Give In To Your Inner Blogger

A lot of people talk about connecting with your inner child. Normally, I’d be all over that advice.

Hell, your inner child likes ice cream and Xbox games, singing along to New Kids on the Block and silly string, but the problem with bringing up the advice to connect with your inner child on a blogging advice site is that most of us sucked at writing when we were children.

If you were to connect with your inner child today and throw their content up on your blog, you’d end up with something like this:

Today I saw a dead snaik and it was reely gross. I tuched it with a stik but then Sally Jenkins came up. I think she is prety so I kiked her in the leg and ran home where Mom made my favorite, Macarony and Cheeze. Who’s ur Sally Jenkins that you kik an run away from?

Thots?

All in tune with your inner child, but pretty crappy.

It’s time we got in touch with your inner blogger instead.

Blogger Wants Out

You’re on this site because you either are a blogger currently or are hoping to get into the craft soon (either that or you’re my Mom or a creepy stalker), so somewhere inside you dwells the desire to write.

As you’ve honed your craft, learning tips and tricks, made notes and lists, and written post after post, your skills have grow as well and deep inside, you’ve been feeding your inner blogger with content, ideas and talent.

The problem with studying and perfecting a craft is that you get into habits that may be difficult (seemingly impossible) to break. Many habits can be beneficial and lead you on paths towards success, but in the same vein, some habits do nothing more than enslave you to process, stifling creativity and exploration.

Your inner blogger is that voice that calls to you to do things that sound crazy or scary. These suggestions mess with your process and are usually dismissed immediately because “that’s not the way I write.”

How will you know if it’s your inner blogger calling to you? Well, you’ll probably hear/think things like:

• What if we did this entire post as a long-form poem?
• How about we just draw a cartoon today?
• I have an idea for a great short story.
• This idea might work better as a 10-part series.
• This is boring.
• Why don’t I do a post that’s all pictures?
• You what what this blog needs? A video podcast series!
• I wonder if I could relate my topic to A Nightmare on Elm Street?
• [Insert Blogger's Name] really made a faulty point, I should call him/her out on that.
• How about you forget about SEO this time and just write something kick-ass?
• I’m tired, let’s go write outside.

You know you’ve heard that voice, the one that scares you because it tries to get you to act outside of your comfort zone. That’s your inne blogger, trying to spread his or her wings and take you to new heights.

Just like you’re human and don’t always make the wisest decisions, your inner blogger is human as well and won’t always be right, but you owe it to yourself, you talent and your inner blogger to shut up and listen every now and then. Who knows, you may just find something that is uniquely yours and makes all the difference in your community and your life.

Have you ever given into your inner blogger’s demands and found something that changed your writing? Have you ever tried something that bombed so you’re scared to try again? Have you been ignoring the voice for too long, only to have it grow louder and more annoying?

Thoughts?