How to Write a Good Blog Post

I’ve been trying to keep up with my blog, but in reality I have no time or motivation for writing. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE writing. However, I have begun to lose that zeal that I felt when I graduated college. When I graduated, I was full of good ideas. I had no problem dishing out a 500-word blog post per day. I wrote to my heart’s content, having plenty of time and energy to write both this blog post and my 5-page journal entries every night. It was great.

But then responsibilities kicked in…

I am thankful for my part-time job. I am thankful for my TEFL certification class. I am thankful for my observation and conversation classes. But I have had no time to write.

Still, my passion has not left me. I still want to write. I still want to encourage others with my voice. So what do I do?

Here is what I have discovered about being a writer/teacher/student/woman/daughter/worshiper:

1. I’m writing for me. Sure, I want to encourage other people, but when I write, I’m using my voice, not the voice of what others tell me. People may get offended at my voice. People might think my voice doesn’t matter. And obviously, I might have to change my tone, depending on my audience. However, writing truly comes from the heart. If I don’t have the opportunity to express what is on my heart, my writing is just not going to be good. So…I’m finding my voice. And that’s OK.

2. It’s going to take time. One time, my mom asked me how long it takes to write a blog post. It actually only took me four hours to write, edit, and submit a blog post. But now that other meaningful activities take up my brain’s attention, the time it takes to come up with a blog post has increased drastically. By the time I have a good idea, I don’t even have the energy to write it down. It’s going to take time. And that’s OK.

3. I have high expectations of myself. I work a lot. I teach about an hour away from where I live. I study and prepare for my weekly homework and for my teaching practicum. And I still expect myself to whip out a blog post for the whole world to see. The way my life is set up right now, that’s not going to happen. I’m going to have to take breaks. I’m going to have to learn my boundaries. I’m going to have to make my posts a bit shorter 😛 And, you know what? That’s OK too.

I’m human, and I’m figuring it out. I put so many responsibilites on myself that I don’t know what others expect of me. But for now, I’m finding my voice. I’m writing to communicate a message. I’m learning to be patient. I’m learning to be OK with my pace of writing. I’m ready to be used by God through my writing.

As usual, although I’m venting and coordinating my thoughts, I hope that this post encourages you. To all those people who want to write but don’t have the time, energy, or motivation: you can do it. It’s possible. Don’t give up; start small and keep going. To all those people who are writing but feel like they’re writing is going nowhere: don’t stop. Even if only one person reads your insightful blog posts, that’s one person who has been influenced by your work. That is definitely worth it.