, do my research, and deliver my jobs by email. I could support myself using my language skills and I could set my own hours around my training course. Further, by the time I moved back to Paris in 2002, my customers were comfortable with assigning work and accepting delivery over the Internet. As long as I was in the same time zone and could receive a wire transfer, they were happy to keep working with me. My portable life just became smoother.

Professional consistency was now possible—at least theoretically.

Scattered

I still had two problems. One, I didn’t love translating. Two, I couldn’t get myself to do any one thing exclusively, no matter how much I loved it. I still can’t. If I don’t have variety and new challenges, I lose interest very quickly. I used to think this was a byproduct of my upbringing, but now I believe it’s innate. It’s who I am.

Back in Paris, I worked on building a teaching practice while also trying to build my writing career so that I could drop the translating. I networked online, I networked in Paris, and I said yes to just about everything, including unpaid work and community volunteering. I developed a habit of having multiple irons in the fire, several balls in the air, and lots of spinning plates.

Before long, I was stretched too thin. I became scattered and surrounded by broken plates and dropped balls. My online presence reflected that.

Uh Oh.

Some stuff had to give.

Photo by Openroads.com

Anchored

The 2.0 tools I used to create and promote my webseries.

In an effort to take greater control over my projects and my own direction, I decided to produce a web series called My Bitchy Witchy Paris Vacation. I wanted to showcase my work to the entertainment industry in the US—and I succeeded. Much to my surprise, however, creating the web series also had the effect of anchoring me here in Paris. This I had not anticipated.

Through the two-year process of writing and producing Bitchy Witchy, I realized I had become comfortable(ish) navigating France. I also realized that I had been living as if I’d inevitably pick up and move again. For seven years, I had been waiting for the proverbial second shoe to drop.

Was it possible that I was done starting over from nothing? Could I actually stop tearing up roots and focus instead on cultivating the seeds I had planted?

What a freaky little concept.

But it’s grown on me.

Under One Umbrella

Today my professional life is made up of writing, consulting, and translating for the entertainment industry, and teaching (Alexander Technique, screenwriting, storytelling, and building an online presence). In addition, I work on my own creative projects.

It’s still a lot of different things, but they fit together. At the heart of everything I do is story. At the heart of story is infinite variety and challenge.

Photo by ^riza^

Oh yeah. I could stay here a while.

My goal now is to shape an online presence that reflects one business with multiple facets and to create a home base (a company) from which I can venture out (to clients here and abroad). I’ll be sharing my progress on this blog.

Web 2.0 Takeaways

How is this long story useful to you? What does this mean in terms of Web 2.0? I don’t really know, but this is what I got out of it:

  1. Web 2.0 is a communication tool, much like the telephone.
  2. How you use Web 2.0 will change over time. The tools will change and your needs will change.
  3. How you use Web 2.0 depends on who you are. This includes your history, your needs, your level of comfort with technology and social networking, and your personality.
  4. Web 2.0 can help you connect to your tribe wherever they may be.
  5. Web 2.0 can bring you full circle. You might venture out far and wide only to land back home.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a progress and not a station.” With apologies to Mr. Emerson, I would say the same about Web 2.0.