What Makes a Good Writer/Blogger/Reviewer?

I love to write. I wish I could make that sound more exciting, but that is the plain and simple truth: I like writing. Reading and writing have been my true loves since forever; I cannot get enough of it. However, I have come to realise that loving something doesn’t necessarily mean you will be any good at it, even if you have been doing it your whole life.

So here is my dilemma, anything academic is a walk in the park for me. With my essays, research projects all that stuff, through school, college and university, I have had no problem making a decent impression on my readers. I know how to put something down on paper elegantly, how to make it have the desired effect, and this has led me into proofreading work also. All is fine and well until it comes to my own non-academic, creative writing and then it all just falls apart. I have so many really great ideas that have such potential, but when I am at the stage where it just needs a tweak to be perfect I draw a blank and I am not able to make that poem or story jump from pretty good with potential to really great. Perhaps I need the stress of a deadline, or the restrictions of a word limit to bring out the best in me.


Well, I am not one to give up on anything, or to stop doing what I love, and so now that I no longer need to write essays and dissertations, well not for the time being, anyway (I hope), I have decided to embark on another new venture that I have always found interesting and will hopefully improve my writing in general: writing reviews and producing my own blog. And here I am. But now that my writing is going to be public, it is even more important that I understand how to make my writing appealing.

And that is where you all come in. What is it that makes thousands of people want to follow and regularly read some blogs whilst completely ignoring others? Is it a case of trial and error, simply trying your best until you make that one post that others love? Or are there some secret rules and recipes for producing a delicious blog that everyone wants to sink their teeth into? I know it cannot be subject matter alone, as there are some blogs on popular subjects that just don’t meet the mark, and I am sure there is an audience out there for every imaginable topic.

I have tried to think of what I like and use that as a basis for self-critique, but I am still at a loss as to how I can produce something wonderful. My blog is empty because I am now too critical of everything I have written; ah I am wordless. Help me, I beseech you!