I am still a toddler when it comes to blogging, with this baby only being 1-year-old this past July. It has been a labor of love complete with contractions, pushing and lots of screaming. But, just like in real labor, I’ve forgotten some of the pain as I’ve fallen in love with the infant laying in my arms.
When my babies were infants, I was mesmerized by the oooing and gurgling sounds they made even during the wee hours of feeding time. And then as they grew and started forming words…well, you know! That first word was magic and you never forget it. My son’s was kit-kit-kat. Yes, not momma or daddy, but kit-kit-kat. And my daughter’s first word was her brother’s name, pronounced a-ene. I guess she heard it more than ours! 😉 Regardless, we will never forget their first words.
I hope you’ve forgotten some of my first words, as some of them make little sense due to long, drawn-out articles that might make some wish I was mute. But, I am finding my voice and thought I might share a few things I’ve learned for new bloggers.
One mistake that I’ve made along the way, is wanting to write like other bloggers. I fall in love with a particular style or personality and think my content will be better if it sounds a bit like SuzyQ’s. More times than not, it is those posts that I’m least satisfied with. The voice or tone of your blog needs to be none other than your own. I am no expert, but I’m constantly reading and learning, and enjoy sharing what I learn. A few examples of voices used in writing fiction are:
If you are a drama queen or king, then this is your voice. You will have the gift of taking everyday rituals and turning them into riveting posts.
If you are a take-charge, ready to take-on-the-day, courageous person who wants to write commentary – political or religious in nature, then this is your voice. You may be able to increase your readership with a variety of strategies to create controversy or perhaps reach a consensus with your readers.