Writing isn’t always easy. I get that. So here’s what you do, head on over to Copyblogger and read: 10 Steps to Becoming A Better Writer (It’s a GREAT post!)

Once you’re done there, let’s discuss the following…

Do you have a system for writing blog posts?

Personally, my approach very closely resembles the one referenced in Brian Clark’s article above. I try to always have a legal pad and pen handy. As I read throughout the day (my feedreader, emails, books, etc.), I jot ideas down worth writing about. Ideas worth expanding on. I use a hi-lighter and sticky notes to reference quotes in an article or book that I feel I want to expand on and blog about. When I write, I tend to start with the title first, and then I build an outline until I’ve covered everything that I wanted to cover in the post. An alternative approach is to start with an idea (a single bullet point) and writing the supporting content that fulfills the idea in the bullet point.

Whatever your approach, either way works. The point is to write. Write until you’ve shared an idea… Communicated a story… Delivered a message… Put the pen to paper and write. Now as you do this it might not always result in a blog post to publish right away, but at least you have ideas to build on.

This is the kind of content you’re looking for…

Pillar Content – Chris Brogan writes about how to use your content for stock answers. That’s what I’m talking about here. There are lots of questions that you will answer more than once in your day-to-day business (boy is this true in real estate). So your objective with this kind of content is to answer it once (the question at hand) and share it often. This kind of content will essentially serve as the foundation (the base) of your new blogsite.

The Other Stuff – This type of content is exactly just that…the other stuff. It’s the filler content. The area events. The holiday post. The industry news. The rates reports and market reports. Now remember, you work in a fluid industry. Guidelines change. Rates change. Pricing changes. There’ll always be something to talk about in any given week. So you might consider this the miscellany but making room for it in your editorial calendar would be a wise idea.

How Do You Do It?
How do you draft your articles? Do you start with an outline? Do you do what I do and start with the title first? Do you begin with an idea and expand on it by simply writing freely? What works for you and what challenges do you face when you write?

Speaking of challenges, maybe you’ll find some help in this post about how to write better blog posts today…