Dear Blogger,

When I read your posts, it makes me feel like my skin is turning a shade greener and I feel more like I’m going to puke than I ever did riding in the back seat as a kid when my step-dad was driving.  I’d rather go to the dentist than read another blog like yours.

Your posts are boring.  Your post titles are boring too and they lack any sort of creativity whatsoever.  In fact, your whole blog is boring.  It looks just like it could have been written by the same person as the last 10 blogs I read.  They’re boring too.  Your posts all follow the same type of format.  It’s obvious you follow every single piece of advice out there on how to run a successful blog- just like every other hopeful up-and-coming-blogger.

It makes me sad to realize there is a real person behind your blog, striving to follow all the advice, sticking to a posting schedule, writing everything in the same style, not making any waves or posting anything that could offend anybody.  Then I read your posts about how content creation is a struggle and your strategies for actually forcing yourself to write a post four times a week.  Well, no duh it’s a struggle.  Your posts are probably even more boring and tedious to write as they are to read.

Do you even remember why you wanted to start blogging in the first place?  I hope it wasn’t just because you wanted to make a boring blog that was just like everybody else’s.  Did you have aspirations to express yourself?  To create truly fresh, new content?  Did you want to have fun and enjoy what you were doing?  Did you want to bring some joy to your readers?

Yes?  Well good.  I thought that under the soul-less blog, there must be a creative, adventurous, passionate person or you never would have started a blog to start with.  How about getting back to the fun of blogging?  (Or putting in the fun that may never have been there for you?)

What’s that?  You’re worried about how many views you get and your search ratings?  Yeah, I get that.  Listen, I’m not a SEO expert, but I’m sure that having creative, fun content up will attract more of an audience and make them come back more often too.  I’m willing to bet that if you start having more fun with your blog, your readers will enjoy it more too.

Sincerely,

Kyla

P.S. I’ve attached some tips for you on how to have more fun blogging again.  Let’s spice things up a bit.

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How to have more fun blogging

A short guide to provide a little inspiration and remind you that blogging -and life- should be fun.

Come up with a creative post title

First off, please, please, please, please don’t title your post ‘5 ways to…’ or ‘5 things…’ or anything else that starts with a number.  I am so sick of seeing those sorts of posts.  Believe me, I understand why you do it.  You want people to click and that’s an easy way to achieve that.  Here’s the thing: your ‘5 things’ list doesn’t stand out to me from any of the other four billion ‘5 things’ posts on the internet.

Challenge yourself to come up with a truly creative blog title.  Think of something that will spark curiosity.  Read through your post and look for that sentence or those few words that really resonate with you on some sort of poetic level.  Strive to create a title that will make people want to click even more than they do for your ‘5 things’ posts.  Try to come up with something that will stick in the reader’s mind later.

One of my personal favorite’s recently was The Benefits of Random Muggings.  How can you not want to find out what the benefits of random muggings are?  And guess what?  The author, John P. Weiss now has one of the few blogs that I have added to the list I actually follow recently.

Alternates for this post included:

• Your blog is F-ing boring.  Let’s fix it.
• P.S. Your blog sucks
• Dear blogger, Are you a robot?  -Kyla
• Maybe you really are the sort of person who needs a 9-5 job

Bring humor into your writing

Add jokes to your post (preferably funny ones).  Even serious, dry topics can be written about in a humorous way.  Try reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott for a good example of really excellent, funny writing.  It’s tips on writing, but it’s written in a way that has the reader cracking up laughing through the whole book.  I’d want to read it even if I wasn’t a writer because it’s enjoyable to read.

Draw a silly picture for a post

This little turkey was the result of my need to find a picture to go with a ‘Hoppy Thanksgiving’ post.  Drawing this turkey was the most fun I’d had all month working on my blog and was actually part of the inspiration for this post because it made me realize that I want to have more fun blogging.  I want to remember that the point of this is doing something I enjoy and creating content that others will enjoy.

Yes, my turkey looks completely ridiculous and for some reason, he looks kind of out of place sitting next to Hoppy.  But so what?  He makes me smile and hopefully he makes my readers smile too.  Let go of the need to look professional and perfect.  Be willing to have fun and be a little imperfect.

(No, my turkey didn’t take any artistic skill.  All I had to do was Google ‘How to draw a turkey’ and follow a tutorial made for 5-year-olds.)

Post a picture of you looking silly

Have fun in life too.  Smile.  Do silly things.  Lighten up.  Make a funny face.  Go to the play ground.  Wear a funny shirt.  Find a ridiculous looking hat.  Put it on.  Take a picture.  Put on blog.  Be vulnerable.  Let go of fear.  Take an itty-bitty little chance.  Don’t be so fricking serious.

Try something you don’t know how to do.  Shamelessly make mistakes.  Share about it. 

Try something you’ve never done.  Go into it knowing that you won’t be good at it (at least not yet).  Share about your experience and the funny mistakes you made.

Challenge yourself to write a post in 15 minutes

Set a timer.  15 minutes.  Done.  Post it.  Don’t care that it’s not perfect.

Add a poem

Change up the pace.  Write a poem to add to one of your posts.  You will think your poem is dumb.  Whatever it is about poetry, practically everybody thinks their poetry is dumb.  (Oddly, the few people that think their poetry is good seem to be the only ones with really dumb poems.)  Everybody else will love it.  Even if it doesn’t all rhyme or the lines aren’t the same number of syllables or whatever else you think is wrong with it.

Share a story

Anybody can put together a ‘5 ways to keep the house cleaner’ list.  Only you can share stories of experiences that you’ve had.  Post about something that is uniquely you.  Share a story- something, funny, sad, or thought-provoking.  When was the last time something made you cry?  Or laugh?  Or share about something nice you did for somebody else that left you feeling good or about something nice somebody did for you.

Email another blogger and tell them how much you love their work

We all love when we know we’re making a difference.  So why not take the time to just make somebody else’s day in the blogging world?

Share about fun things

Write a post about your favorite comic book, the funniest movie you ever saw, your favorite comedian or make a compilation that includes all of these things.  Share something that’s ‘only’ value was that it made you laugh.  This is more valuable than we realize.

Get a pen and paper

Break up the routine.  Get off the computer.  Write the old-school way with a pen and paper.  Let the cat curl up on your lap or get outside or go to the coffee shop.  Draw silly stick figure pictures in the margins.

Forget about writing for the blog.   Write for you. 

Write what you’re thinking about.  Write what you’re feeling.  Write about your day.  Write about somebody you love or somebody that annoys the crap about you.  Write about your goals for the year.  Write about something that inspires you.  Write about why you started a blog.  Write a letter to somebody you care about.  Write a letter to your future self or the 15-year-old you.  Write about something you learned today or about something that scares you.  Imagine life was exactly how you want it to be and write what you’d write then (like if you were rich or you blog had a billion readers or whatever you dream of for your life).  Write about whatever.

Make a cartoon

Don’t worry about how well you can draw.  Just aim to capture a moment of humor.  Stick figures are fine.

Create a space just for creativity

Start a category or a page on your blog just for creative pursuits.  Post poetry or short stories or artwork or silly drawing or photography or whatever.  Share about a hobby- gardening or sewing or something else. Forget your niche.  Post about something you’re passionate about.  (This one is high on my list of things to do with my blog.)

Take your own pictures

If you rely on stock photos off the internet, think about taking your own pictures.  One of the great things about photography is that there is so much room for creativity and expression.  Even though you’re probably taking a picture of something you didn’t make, what you choose as your subject and how you take the picture offer so many avenues for expression.  I love to see the pictures that people take- even if your sunrise isn’t Photoshopped to have the same brilliant hues as the stock photo, it lets me see a glimpse of your world.  I always take my own pictures or create my own graphics and it’s a really fun aspect of blogging for me.

Make your own list. 

Come up with your own ideas.  Think about what would make blogging fun for you.  Think about the blogs you really love, the writers with a unique take on the world that inspire you.  Try some different things.  Play.

Remember, it’s supposed to be fun.