Better Blogging: Things I’ve Learned

1. Preach at yourself. Change those inspirational exhortations from “you” to “I”. Example: “God is present in the little things; you just have to open your eyes” — that sentence is more relatable and impactful when written this way, instead: “God is present in the little things; I just have to open my eyes.”

This is a phenomenal little tip; I don’t understand how it works, but it *does*! Shannon Popkin over at Tiny Paragraphs taught me this, when I submitted to her Yellow Ball feature. It totally goes against the way I write naturally but she is so right—it really does have a more powerful and personal effect when you write in the first person.

2. Keep it short. I actually learned this back when I tried vlogging—videos under two minutes got a lot more views than the longer ones, and as a viewer of vlogs myself, I rarely watched more than the first two minutes. It had to be reeeally engaging to keep me past that point.

Blog posts are the same: if they’re not engaging enough and/or if my readers are short on time, the majority of my writing gets lost. When I write, I assume all readers will be short on time, so I try to write for two minutes of reading or less. Of course, sometimes the subject doesn’t allow for that, but usually, it’s *also* engaging enough to compensate.

3. Don’t try to write if there’s a poopy diaper within smelling distance. That is to say, don’t try to write during distractions! If I can smell a dirty diaper while I’m writing—and worse, if the smell wafts in and out, my thoughts will likely be fragmented, hurried, and inarticulate. I do better if I confront various distractions first and then sit down to write. (Although, as a stay-at-home mom, there are rarely NO distractions; but I can usually minimize them. i.e. “Honey, can you change Bubby’s diaper?” ;))

Have you discovered techniques that make for better blogging? Please share them here or, better yet, write your own post and link me to it—we can hold a potluck of sorts, tips galore! :)

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These tips are from Kina at Human In Recovery. I thought they were quite excellent.

1) Add visual interest: Using photographs you’ve taken yourself or make sure you are using “borrowed” pics according to legal fair use and copyright laws, If you have several pics, utilize the embedded slide show feature, or link to a YouTube relevant video, preferably a song that connects to the content in some way. Use spacing and formatting to break up text and give the readers’ eyes a break.

2) If you can’t keep it short (800-1,000 words max) try to break it up into a series of posts. Then you can add visual interest and keep the reader engaged and wanting to come back.

3) Get interactive and involved with your readers. When you notice a comment, like, or follow try to respond in a timely manner. Go visit their site and leave a comment or like of your own (as long as it’s sincere and authentic). If you read something on someone else’s blog that gives you insight, makes you think, or inspires you to write a post of your own, include that information with a link back to their content, don’t just re-blog. Ask questions on your posts that invite your readers to comment. If you receive an award or invitation to participate in a game of blog tag and you aren’t able to play or you feel it isn’t in alignment with what your blog is about, give the one who tagged you the courtesy of a reply. By tagging and linking to you, they just sent their readers to your site.

Jealous of God’s Ears

Every Sunday is a heavenly experience, literally. Can you imagine what it will be like to sing praises to God with EVERY SINGLE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST THAT HAS EVER EXISTED? Can you imagine what that will sound like? God gets to hear it every Sunday, as people all over the world gather together and worship Him through song.

You would think it sounds chaotic and noisy, but I have a hunch it’s a multi-dimensional, harmonious sound, something we can’t even FATHOM on this side of Heaven; and certainly something our current ears would be incapable of processing correctly.

There are two things about Christian culture today that make me very sad: division and apathy toward Heaven. Randy Alcorn pegged it in his book when he said that Satan can’t rob us of our joy, so his method is to make us ignorant and apathetic. Are you looking forward to Heaven? If the answer is no, then you’re probably not fully grasping what Heaven is like. I vehemently recommend reading Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. It literally changed my life.

Every Sunday whets my appetite for Heaven, the presence of God, fellowship with believers, and the new, sin-free Earth. It’s going to be indescribable. ^_^

dear God, what are You doing?

i ask this question every day.

sometimes with anger.

sometimes with deep sorrow.

sometimes with giddy anticipation and excitement.

sometimes out of pure and simple curiosity.

i have yet to get a straight answer. there’s never a booming voice in the clouds or a gentle whisper in my spirit.

lately, there is absolutely, inconceivably, thoroughly frustratingly nothing.

i’m left to my own devices, which consist primarily of doubt and fear.

“what if God isn’t real?”
“what if i’ve got the wrong God?”
“what if He’s not really engaged in my life at all?”
“what if everything is made up, psychological flukes, genetic predispositions toward religion, etc.?”

i can almost guarantee you there is not a doubt out there that hasn’t been one of my own at some point in time.

but i’m not really left to my own devices, even though it often feels that way. God’s word is living and active. His Spirit lives in me. and those two things together create a powerful force to be reckoned with.

i remember that, when i DO what the Bible says, it works. i have never seen it not work.

the wind reminds me of His power and the sun reminds me of His love.

my own delight in my children reveals His delight in me.

“what are You doing?” i ask this question at least once a day and i never get a new answer. but His Spirit within reminds me of old answers…

…i know that He is doing good things.

i know that He is never sleeping.

i know that He is weaving all things for my good, because i love Him.

i know He is feeding the birds and clothing the flowers, so how much more is He taking care of me?

i know He is disciplining, training and strengthening me.

i know He is smiling at me and crying with me.

i know that He is.

and i know i am His. †

craving the storm.

(verse one)
it’s dark and quiet around here
too much time-soil
for sprouting doubt and fear

and i’m wondering where You are
besides all around me
why are You so quiet?
why do You feel so far?

(chorus)
i’m craving the storm
just to see Your power
to feel You in the wind
to be surrounded by the showers
to hear Your mighty hand
in the rolling thunder
to be soothed and comforted
by all-consuming wonder.
craving the storm…

(verse two)
stillness is disconcerting
my faith struggling
to trust that You’re working

and i’m wondering where You are
besides all around me
why are You so quiet?
why do You feel so far?

[repeat chorus]

GOD MADE MY PLANT GROW!!!

“When I was done, I had a good-sized pile of dirt, roots, and broken stems. My original plan was to put all of it in the trash. But the process of sifting had revealed that there were a lot of root systems still capable of producing sprouts. I couldn’t bear to throw them in the garbage, but there was no room in the pots. So I went outside and found a nice patch of grass out of the way of mowing paths and spread it all out, hopeful that it would sprout in warmer weather. It reminds me of something my aunt told me once, during a particularly rough time in my life: “God wastes nothing.” Not the extra soil, not the myriad roots, not the broken stems. He uses all of it somewhere, often out of my sight and unbeknownst to me, always to His glory and for our good.” (from this post.)

two months later, i see this:

my jaw dropped! oh me of little faith! it’d been two months and nothing had ever shown up! but suddenly nothing turned into something. ^_^

that’s my favorite thing about God: He can make Something out of anything.

i am reminded once again, not to give up hope just because He’s taking longer than i expected. ♥

the odd in me.

i’m odd. those of you who know me in real life know this already. a lot of you even like it.

i realized today (thanks to heather’s post over here) that i have a tendency to hide parts of myself from this blog— especially the emo or odd or flawed parts. in other words, “the parts of myself i think you won’t like”.

but the title of this blog is “being fae”. not “parts of being fae”. so i’m going to attempt to change the way i filter myself.

i wrote something similar to this a while back. i’m too lazy to look it up. but if you find the post i’m talking about, you get to ask me anything you want. ;)

i’m going to start posting all of me here. pictures i like, thoughts i think, things that are happening to me, complaints, squees, PMS—okay, maybe not the pms. ;)

for example, i like to draw stick people. i always have, for some reason. i just started a “comic” recently, and i’ve been trying to figure out what platform to host it on. but i think i’m going to start posting that here too.

so. *deep breath* here’s all of me. well, not yet, but coming soon.

and if you’re anything like me, NOW you’re thinking, “but why? isn’t that kind of narcissistic, to write about yourself and post your opinions all the time? it seems kind of self-centered and…vain…”

you’re right. it can be narcissistic and vain. (i.e. like filtering myself to make sure you like me.) but, while it is true that blogging can be narcissistic and vain (and i’ll be honest and say that i’ve BEEN narcissistic and vain in my posting on occasion), the truth is that i have something to offer, even if i’m being vain, but especially when i’m not being vain. (is it vain of me to say that?)

susan, heather, mark, sarabeth, shannon and several other people have impacted my life because they were willing to put themselves out there on a blog. i’m sure they’ve all been vain at one time or another. the good news is, God isn’t limited by our humanity; He uses us in whatever condition we’re in. sometimes i’m in good condition — humble, considerate, kind, insightful, articulate — and sometimes i’m in terrible condition — irritable, clumsy, prideful, judgmental, narcissistic.

my motivation for putting it all out there is the hope that God will use me to impact someone the way i’ve been impacted by others.

i’m positive you have something to offer, too. have you ever considered starting a blog? ;)