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How I Write a Blog Post

Usually I begin a blog post with a relevant photo. There must be a reason it seems relevant, so I ponder why you might want to see it.

pencil drawing of Wilsonia cabin by jana Botkin
Attention to detail not only makes better blog posts, it makes for good pencil drawings. This is one of the cabins of Wilsonia from my upcoming book “The Cabins of Wilsonia”.

The thoughts begin flowing, and boy of boy, I LOVE to type because the words can keep up with my thoughts. I type fast, I make mistakes, but they are easily corrected. (Got fired from a typing job once – still smarts.)

After the thoughts are recorded, I reread them for flow and understanding. If anything makes me hesitate or wonder what I meant, or if it could mean two things, then it gets changed.

Next, I remove unnecessary words, such as beginning a sentence with “So”, which is a current speaking trend that I hope to avoid. (Has anyone else noticed this?) I also remove sentences after asking myself, “Does anyone care?” (if the answer is NO!)

Sometimes I think about SEO. That means Search Engine Optimization, which means using certain words in certain ways so that Mr. Google can find me (for certain).

Then I check for typographical and grammatical errors. Typos make me twitch. They jump out of other people’s blogs, out of menus, library books, the newspaper, signs, and anything with the written word. Websites with typos do not look trustworthy . . . nosirree, if that company can’t even make their website correct, then they won’t care about my order.

Finally, I do all the technical stuff like putting in key words and tags (geeky stuff), filling in the SEO all-in-one-pack (more geeky stuff)  checking categories, and finally, I schedule the post.

Now that you know my routine, you can join me in wondering “Does anyone care about this blog post?” 

 

4 Comments

  1. I love your paintings but I think your drawings are my favorite. They seriously blow my mind.

    • Shannon, how terrifying to think that I am responsible for blowing your mind. Thanks, my dear friend! 😎 I’m looking forward to the day when I can paint as easily as I can draw.

  2. Jana,

    So 🙂 tell me more about your SEO pack.

    How are you? I unpacked and framed your coffee cup cards this afternoon. Now I am trying to find the best place in my kitchen to hang them. When I’m done, I’ll email you a photo.

    Smiling as I think of you,
    Jennifer Dougan
    http://www.jenniferdougan.com


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