Comments on: 11 Secrets to Blogging about Building Science (or Any Topic, Really)

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:52:03 +0000

Arlene: I
Arlene: I think maybe the thing that will help you the most to write more often is to write less. By that, I mean write less in each article. Some of your articles get very long.

My general goal is 500-800 words for each article. That one I wrote about ignoring the laws of building science was only 211 words. Short is good. A lot of times, when one of my articles gets too long, that means I need to split it up into smaller posts.

Aside from writing shorter pieces (which, by the way, are more likely to be read, too!), here are some other ideas:

*Try to find a regular time to write.
*Set a goal of doing at least one post per week.
*When you get an idea for an article, write it as soon as you can.

By: Arlene

Arlene — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:13:13 +0000

Good post, Alison. What I'd
Good post, Alison. What I'd like to have some insight on is how to be regular. I always have good intentions but I always seem to put the time off to write.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:50:04 +0000

Jennifer:
Jennifer: That's great to hear that there will soon be an Affordable Comfort blog! I look forward to reading it.

adam: OK, I'll order the book. Thanks for the endorsement!

By: adam

adam — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:01:59 +0000

Let me take this opportunity
Let me take this opportunity to say that On Writing is a fantastic read. One of my Journalism professors loaned it to me as an undergrad - very inspirational for anyone involved in the field of writing.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:38:18 +0000

Great post Allison. ACI is
Great post Allison. ACI is going to expand their blogging (by expand I mean start). Love the idea of using photos as jumping points. And the Steven King book, though I've not read it, is purported to be stellar. He says he writes 4 hours a day and reads 4 hours a day.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:03:56 +0000

Sean: Well
Sean: Well, I can't say it in every article or new readers won't have to do any work to find the true secret. ;~) I've left a house many times and wished I'd gotten photos or looked through my photos and wished I'd gotten others there. It's a great idea to take a lot of photos from a liability standpoint, too.

By: Sean @ AlaGBS / SLS Construction

Sean @ AlaGBS / SLS Construction — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:32:33 +0000

Hmmm 11 secrets & not
Hmmm 11 secrets & not the true secret of your sucess...

August 18th:

@EnergyVanguard: How do I decide what to write about in the EV blog? An online discussion. A question. A photo. A field visit. Or aliens. Mostly aliens.

in all seriousness, nice article Allison - I know I have to work on #5 & 6 the most as I am generally driving away & go - ooh I should have taken pics of...

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:57:37 +0000

Alexandra:
Alexandra: I think #11 may be the most important of all of them. If you can't write in a way that holds people's attention, the others don't matter as much. Glad you're one of our readers!

By: AlexandraFunFit

AlexandraFunFit — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:47:50 +0000

#11 is my favorite because I
#11 is my favorite because I love to use my "voice" when I write. I do so many research articles that it's refreshing to do my own stuff using my personality. Even though you are writing about serious stuff, you always make it accessible to people out of the industry, like me, and you use your voice to make it appealing. Keep it up.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:50:58 +0000

Chris: You
Chris: You're welcome! Good luck with the new project.