There are numerous points of overlap between crafting a great piece of fiction or nonfiction and crafting a strong piece for the web. For both print writing and web writing, it's good to have a hook, a way to grab your reader's attention. Often that can be the introduction of some problem or the promise to help the reader through a particular problem they might be experiencing. Or something as simple as saying, "So you want to do X!"
And, it's always good to have a point, a reason you are asking your reader to sit down and engage with your words, whether the point is to teach them something or share a meaningful experience or to raise questions.
There are more similarities, of course. In short, one must always write to the best of one's ability, no matter the medium.
That said, the manner in which people read online is so different than how people read print matter that there are many conventions to web writing we need to understand if we want to successfully get published online.
But first, why write for the web at all?
1. Political engagement
Web writing has allowed me to respond publicly to things that are happening right now. I've written about the adjunct crisis in academia, Chipotle's exploitation of workers, elitism and sexism in publishing, and a host of other issues. Writing online is an immensely satisfying and meaningful way to express your views, inform readers and galvanize like-minded communities. Perhaps even most importantly, writing and posting can give you confidence in your perspectives.
2. Humor
Open yourself up to being funny. Some pieces can be satirical. Some absurd. But get readers to spit out the coffee or laugh until they cried. Frequent web writing allows you to play with different styles of writing, to experiment, to loosen up. Your other writing might be serious or intense. But your web pieces can be whatever you want them to be.
3. Skin-thickening
No doubt you know by now that writers need thick skin. Because web pieces are open for comments, and people might not always like what you have to say, you necessarily cultivate a thick skin through the process. I've had people lambaste me in response to pieces I've written. Perhaps most painful of all: I've worked very very hard on pieces only to have no one comment at all. These experiences are great for writers to have. We must know how to handle criticism and engage with (or disengage from) our precious readers. Blogging can help you toughen up.
4. Getting published
Have you noticed that getting published is really, really hard? Most writers work for many years on a project and do so in some form of isolation and possibly obscurity. Publishing work online helps. Connecting with readers, getting your ideas out there, commenting on other blogs, responding to comments people leave for you all help boost your morale while you work on longer projects. And what writer doesn't need a morale boost every once in a while?
5. Building community
For any writer at any stage of her career, the importance of community support cannot be underestimated. Sometimes it's just us writers supporting one another in a general way. Other times it's been people reaching out based on views you've expressed in a blog post. Either way, you can stake out a small corner of the writing universe, populated with hard-working and like-minded folks.
By now you might have noticed that in the above examples, I've used the term "blogging" as well as the more general term "web writing." That's because there are many ways to write for the web and often the definitions are murky. For the sake of simplicity, here are some terms and their standard definitions:
Blog: a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style
Article: a piece of writing included with others in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication
Op-ed: denoting or printed on the page opposite the editorial page in a newspaper, devoted to commentary, feature articles, etc.
Think piece: an article in a newspaper, magazine, or journal presenting personal opinions, analysis, or discussion, rather than bare facts.
As we go forward, the most common overlap that you might encounter is between the term "blog" and "article." Occasionally you might encounter a piece online referred to as an "essay," though that is less common. Often in web writing, these words are used interchangeably. Think about your own usage. You might tell a friend about a great "article," you read online, though technically, the piece is more of a blog, and vice versa.
This is really an aspect of web writing that has changed in the past few years. It used to be that a blog was simply something that appeared on an individual's site. (The term actually comes from the word "weblog," which connotes a kind of diary.)
Then companies began using blogs in order to personalize aspects of their products and services. And now, in 2018, blogging is everywhere. What's more, the style of blogging,
personal (I think, I feel),
reader-directed (you think, you feel),
snappy, slangy, casual,
have influenced much of what we read online. Thus the distinctions between what is a blog and what is an article or a think piece are not always exact ones. (Op-eds are in their own category, as they exist specifically in newspapers.)
There are, of course, some clear differences between a blog and an article. Blogs tend to be written in the first person, for instance, while articles might eschew pronoun use. Blogs tend to employ a more casual voice, while articles err on the more formal side. To post a blog piece, one does not need data or supporting evidence. One only needs a strong opinion. An article, however, requires hard fact.
But again, it is possible to encounter terrific blog pieces that rely on hard fact to support their claims. And, the web contains many articles that do make use of the personal "I" and do draw heavily from personal experience.
All this might be confusing. In this week's readings, you will encounter more detailed information about what I've begun to discuss here. You will also encounter those who say that the lines are blurry, and maybe it doesn't really matter that much anyway. This will become much clearer as you read along.
Please know, of course, that in order to enter the vast field of web writing, you do not need a historical knowledge of the medium. Most important are two things:
1. The ability to see pieces you read online with a critical eye, in order to understand how they're put together and what makes them appealing to you as a reader, and
2. The desire to put such pieces together yourself, in other words, the desire to write!
This week, you will also see views on what blogging is, and isn't. You might agree or disagree with some of what's being said. That's totally fine. The idea of these readings is to give you an overview of web writing. Also, these articles contain a bit of web-writing advice.
Next week we will look at how to actually structure and create successful online pieces, though the articles (or blogs?) I've shared with you this week also offer some tidbits of advice already. Please note too that since all our assignments are from sources published online, your reading the assigned readings will already get you started thinking about how people communicate effectively on the web.
Here is another thinking questionnaire.
1. What interests you most about writing for the web? (Are you trying to promote a book? Is there a specific issue you want to speak about publicly? Are you hoping to build publishing credentials? Do you want to see your name in print? Do you feel you've simply got a knack for it and want to give it a shot? Something else? All of the above? Tell us about it.)
2. Have you written online content before? If so, what sort?
3. Are there any issues/subjects that most interest you? Please be as broad or as specific as you want to be. Here are some broad categories to get you started on brain-storming. Feel free to choose any variant of these and/or add your own.
- The craft of writing
- Cooking
- Social policy
- Feminism
- Parenting
- Coping with Illness
- The publishing industry
- Aging
- Fitness/Exercise
- Travel
- Relationships
- Activism
- Current events
4. Are there any blogs/websites that you read on a regular basis? Please list them here.
5. What are areas you would like to improve upon in your approach to web writing? For instance, do you have trouble coming up with ideas? Do you have trouble expressing your ideas in an engaging web-friendly way? Are you just hoping to give this a shot?
Do a puke answering these questions and look for several sites you like to read and start to analyze what they are doing that you would like to be doing as a writer. From there we will create a plan of action for you to begin your process.
Here are a number of links to help you think through your blogging life:
You can watch this video to get an idea about where you blogging can go. I've watched dozens of these videos and this is one of the best. Not everything will apply to you right away but it is something to think about.
No comments:
Post a Comment