Monday, July 30, 2007

Blogging the Write Way: The Basics

One of the things you see alot of in the blogosphere is poor writing. And I don’t just mean poor spelling - I mean all the way around - poor grammar, poor structure, poor word choice, the whole nine.

If you expect your blog to stand out, you really have to take it as seriously as you would any other writing project, whether it is a book, a print article, or even a school report. This means being knowledgeable about your subject(s), but specifically, about writing.

Now, it has been said - by many better writers than myself - that you can’t teach someone how to write. You either have it or you don’t. But that’s not entirely true. Even if you are not blessed with the ability to write creatively or even interestingly, you can still learn to write well. And the internet is a great place to start your education.

While we have some good links here and there and will be highlighting some of the better sites along the way, there’s no need to wait around on us! Writer’s Digest has an annual 101 best web sites feature and you can find more links on their website, but that’s far from the only resource.

If you have kids, that’s even better! A quick read through their English and Grammar books is a great way to refresh yourself on the finer points you have most likely forgotten over the years. In fact, even if you do not have children, a Junior book on Grammar and writing may be just the thing you need. This isn’t to insult you - far from it! - Junior-level books on such subjects generally give a great, easy to understand overview of their subjects, and if you want to brush-up on something, they’re usually the best place to start.

We’ll get into some of the finer points of writing as we go on, but know that if you want your blog, site, or anything else to stand out, you are going to have to breakdown and do the research necessary to ensure that your grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and other basics are in order.

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