A PRIMER ON BLOG WRITING

BY

THE INFINITE FORCE


Introduction

Teach you I will to write a great blog, young Padawans. Here you'll find skills that will not only improve your writing and entry content, but win you fame and popularity among the bloggers and SW.com visitors.

Some of these tips will be obvious to some of you, but some of the tips will also come as a bit of surprise. I hope to illuminate you.

And, as promised, I will leave you with a sure-fire method that will practically guarantee you the #1 most popular blog entry.


My Own Experiences/Goals

I'll tell you right off the bat that I personally have never gotten a number one entry, but that's by choice. I know how to get one, but the topics I would need to write on to do so generally don't interest me from an author's perspective. My goal is to write what interests me within Star Wars fandom, and if like-minded people read it and are interested too, that's great.

My objective is to maintain a well-written blog containing great entries that consistently receive comments and are read. One thing to keep in mind is to not be discouraged in not getting a top entry. It doesn't bother me. My goal is to have a consistent readership, and if you look at many of the top entries, they are usually a one-time deal for many people. A blogger had one great idea that catapulted them to the top. But in many cases, the majority of their other entries don't get popularity or readership.

Consistent readership of a decent level (I've gotten many entries very high, and some have been number one in their topic area such as EU, OT, etc.) is more important to me and really should be more important to you as well. I get enough comments to keep me happy, and I've been featured blog of the day several times, so I feel my approach is validated by those results.

Just like Field of Dreams, if you write well, they will come. In fact, one day out of the blue I was inspired to write an entry relating control of information to Wikis and Orwell's 1984. Out of the blue, Ms. Karen Traviss contacted me and asked if I would be interested in writing something similar in relation to her upcoming short story, Odds. What resulted was a great cross-blog collaboration that remains one of my fondest experiences on SW.com and certainly as a blogger.

I had no idea Ms. Traviss' story would relate to the blog I wrote, because it hadn't even come out yet. But good writing and good ideas led to a great time, and I thank her enormously for it.

Additionally, Ms. Traviss and some other VIPs/admins (pabawan, bonniegrrl, and Grant Gould) have been nice enough (or interested enough) to leave comments on some of my entries, again, showing that people like what I do.

All of this isn't meant to toot my own horn, but to illustrate the approach I take to blogging and to show that it does pay off. Consistency is the key, just like how Stooge consistently comes up with great jokes which are always popular.


Good Grammar/Good Spelling

Don't underestimate the value of these. It's great to spell as correctly as you can (and if you aren't a good speller, type your entry in MS Word, use spellcheck, and then paste it into your blog entry form) in order to be clear. But even more important is basic grammar. Use complete sentences, and use capitalization. Use punctuation as well. And even more importantly, use paragraphs, don't just make your blog one giant blurb of words.

SW.com readers aren't English teachers and aren't picky, but the bottom line is that doing the above makes an entry easier to read and more attractive. Doing this will ensure people will really get into what you're talking about.


Leave Comments

The comment function isn't just for readers, it's for you too. You have to put yourself in the mindset of an author, and be prepared to interact with your readers. People like Abel Pena, Dan Wallace, and Karen Traviss interact and answer questions, and get into friendly debate with fans. This is the way to go. Answering readers' questions and engaging them in debate is great fun and it makes the experience better not only for readers but for you. After all, what's better than debating with someone over something that you wrote?


Find Your Niche

Personally, I think a little variety in a blog is good, but eventually you'll find something you like blogging about the most or are the best at writing about. For me it's in-depth essays examining aspects of the films and Expanded Universe. As a result, the majority of my entries are just that. But I also do other things, like a periodic series on DVDs, current events in the world of Star Wars, and miscellaneous items. So don't be afraid to branch out, but at the same time if you find your niche stick with it as you'll only get better at it.


Ideas, Ideas, Ideas

All good entries start with one thing: an idea. So take your time in thinking of one, and don't write a blog just to write one if you have no good ideas. Many times I'm in a blogging mood but I have no ideas; other times I have great ideas but I'm either busy or too tired. But whenever I think of a good idea, I write it down. Currently I've got a half-dozen or so ideas written down, so the next time I write a blog I can pull one and do it if I feel like the time is right. Sometimes I'll come up with a new idea right on the spot and then blog it, but I'll always have those other ideas in reserve for next time.

A great way to get through writer's block is to look at the topic icons and think about what topic area you'd like to write in, such as EU. Then, think about topics within that topic. Scan the forums, look at other blogs in the topic. Many things can be a source of inspiration. Above all, thinking is what will form good ideas.


Getting That #1 Entry

Okay....are you ready for the ultimate secret? How do you get the #1 entry, guaranteed? It's very simple. In general many of the top five entries are VIPs/admins and Stooge's jokes, none of which can be done by you. But, what about the remnants? Well, they fall into two categories:

1) A groundbreaking theory or thought pattern in an area not explored before or recently (such as what Yoda did during his exile, the current top entry).

Writing for this first category is hard, because you have to be on the ball about what hasn't been covered before, or what theory you have that would be popular. People try all the time to do this, and it's not easy. That's leads us to numbers two and three, which is the quick and easy path to getting that top spot.

2) Someone asks an incredibly dumb obvious question.

Now I believe there are no dumb questions about SW, since some people know more than others, and that's okay. I use "dumb" in a very loose sense of the word.

Examples:

I can't believe Vader is Luke's father?
Palpatine is Sidious?

So many people will rush in to tell you the answer and how they can't believe you don't know it, that you'll shoot to the top!

3) You say something controversial or flat out wrong.

The third option is even easier. Whenever you say something wrong, people rush in to correct you, it's human nature. But even more so when you say something controversial, you'll draw a firestorm of comments.

Examples of being wrong:

Vader is not Luke's father!
Aayla Secura survived Order 66

Examples of controversy:

Boba Fett is the most useless character ever.
Why does Han even need to be in the movies?
Yoda is such an idiot!
Darth Vader, the lamest Sith ever

Just imagine yourself reading one of the above gems. Imagine how outraged you'd be and thus you'd leave comments telling the author how wrong they are. Then reverse it and make yourself the author. Imagine the comments you'll get.

So if you put out an entry proclaiming "Han Solo is dumb" you'll get the #1, I'll give you a guarantee.

EDIT: After reading all of the comments and taking opinions in, and based on a related (if not caused by this) entry by DM, I would just like to strongly advocate in a stronger way than the original version not doing the above methods. This is spamming and it just won't fly. But keep an eye out for stuff like that, because mods don't always catch them. You'll know when you see it.


Closing Comments

I hope this primer has been of help, but if you have further questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you. Happy blogging!