The Ultimate Blogger Writing Guide

The Ultimate Blogger Writing Guide

Reader Comments (119)

  1. The “Little Book’ -as Will Strunk called it- has always been my favorite resource. There are other style guides, but none that are as straightforward as Strunk & White.

  2. I wish the “simple words” idea would catch on outside of blogging. Working in government I can’t tell you how often I see utilize rather than use. I don’t know why I hate utilize so much, but I sure do.

  3. Strunk and White is definitely a timeless resource and one that I’m glad I have on my desk at all times. Nice pointers on clean copy.. although I must admit, it’s tough to write so concise when Dictionary.com sends me these majestic new 25 cent words everyday.

  4. Strunk & White is a treasure. Another very fine thing you can do for your writing is to read lots of E.B. White’s other work. Anything–the essays, letters, kids’ books, it doesn’t matter.

  5. I’m not criticizing EoS, but I found it to be quite a handful the first time I read it. I never had formal grammar lessons (for English), so had keep on looking up the meaning of various terms used in the book – like split infinitives, prepositions, etc.

    For me, the core lesson I learned from EoS is KISS.

  6. It’s funny this post comes up, because my brother Jesse at Robustwriting.com has been preaching the Elements of Style for nearly a year.

    Good post. Glad to see others in the blogosphere are looking to valuable resources.

  7. Great article, often times people worry too much about how many times they should post articles, what time of day to post or what cool widgets to have when in fact the most important blogs elements start with what you say, how you say it and who you say it too. I hope all industries begin to utilize, I mean, use these tips as a guide to effective communication.

  8. “There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of writing guides out there. But in my opinion, none surpass the simple, direct advice of The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B.White.”

    I have to agree.

  9. Some great helpful advice which I wish a lot of bloggers would keep in mind- especially in regards to using short paragraphs. Bloggers have to keep in mind that the person reading their post doesn’t want to spend five minutes reading just one paragraph.

    Wesley
    The Geek Entrepreneur

  10. Ironically the old stand by carries meaning for 21st century writers. As an English teacher for over 30 years I am convinced that the position will always be in high demand. The challenge is to keep English the most interesting class at school… and to raise a generation of passionate bloggers.

  11. ps. I have my EoS book right next to my Little, Brown book. In between both is Brian Clark’s “Copyblogger Copy Tips” book!

    Oh, I forgot, he hasn’t written that yet. I’m just sayin’.

  12. A good article once again on Copyblogger and ditto on Strunk and White as a must for any writer to follow. I think of effective writing in terms of two elements: (1) write what you know, and (2) know your audience. For example, I’ve been sharing travel tips for years but am new to the blogging scene, so I have to keep in mind the differences of the online reader. Thanks for reminding me that classic writing tips continue to hold value.

  13. The only problem I have with #5 is that you don’t have to be writing highly technical stuff to need specific words. I have found over and over again that “simple” words are far from that. If people CAN misunderstand the meaning of a word or sentence, they WILL. I struggle, therefore, with using “simple” words that I suspect will be misconstrued, misunderstood, or mis-quoted and so I try to use accurate words, whether or not they are “simple.” Just MHO.

  14. Strunk and White. My college journalism professor used to mark up my papers with “Strunk Rules.” He’d circle any trespasses with red pen and scribble the rule number I broke. Ack. But I learned to stay concise (as I have a tendency to ramble). Thanks for the reminder.
    Kirsten

  15. A lot of these tips are similar to ones I learned, and sometimes forget, in journalism school 10 years ago. Be concise and organized are some of the most valuable writing tips a blogger, journalist or anyone who aspires to write well can have.

  16. Excellent advice. I discovered Elements of Style in College in the late 70s and it remains my go-to writing guide all these years later. You have provided an excellent synopsis for blog writers. It only goes to show that the publishing outlets may change, but good writing never goes out of style.

    Ron Miller
    By Ron Miller Blog
    http://byronmiller.typepad.com

  17. I have been doing about half of the list and thought I was at my peak but wasn’t happy with the results but now you have giving me another half to work on. I love the use simple words. This one should be easy for me.

  18. Great article and thanks for the run down of the key points in the book. I wonder if it’s too late to add it to my Christmas list 🙂

    The only other suggestion I would add (and it’s not possible for everyone) is to get someone else to read your blog post before you post it.

    Thanks

    Mike

  19. People who publish blogs would do well to take these 8 points and turn them into a checklist they run their posts through before unleashing them into their readers vision.

    All these points help you keep your writing conversational. This will always be welcomed by your followers.

    Note Taking Nerd Numba 2

  20. This post is timely as the book just arrived today in my Amazon shipment – now I can’t wait to get started and see how many rules that I have broken.

    Folks that like The Elements of Style will also enjoy On Writing Well by William Zinsser. An easy read inspired by White.

  21. Elements of Style is a wonderful book. Its clear, its to the point and its small. You can carry it around in your briefcase for quick + easy reference.
    Thanks for reminding us about it.

  22. These are some great tips. I think the key is to keep it simple. Focus on writing the content and making it easy to digest for the reader. There is no need for super detailed outlines or flow charts. Just jot down some of the main points and go from there.

  23. Another great tips i found in here. I have read several times of this kind of post but its slightly different among the other that i found. Great tips anyway and i just save those in my notepad. Thanks

  24. thanks for the advice….my conclusion, try to make your visitor easy and enjoy read your articles and give the visitor more benefits….

  25. I love the seventh tips, be conversational. It will make the audience feel relaxed and familiar with the contents and the author. Unless you run an army’s blog, perhaps you want to apply it, don’t you?

  26. I realize my comment is waaay down here, but I wanted to comment anyhow. I am constantly analyzing my blog and I do ask some of these questions you mentioned. What I have seen mentioned is the use of simple words. This seems to go against all we have learned about having a large vocabulary. However, I agree. I love the informal style of writing that a blog allows! Thanks for these tips, I will take them to heart!

  27. Dean – This is a great post with fantastic advice. What I enjoyed most is the way you demonstrate the principles that you teach in the post itself. Ever blogger should invest a few minutes to read through this post and use it as a check list in your personal blogging practices.

    Awesome!

    James
    http://twitter.com/AskJamesHolmes

  28. Strunk & White’s Elements of Style is a great gift for a graduating senior. Under $10 and very useful.

    I also like Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools.

  29. Using headlines is also important because people scann text with their eyes. They never read the entire text……very good post.
    ———————————–
    http://www.gizellefashion.com
    (content writing services)

    Williams

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