For Writers and Bloggers: Being Compelling

For some, writing and blogging is a business, while for others it is simply a way to express, connect, and improve. No matter what type of writer we are, we all want our writing to be compelling.

This blog is new but I've been blogging going on two years. And there is a reason I have tried yet again with Hen Zabits: I haven't been compelling enough. For a blog to keep my attention, and consequently the attention of its audience, it has to be compelling.

I know my use of compelling is overtly cliché, but the following checklist is anything but. I've thought about this a lot, analyzing both my own blogs and writing and that of others, and this is a fairly accurate (though clearly incomplete) checklist for any blogger/writer wanting to improve their reader's experience. This will also be a good reminder to those who reached compelling but then forgot what got them there. (You should find out who you are in a moment.)

1. Do you integrate your story into everything you write?

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. -Maya Angelou

This is similar to identifying one's voice and using it to carve out identity. Back when blogs were little more than personal diaries and travel logs, this wasn't an issue. Now, however, corporate cruft and cookie-cutter blogging advice has stifled the inner voice of reason and creativity--we've given our voice in exchange for fabricated success.

Everyone has a story. Your story grabs attention and identifies you. It's your digital fingerprint of life that no other can replicate. If you're writing encyclopedic articles hoping to find a passionate following of people who truly identify with you, you're wasting your time. If I find a blog who's author I identify with because they've shared their story with me, I will go back again and again; I will go back even when they don't post, I'll read their archives, browse the comments--I will want to know more of their story.

Stories, however, are most compelling when in context.

Take, for example, the author of a personal development blog that consistently puts out lists of great advice but rarely hints that they are trying to live the change they promote. The content may be useful, but it is by no means compelling. I have little reason to return and read more except on the off chance there is another tidbit of advice that rings true to me. The person will not ring true to me, and that doesn't compel me.  

So, putting your story in the context of your writing is saying, "Hey, I had problem A and solved it with solution X, Y, and Z," or, "I remember when I did A and it taught me B." It tells me that you're human, that I can relate with you, and if I can relate with you then I'll know whether your story is compelling enough to be useful in building my own story.

The good news here is that we are all capable of doing this. We can start now, in fact. We can all write a diary and extract a lesson from it. Or, it might be easier for you to start with the lesson and look for life experiences that illustrate that lesson. By sharing this you will inevitably find others who will relate.

2. Is your writing good enough?

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. -Walter Wellesley Smith

I say "good enough" because I've found that most people are forgiving readers. People care more about what you write than how good your grammar is. I should also mention that despite spending eighteen years behind a school desk I'm dissatisfied with my spelling, grammar, and general writing abilities. Depending on your background, you may be dissatisfied too. But just because we're confused about whether it's i before e or not doesn't mean we're idiots.

It does mean, however, the I'm hardly qualified to give advice about writing. I do subscribe to several word-of-the-day distributors as well as writing tips blogs, which I recommend to keep your vocabulary fresh and to sort out all those grammar kinks you've been working out since you discovered the English language is bloated with rules that only apply half the time.

I also write whenever I can. Lately, I'm poor at keeping a journal, but my writing was never better than when I did. I tend to think a lot about what I want to write. I almost always carry a small notebook with me to record ideas.

3. Are you telling the truth?

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -John 8:32

The truth is a powerful thing. Truth, when delivered in the right context and with the right intention can expand a person's understanding and give them power to take action that will improve their life. That, my friend, is insanely compelling.

On the other hand, if you lie about your story or spread false hopes through clever marketing ploys, capitalizing on the hopes or fears of individuals solely for your gain, you'll lose. You will lose respect. You will lose readers.

So many of the blogs I have started I wanted to be for others, but in the end they turned out only to be for me. I crossed the line when I began talking about things I knew little about as if I knew a great deal about them. True or not, my writing became boring and self-serving, my story was severed from the context of my writing, and I lost interest. I'm guessing others did too.

Even more than our own story, truth is compelling. And unlike a story which sticks with people because they can relate to the experience, truth sticks with people because it changes them.

Truth then, coupled with your own experience and properly articulated, is the most compelling thing you have to offer. Learn how to tell your story, extract the truth from it, and present it in the best way you can--that's how you build a compelling blog.