How I started blogging: A step by step guide

Nov 2, 20233 min read

Three years since I first published my blog on this day, sharing some informative tips on how you can start blogging too.

And that's how I get my blogs proof-read

Day-dreaming is my side-hustle (which I do not get paid for! or maybe I will someday - who knows!)

And on one such fine daydreaming session, I was drawn to the my thoughts. I was being thoughtful about my own thoughts.

I kept pondering over the amount of thoughts I kept getting within that last week and I was amazed by the variety of masala!

6k - 70k: thoughts we have per day on an average

If there was a way to attach some AI tool that could read my thoughts, I wonder what sort of picture it would paint.

And not all of these thoughts were futile.

It mostly included memories, the stories around it, some of my experiences, how I felt in those moments, my reactions and responses to the situations.

I am a firm believer that everyone's life is interesting in its unique way. And so is mine.

And interesting things need to be shared for the greater good. But I could compose nothing. It was a cold mess in my brain.

I used to initiate a few paragraphs but couldn't form it as a story, ending up to be a goalless blabbering.

The Transformation

With the writing that even I couldn't enjoy reading, I eventually gave it up.

I picked reading instead.

I have always seen my parents reading something or the other. There always has been some book they were reading.

So how was I able to transpose my thoughts into words?

Here is what helped me:

1. By reading

A lot of it actually. Books, editorials, blogs. Anything that I could connect with.

2. By remembering experiences

“There is nobody you can’t learn to like, once you’ve heard their story.”

Experiences include:

Vacations: the journey, the people we meet, how it made you feel
Real life incidents: acts of random help you might have gotten, how you felt when you helped someone in need, a dialogue with a friend
Observations: how a person behaves in certain situations, curiosity, hardships, humor

I started noticing the different categories I can put my experiences in - some of these were as mini as a simple conversation with a friend.

But the experiences in general are deeply connected with our emotions. And it is the emotion that you are trying to express when narrating the experience.

3. By connecting the dots

From the array of experiences and your stories, can you club them into different themes?

A story is being told, and we are all part of it.

I had no idea how some of my experiences were relevant to the topic I was trying to convey.

From the writing flair to your experiences, a story gets carved when we begin to connect the dots.

For ex: A story on resilience reminds me of my dialogue with my father, or with a friend who has been in a tougher situations and his fight coming out of it.

Tip tip barsa paani

Initially I was motivated to write and then I failed miserably. Sharing 2 simple tips below which helped me later.

Tip 1.

Do not force yourself to write.

Writing is an art, and let it come to you naturally.

Tip 2.

Always keep a notepad or phone handy.

(phone usually is, but we can also use it to take notes :D)

I have had ideas at 3 am in the morning. And if you think that you have a strong memory to recall your thoughts later in the day, that doesn't work out this way all the time.

Do you want the world to deprive off of your stupidly beautiful thoughts?

Keep noting ideas, thoughts even if they are one-liners.

Choosing your platform

Once you have figured out composing your thoughts, choosing your platform to publish the blogs is only secondary.

You can choose from a variety of options: any social media platforms, or you can go with free blogging platforms.

You can also choose any no-code website generators, and get yourself a domain to personalise the platform further (like mine!).

Parting thoughts

Remember to empathise. It is your story that you are portraying.

The audience may not know your emotions or the emotions of the protagonist.

How would the audience perceive your story? Keep repeating this question while you frame your write-up.

Anything you write serves its purpose, only when the audience are able to connect with the piece.

Happy blogging!

I published my first blog on this day three years ago, as a tribute to my father on his birthday. A person who gave me the wisdom I have today, and which has been the tone of my blogs.

#grateful Thank you for reading. If you liked this one, you can sign-up to my website to get the updates on my new blogs in your inbox. It's FREE, and it would make me happy!