Emily is Smiling

For some people, writing your very first blog post is easy.  You might  You might know exactly what you want to say and you're ready to jump right into the action and write something to wow all of your future readers.  If so, that's great. 

I was the opposite.  It took me a long time ot think about what I wanted to write for my very first blog post.  I didn't know if I wanted an introduction or a random article.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll see a list of all the months I've been blogging.  Don't include July, 2009.  Skip down to November, 2009  That was the technical first entry of this blog.  I don't know if that was the best first entry I possibly could have created, but it worked for me.  I wrote about one of my passions and in a way, that was how I introduced myself.

Don't let yourself stress over that first blog post.  Ultimately, it won't matter that much.  It won't be the only thing you ever write, so other than the first day or two, people will not judge your blog based only on the first thing you say.  Relax.  Think for a moment.  Then start to write.  If it's not great, that's okay.  It'll be just fine.

[Credit for the picture above goes to: By sakura from between places (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons]

I'll go ahead and give you some tips for that frustrating first post.

Use proper grammar and spelling.  This is vitally important.  People will look at your blog and base whether or not they like what they read partially on your writing style.  Until you have entry #2, people will look specifically at your first post to see what kind of writer you are.  If your writing consists of something like: "heyy wassup my name is stan. i likeee 2 hangout.  i dont right a whole lot but i still aint dumb. ill right moar l8r. so by."  No.  No.  No.  Absolutely no one will want to read what you have to say if you write like that.  Use proper grammar.  Spell check will always be your friend.  Read over what you've written out loud to help you figure out if your writing flows well.

Use multiple paragraphs.  Don't make your entire entry one giant paragraph about you.  It's great to introduce yourself, but if it's like what I've written below, most people will not even attempt to process that much information:

My name is Emily. I am currently eighteen years old and a recent graduate of high school. I am not yet entirely sure where God has called me to attend college. I want to pursue English and Marketing as a major... as of right now, at least. I'm not sure what kind of career I want to pursue yet, but I know it will involve writing. Writing is one of my biggest passions. My best friend's name is Ali. I write about her a lot on my blog, if you haven't noticed. Ali is also eighteen, but she will not be attending the same college as me. I'm sad about this fact, but we both have different paths to follow. I am short for my age. In fact, most children think I'm closer to their age than an adult's because I'm hardly over five feet tall. I enjoy being short because I don't many other short people (other than my mother), so it's something different about me. I have many hobbies. Writing is my biggest hobby, but I also enjoy playing guitar and piano. I write a lot, I admit. Ted Dekker is by far my favorite author, although I also love Tosca Lee. Traveling is also an obsession of mine. I've been to eleven different countries: the United States (of course), Canada, Mexico, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, and Kenya. I love to travel. My favorite country to visit was Kenya, Africa, where I met the girl I sponsor through Christian Relief Fund, Lavin. Africa is a huge passion of mine. I ache for the hungry and needy throughout the world. I know God has called me to help them...

I could go on and on and on.  Do you see how one big paragraph can be a bit overwhelming?  Instead, stick your blog post into two or three separate paragraphs. 

Whatever you say, whether it's in your first blog post or your 223rd, be sure- be sure- to use paragraphs.  They are absolutely essential for keeping up your reader's interest.  Huge chunks of writing will make your readers feel overwhelmed rather than intrigued.

There are a few different approaches to writing for your first blog entry.  I'll share a few of them below as well.

Write a short and informal introduction.  Imagine you've published a book and now you must write the short author bio featured on the back or inside cover of that book.  You'll want your paragraph or two to be short and precise, but you want to allow your readers to get a glimpse of who you are and expect good blogging from you in the near future.  I'll share a carelessly written, off the top of my head example:

My name is Emily.  I'm an eighteen-year-old blogger who lives in Texas with my family and best friend, Ali.  I've loved to write for as long as I can remember, scribbling out little stories and poems on napkins and notepads when I was a little girl.  I plan to major in English and pursue a career in writing.  Expect to see something new from me every day.

Do you want to share more about yourself than what I showed you above?  Make a list of facts about you.  Create one of those Facebook "25 Things" that I made here or create a little essay about your life.  If you plan to write a lot about yourself, try to use a humorous or emotional angle because most readers aren't interested in reading small and generally unimportant facts about a complete stranger, especially in the first thing they ever read from this stranger.  Share the interesting facts about your life and focus less on minute details.

Jump right into blogging.  If all else fails, just start blogging.  In a previous post, I've already told you how to make a schedule so you'll know what to write.  Skip the introduction and simply begin with the first thing on your list.  If your blog is going to be full of book reviews, then make your first entry a book review.  Even if you don't give a biography of your life, people will still come to read what you have to say.

I hope I've helped curb some of that first post writer's block.  Remember: don't worry.  Your first post will not define everything you write from now on.  No matter what you end up posting as your first entry, you'll be just fine.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below and I'll try to answer them in a future entry.