Yearly Archives

2019

The #1 Rule on How to Write Viral Content for Your Blog or Website

One of the things that surprised me the most when I started Positive Writer was that a lot of my content was going viral. I didn’t expect that to happen and, if I am being honest, I didn’t start writing articles with going-viral in mind. I created my blog to share my thoughts about writing and since I felt what I wanted to express wasn’t really being talked about at the time, I might as well give it a shot and see if anyone cared. They did, and how!

At first, when my posts started taking off, I thought it was just luck. And, to a degree it was, but after a while, I noticed a trend. I had stumbled on to one of the most important aspects of being a writer online – at least, a writer who writes stuff that gets not only noticed but also passionately shared.

Before we get into what the secret is and how you can do it too, let me tell you another little truth, you’re probably a much better writer than I was when I started out, and if we’re really being open and sincere about what it takes to get your work noticed, shared and, well, going viral, it has very little to do with being a “great writer.” If you don’t consider your writing skills to be as good as you want them to be, welcome to the club.

With that said, being a great writer doesn’t hurt, but it’s not the key to success online. Writers with something to say will always get noticed more than great writers just writing for the sake of writing.

The #1 rule to creating content online that goes viral is:

Write What People May Be Thinking But Aren’t Saying

You’ve heard the saying that “The first draft of anything is shit.” Right? Well, my first article on Positive Writer was an argument against this declaration. It was titled “The First Draft is Not Crap!” It was short and, what I considered, a simple post.

“The First Draft is Not Crap!” went on to become my first viral phenomenon. I’m still a bit stunned at how well received the post was and the life it took on for itself. I’d love to tell you, I knew it! But that was hardly the case.

Hemingway allegedly said the famous quote, “The first draft of anything is shit.” as claimed in a postmortem book, “With Hemingway: A Year in Key West and Cuba.”

Thousands, if not millions, of authors and aspiring authors (especially the aspiring ones), have repeated the quote with conviction, even going so far as to post it on vision boards and bathroom mirrors. However, I imagined many actually disagreed with it or felt it went too far. In fact, psychologically it IS a self-defeating statement, which has led more people to let-downs than to publishing contracts.

I’m not going to go into the debate about the quote itself in this article. I’ve already done that. We’re going to talk about how a topic, especially something people may be thinking about, but aren’t really talking about, can get people to react in some way, positive, or negative, in agreement or disagreement, thus sharing your articles.

The result to share and discuss the content is there because it’s different, it’s taboo, and at the same time, it’s meaningful and important.

How dare you contradict the great one! Hemingway was a master.

Or:

It’s about time someone said it! No one can prove Hemingway ever uttered those words.

And it’s not always so cut and dry, some may agree to a point, but not entirely, which opens up more debate, discussions, and ultimately, sharing of your content!

Now here’s the thing, I wasn’t merely trying to stir up the bees. Quite the contrary, I set out to help fellow writers with positive and motivational content. Part of that was to get writers to think more positively about their initial work and give it the credit it deserves. Calling your work crap isn’t exactly all that motivational. And, reverse psychology doesn’t usually work the way a lot of people think it does.

Studies have shown direct requests and suggestions work better than reverse suggestions, in fact, reverse suggestions often work as direct suggestions. So, if you’re one of those who is wired for direct and not “reverse psychology,” then guess what calling your work worthless means. Exactly, your efforts and your work are very likely F**k’d. If that’s you, now you know why you’re always stuck and borderline depressed. Stop that!

Since I hadn’t found any blogs out there expressing things the way I thought about them, I only had an inclination more people thought the way I did. It was a big risk and I figured there would be some push back because, frankly, a lot of the most common and repeated writing advice out there is capital BULLSHIT. I wanted to talk about that and provide other ways of thinking about said ~~bull~~ advice.

To create viral content you have to be willing to discuss topics your readers might not agree with and at the same time do your best to help them see your point of view.

To create viral content you have to be willing to discuss topics your readers might not agree with and at the same time do your best to help them see your point of view. Click To Tweet

It’s not enough just to write about that which should not be said, there also has to be a point to it – or rather, a point you’re trying to make. If you’re successful at making your point, whether your readers agree or disagree, they will share your content, and if you’re lucky, it will go viral.

I noticed many new writers and bloggers like to rewrite old advice and popular content. Sure, they give a little of their own twist in the rewriting of it, but really, it’s the same we’ve all already read before. Great for a moment, but ultimately forgettable. Don’t be forgettable. I made that mistake with the first few blogs I started. I hadn’t found my own voice yet, or really, I wasn’t brave enough to let it sing freely. With that said…

Pro-tip: Don’t write content with the sole purpose of pissing people off. Because, rest assured, if you try that you WILL succeed and it won’t be pretty. If you’ve got a point to make – be sure it’s something you believe in and you feel needs to be said.

Your content needs to be valuable. Make your words make a difference. Because they can.

If you leave this article having gained something that will help you in some way, then I feel I have succeeded. I don’t need you to agree with me or disagree with me – I just want to get you thinking, considering, and coming up with your own solutions with what may be a new or fresh perspective. To me that is valuable. To me, that is a win.

You’ve got something you want to say. I know you do. It might not be mainstream, it might be a little edgy, and I am quite sure, whatever it is, it’s pretty damn scary. That’s the type of stuff people care about. Viral content goes viral because people care about it. You would never share anything you don’t care about.

Writing articles to give your opinion is the primary reason to create a blog so that you can share those opinions with the world. However, – this is going to hurt – your opinion doesn’t count for much. And frankly, neither does mine.

It’s the thoughts, the discussions, and the sharing of views that we generate which matters the most. If I could get one person to rethink the draft she’s about to throw in the trash because she thought it was “shit.” Then I’ve done my job. And if that draft becomes a second draft, then a third draft, and eventually turns into a published book – oh my!

And THAT is why I wrote the article without ever considering it would eventually be viewed and read over 2 million times, or that thousands of people around the world would share it with each other.

I’ve written many other articles which have had a similar effect, some have been shared far more, and some much-much less, and some have caused even greater ripples in the blogosphere. But get this, you’re a better writer than you realize and you have things to say you know are important too, so what are you waiting for?

Say what others are thinking, but aren’t saying. The scarier this idea is to you, the more likely you’re on to something.

Go create some ripples. I dare you.

What Kind of Writer Do You Want to Be this Year? (Let’s Find Out)

written by The Magic Violinist

We’re already a whole month into the New Year, which can be a tricky time for people as we start to get busier and our carefully made resolutions start to drop off. Life gets in the way, and suddenly our good intentions become just that—intentions. Consider this your friendly reminder to remember what your goals are.

Note: This post is by Positive Writer contributor The Magic Violinist.

Not only should you remind yourself what goals you’ve set, but you should also try to think about what kind of person you want to be. What kind of writer you want to be. If you decide who you want to become, then you can make sure that all of your actions line up with your aspirations.

So what type of writer might you want to strive to be this year?

(You can pick more than one and mix them up however you like!)

A more productive writer

A productive writer makes the most of whatever time they have. Sometimes that time is four or five hours and sometimes it’s only a few minutes in the pickup zone at school. If you want to be more productive this new year, you’ll want to focus on carving out time in the day for yourself that’s for writing and writing alone.

It can help to have multiple projects in the works at once. If you only have a few minutes, you can continue working out a new idea in your head. If you have hours to yourself, that might be the time for heavy edits. Either way, a productive writer takes every opportunity to get things done.

A kinder writer

If you have the tendency to be hard on yourself, maybe this year is the time to be gentler. Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes you make. Try not to worry about the things that are out of your control, like whether or not you win a contest or how long it takes for an agent to respond to your query letter.

Writing is rewarding, but it’s also difficult. If you get bogged down in the hardships, it’s easy to forget why you started writing in the first place. Remind yourself why it makes you happy by writing what you’d love to read.

A more honest writer

I think we’re all guilty of falling into that trap of writing whatever we think is going to sell well. But the hard truth is, trends change all the time. It’s impossible to predict whether people are going to want to buy stories about vampires, societies in outer space, long-lost royalty, or feuding families. By focusing on what’s best for the market, we lose sense of who we are at our core.

Write what’s meaningful to you. There’s a reader out there for every book. Write for that reader by writing for you first. First drafts are meant to be creative and fun and low-stakes. Once you get into revisions, then you might look at your story with more of an eye toward publishing, but by staying true to yourself, your story will have that special spark.

A more disciplined writer

Writers are always waiting for that elusive muse to come to them with a full-fledged story, but unfortunately, inspiration isn’t something we can wait for. When so much of publishing is centered around deadlines, we can’t afford to let inspiration come to us. We have to seek it out ourselves.

If you have a difficult time getting your butt in a chair or resisting the temptation of mindlessly scrolling through social media (and I’m guilty of this, too), make this the year you decide to be more disciplined about your writing. Create daily habits, even if it means you only get a little bit done each day. Commit to completing those half-finished projects sitting untouched in your files. You’ll be amazed at how much you can do with a little effort.

A braver writer

For some, showing work to others comes easily, but for others, the very thought has them crippled with fear. If you write just to make yourself happy and you’re perfectly content to never share it with anyone, then there’s no need to go any further than that. But if you have publishing aspirations of any kind, then at some point you’ll have to take the plunge.

Writing isn’t a solitary activity, though it may seem that way. Once you’ve written a story, it takes a team of several people to help you revise and polish your work, and that requires sharing it with other others. It will potentially be uncomfortable at first, but it will be ultimately rewarding once you’re able to collaborate with someone and make your writing better. Take it step by step. Share your story with a trusted friend first, then work your way to opening yourself up for criticism.

Always work toward the better

No matter what your area of focus is this year, remember that with every word you write, you’re growing as an artist. Practice will never make perfect, but it will get you pretty darn close. Set those lofty goals and do everything in your power to reach them. I know you can do it.

What kind of writer do you want to be this new year? Leave a comment!

Nominate Your Favorite Writing Blog for 2019!

written by Bryan Hutchinson

Do you have a favorite blog about the craft? Great! Nominate it for the Best Writing Blogs Award for 2019.

The Annual Best Writing Blogs Award is my favorite event of the year and your involvement is paramount. The annual award post has reached millions of writers who have discovered fantastic new writing blogs to explore, bookmark, and subscribe to, so please do take a moment and nominate your personal favorite because it deserves to be recognized!

Here’s how to nominate your favorite writing blog:

1) Post a link to your favorite blog in the comments with a brief explanation as to why you’re nominating it.
2) You can nominate up to two blogs; however, please do not nominate any specific blog more than once yourself.

The more nominations a particular blog receives will give it the best chances of making the final list.

Bloggers can nominate their own blog; however, it will only count if at least one other person seconds the nomination.

Nominated blogs can be by multiple authors and can be about other topics, as long as writing is the main topic.

The final date for nominations is 31 Jan 2019.

Nominate your favorite, go!

7 Doggone Hacks That Will Transform You Into an Unstoppable Writer

written by Frank McKinley

We love shortcuts to success.

I can’t promise these will all be easy. But if you use them, I can promise you’ll make progress.

This post is by Positive Writer contributor Frank McKinley.

Momentum Requires Movement

Tomorrow is too late.

Momentum is like a fire. It needs you to feed it to live. And when it wanes, you’ve got to poke it to reinvigorate it.

Sometimes we confuse dreams with momentum.

“I want to write a novel next year.”

“I want to become a bestselling author.”

“I want to be the next James Patterson.”

You could also add that you want to be the next person to fly to Mars.

Wanting isn’t doing. Dreams are great, but unless we pick up our pens, sit in our chairs, and write down some words, dreams are just smoke.

But Dreams Are Fun

So is visiting Disney World.

Or the beach.

Or your mountain cabin.

Dreams make sleeping memorable.

Action is what makes dreams come true. You’ve got to write it and share it to know if people will like it.

Will you fail?

Maybe.

But only if you don’t learn something.

Tomorrow is another day. You can write something else. And as the days pass, you’ll forget about what didn’t work.

You’re a writer. Don’t just hypothesize. Test your assertions. Try them with real people. Something good will come from this eventually. You just have to keep putting words in front of people.

Here are the 7 hacks to transform you into an unstoppable writer!

1 Write down ideas whenever they come.

Keep a notebook or a page somewhere where you can record all those ideas that come to you.

If you can find them, you can do something with them. Maybe you use one and throw away another. Maybe you marry two of them and take a new slant on an old approach.

Just catch them before they get lost.

Writing them down ensures they stay.

You say you don’t have any ideas?

That’s a lie. Take out a piece of paper. Grab a pen. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write the first word that pops into your head on the top of the page and spend the 10 minutes writing down whatever comes to mind.

Send your internal critic on a break while you fill the page with nonsense, profundity, and everything in between.

When you’re done, you’ll have something.

If you don’t like what you have, just do it again until you do.

2 If you don’t use an idea in a week, toss it.

Time kills momentum.

This approach may sound radical. But it’s not.

When you buy produce, you have to eat it soon or it will be rotten. When it’s rotten, you don’t save it for later, hoping it will taste better. In fact, the longer you keep it around the more it stinks.

Ideas are a lot like that. Act on them while they’re hot. Otherwise, you’re just stirring ashes.

You’re most creative when you write about something sooner than later. Later, you’ll have grown and maybe that thought won’t make sense anymore. Maybe you’ll have learned a lesson that made that idea irrelevant. A week is long enough.

If it’s a big idea, take some action on it now. Even if it’s just making plans. A long term project can take a year. There will be lots of parts. Small actions are movement that keep the idea alive.

Do something now to move that idea forward. If you can’t, you probably won’t.

3 Write daily and momentum will come, stay, and grow.

Your work won’t always be perfect.

In fact, it never will because it can’t be.

Don’t worry about it.

When a baby learns to walk, she doesn’t care about perfect. She cares about effective. She doesn’t care how she looks while she’s learning. She just cares about walking.

Write every day. Do the best you can. Do something better tomorrow than you did it today. But don’t spend all day today worrying about tomorrow.

Just pick up your pen and make some magic.

The trick is just doing the work.

4 Print out a calendar and record your progress.

It’s great to have an accountability partner if you can get one.

But honestly, you are your best motivator.

Hang a calendar on your wall. Get one in December if you can. If not, print one out on your computer. If you don’t have a computer, draw a calendar.

Every day, check the box to signal to yourself that you wrote something.

When you’re feeling like nothing you do matters, the calendar will remind you that you’re making progress. You’re writing. You’re testing the boundaries. You’re doing the work.

You’ll only reach your destination when you take the steps every day to get there.

5 As soon as you reach one goal, set another.

Just take time to celebrate your wins.

You’ve probably figured it out by now. I’m urging you to keep moving.

Life is meaningless without a map.

We all want maps because we all have dreams we want to come true.

Maps show the territory in front of you. Goals are the cities you want to visit on a map. You pave the road with the steps you take to get there.

NaNoWriMo is a great example of how this works. You have 30 days to write 50,000 words. You know you’re writing a story that you hope becomes a published novel. At worst, if you keep moving you’ll have a draft you can refine.

The key is:

You know WHAT you need to write.
You know HOW MUCH writing is required.
You have a DEADLINE.

When that’s novel’s done, you write another one if you want to call yourself a novelist.

Writing every day is a goal. Writing a novel is a goal. If you want to move forward every day, you’ve got to set a goal every day.

Then you’ve got to do the work, which is far easier when you’ve drawn a map.

6 It’s great to have lots of ideas. It’s better to turn them into reality.

All your ideas won’t work.

That’s why you need lots of them.

You can also tweak your ideas and effectively turn them into new ones. Your pen is your friend here. Every morning play around with your thoughts. Take them in whatever direction your mind leads them to. There might be gold in the shadows.

You don’t have to publish and share all your thoughts. But you do need to explore the ones that stick around and keep popping up in your idea notebook. There’s probably a golden thread running through them that is calling you to your purpose as a writer.

It’s your responsibility to discover what that is, and take it to the people who need it.

Unrealized ideas are cinders that turn to ashes and never warm anyone.

Don’t let your good ideas suffer that fate.

7 Keep experimenting. It’s better to learn than to guess.

Seth Godin wrote the foreword to a marketing textbook I found online.

He wrote, “This textbook probably won’t be any good for you.”

Why would he say something like that?

Because if all you do is read it, you’ll be wasting your time.

Read it. Learn it. Then go do something with it.

Market.

Test.

Learn.

Build.

Reading this post won’t help you either. So go. Use what you’ve just read. Write something. Now. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

Go Make Magic

The magic of writing is in the doing.

When you do it daily, and give it your all, you’ll get better. Your message will matter. And people will read your stories.

Your message is your story. It’s the hope you sell to your readers. It’s the secret that, when revealed, frees them to be their best selves, achieve the status they want, and make their dreams real.

What will you write today?

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