I was recently interviewed by GundrukPost and lexlimbu and both of them had asked me if I have any advice for new bloggers or people who want to start a blog. Now, does this ever happen to you that during some discussion, you say something and later realize that you should have said something else instead? That happens to me all the time, like ALL THE TIME. That’s what happened after those interviews as well and I later thought, “Shit! I should’ve said this.” So, I just wanted to convey those advice through a post and here we are. Honestly, I don’t consider myself a good blogger but I would love to share the lessons that I’ve learned so far from my blogging journey in last couple of years because as they say, knowledge increases by sharing but not by saving.
1. Writing is never a waste of time
Every blogger/writer goes through the initial phase when they think, “Nobody gives a fuck about what I write. Then what’s the use of spending hours and sometimes even days to write something that nobody is going to read.” That happens with every single one and the most important thing is to not stop but continue writing. Even if one person reads what you write and learns something from it, you have done a great job. Be happy about it. And if in case not even a single person reads it, even then it’s not a waste of time and effort because with every single post/article you write, you learn something and make some progress.
2. Criticism is good
Once people start reading your posts, it’s quite obvious that along with some positive feedback, you will start getting a lot of negative comments as well. Do not ever feel demoralized by that because it’s always good to be criticized. In fact, criticism is more important than appreciations in order to grow and learn. Plus, if you’re not being criticized for your writings, you’re definitely writing about something boring and uninteresting.
3. Don’t expect for much support from anyone initially
This will often happen when you start a blog with full of energy and ideas but when you approach people, more particularly celebrities and public figures, to write something about them, chances are they won’t respond well because they would think that it’s not worth their time as you’re just a beginner that nobody knows about. The important thing here again is to not give up and have that “I will show you” attitude. Get motivated and do so well that someday these very people would desire to get featured on your blog.
4. Don’t write about something you’re not sure about
Never write about things you don’t know about or you’re confused about. Truth and transparency are the most important things, never compromise with them.
5. Do not write just to get hits
Many ‘so called’ bloggers just write some fancy or sensational title and add an appealing cover to write about something that didn’t even happen. Never do that, just never. You might get hits from such posts for some time but sooner than later, the readers will realize that you just post shit and will never take your posts seriously. You would want to establish yourself as a legit blogger not a ‘whore’ blogger.
6. A good content is important
The soul of any blog is its content. Once you’re considered a good blogger, there will be dozens of requests every month to cover about things. But write only about stuff that actually are worth it. Don’t write about something just because a friend requested to, unless it’s about something important, or at least interesting. The quality should always matter, not the quantity.
7. Choose topics wisely
Write about things that you are knowledgeable about. Don’t write about something just because you know it will be read when in fact, you don’t know shit about it.
8. If you write about Nepali cinema, brace yourself
Let me be brutally honest here, most of Nepali filmmakers still haven’t learned the art to learn from criticisms and they take them very negatively. If you happen to write about or have been thinking of writing about Nepali films and more particularly film reviews; brace yourself for a lot of criticisms and sometimes even abuse. If you write something negative about a film, you will be called a lot of things and I am definitely not talking about good things here.
9. Money!!
If you’re looking for tips on making shit load of money from your blog, well, you’re about to get disappointed. Honestly, I don’t make money from my blog. I’ve never written a paid blog post or have an commercial ads on my blog. I do have some adsense ads but they don’t bring a lot of money when your target audience is in Nepal. They do cover the running costs for the blog though and sometimes I can even have a cup of coffee from that money, and a croissant sometimes. But that’s kinda it, as my intentions have never been to make money from it. However, if you really are determined to be a professional blogger and make your living out of it; I won’t say that it’s not possible. Write good posts, get some commercial ads, write paid articles and it might work out for you, you know.
10. Make your own style
Getting influenced or inspired by someone is cool but make sure that you just don’t plainly copy someone else. It’s good to have your own style and you don’t necessarily need to write in a certain style or pattern. Break rules and make your own rules of writing. Present things in your own style, instead of trying to imitate someone else.
11. Respect others’ personal space
It often happens while writing about celebrities that people tend to think that it’s okay to write anything about them because they are public figures and the public wants to know everything about them. But that’s so wrong and unfair because they too have their personal lives and we should respect that. You have every right to write about their professional lives and works but it’s not okay to drag their personal lives into something unless you have their consent.
12. Enjoy blogging
And last but not the least, blog if you enjoy it and not because you have to or for some other reasons. It should not be like, “Oh, it’s a shortcut to fame and I will be hanging out with celebrities”. If you start blogging to get name and fame, believe me, you will never write genuine posts and instead, you will be writing about things just to make someone happy. Which simply means, you will just be writing shit that nobody will be interested in reading. Blog if you love writing and everything else will just follow if you do your work well.
Well, well, that weren’t some very professional tips or anything. I just wrote what I have learned so far. I would be happy if anyone would benefit from these. Let me know in the comment section below if you think these tips are good or just waste of time.
Keep blogging, y’all!
