Writing is not for everyone. It demands a lot of mental gymnastics and plenty of patience. But when you are infected by this disorder, you cannot help it, you have to do it.
I enjoy writing. It stimulates and engages the mind (and God knows that we all need this). If you fail to regularly stimulate your intellect, it will get flabby and become unable to reason or to make intelligent choices. You will just swallow plastic-wrapped, precooked ideas without ever trying to challenge them.
Yet there is writing and writing… and producing a blog is vastly different from concocting a thriller or a love story. When writing a story, you can let your imagination run wild. There are no fences, no rules, no taboos. You are the captain and can run your ship like Blackbeard. Anybody disagreeing with you might have to walk the plank.
When you write for a blog, it is a different story. You have to target a specific audience, using specific words. It is difficult because freelance writers are a dime a dozen, all competing for public attention. To be noticed, you need to hustle and write about a subject that might interest an audience.
To be successful, many blog writers rely on a technique called SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
“Ever heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? It’s a theory of psychology that prioritizes the most fundamental human needs (like air, water, and physical safety) over more advanced needs (like esteem and social belonging). The theory is that you can’t achieve the needs at the top without ensuring the more fundamental needs are met first”.
Most of all, you need to tailor your writing according to precise rules. You want search engines to quickly locate your site. You need to use particular keywords related to what you write about, and findt a subject that people are interested in. And last but not least, you need to come up with an intriguing title that is going to hook your audience.
I learned all this the hard way… plodding along…
Like any creator, after spending some time working on a little piece, I am keen on presenting my labor to public’s appreciation.
But what should I write about to attract a decent audience? Politics? We are all sick of it. Sports? I am mildly interested in this and I know very little about it. Science? Not really… Pétanque? Not until Spring…
The only subject that generates universal interest is sex. A unique word understood and used in practically all European languages.
Unfortunately, I discovered that this subject has been monopolized by a group of very enterprising ladies. If you are curious about any sexual technique, they will teach it to you with elaborate details. There are no taboos anymore. Hand jobs, blowjobs, masturbation, oral sex, anal sex… anything goes…
Consequently,
to be a successful blogger, should I also tackle this subject? Reveal all my past escapades? My visits at the Playboy Mansion?
A big dilemna!
What would Jesus do?
Alain
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