What makes a good blog post?

What makes a good blog post?

Specifically – since it’s what I tend to write about – what makes a good article on healing, maturing, or awakening?

Here are some features that come to mind:

Personal. It comes from and is based in my own experience. It’s something I have tried out and have some familiarity with. And when I include my own experience as an example, it grounds it in real life. It also helps if I reveal sides of myself and my life I may be a bit embarrassed to reveal since it connects with the reader and makes it feel a bit more personal.

Practical. Include practical information that allows the reader to get a taste of it and try it out for themselves. Include some hints on possible obstacles and how to overcome them. And include enough information so they can explore it further through other sources if they like to.

Simple. Keep it simple. Keep the language simple (ordinary language, mostly active sentences). Keep the topics as simple as possible. That reveals the content more clearly and makes it more accessible. (If I notice an impulse to impress an imagined reader, that’s an invitation to explore where it’s coming from.)

Levels of abstraction. Ground the topics in specific (personal, real life) examples and the nitty-gritty, and show how it relates to more universal dynamics and patterns.

Connections. Reveal some of the connections to what I have written about before and also what’s out there in the world. It’s always based on something, and when it’s made explicit it helps others find and explore those sources.

Fresh. Keep it fresh and interesting for myself. Keep it authentic and from real life experiences. Venture one or a few steps into the white areas of my own maps. Take time to go a little beyond what I am familiar with. If what I write feels a bit boring or obvious, I can let the article rest while I explore the topic(s) further until it becomes more fresh, alive, and interesting to me.

Do I always do this? Not at all. Most of the time, I only touch on a few of these. But I would like to use these guidelines more actively when I write articles, which is why I am writing this post and make it public. It may help me stick to it.

And is this a complete list? Not at all.

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• What makes a good blog post?
  • personal
    • from / based on own experience
    • include my own personal experience with the topic
    • reveal myself, including what may be a little embarrassing etc.
  • practical
    • useful, able to apply or explore right away
    • and also go more in depth, find more information, guidance etc.
  • different levels of abstraction
    • from the personal, nitty-gritty, specific examples etc. to the more general dynamics or patterns, the more universal
    • ground in specific examples and details, and show how it relates to more general and universal dynamics and patterns
  • connections
    • connect with other topics and themes, on this site and from others
    • use references, make it easy for people to find more and related information
  • fresh
    • keep it fresh, interesting for myself
    • push my own boundaries, go a little beyond when possible
    • take some extra time to go a little further, a little beyond what I am familiar with
  • …..

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Fresh. Keep it fresh and interesting for myself. Keep it authentic and from real life experiences. Explore it a bit further than what I have in the past. Take time to go a little beyond what I am familiar with.