Fear of Blogging

Many of us are relatively new to weblogs, and the idea of putting our thoughts to electronic paper for the world to read is intimidating. What you will essentially do as you write for the womentoindia blog is share what you see, hear, feel and even smell on a particular day in India (and traveling there and back). Make your thoughts conversational and simple, but include interesting details. However, leave out insignificant minutiae (like how many times you padded to the bathroom in the middle of the night).

Think in terms of writing a letter back home to your friends or relatives. You are trying to tell them what you have experienced. How does a certain event or person or experience make you feel? And how can you interpret that experience in the context of your beliefs?

Write as often as you like, but we should have at least one blog a day to keep readers coming back for more. And if we're good, maybe we can make it to blog heaven.

From How to Write a Better Weblog by Dennis A. Mahoney, we've culled some tidbits.

• Writer's goal is clarity.
• Declarative sentences are good. Bold statements are dangerous, but they won't kill you. Timidity will--or at least your traffic.
• If you want to share an anecdote or story from your life, pretend the readers weren't there. Because they weren't. "You had to be there" never makes a joke funny (or a story relevant).
• Readers crave your anecdotes and stories. They really do. So given 'em the whole megillah. Instead of, "The party was a riot!" or "I'm depressed today," carefully explain why. Elaborate.
• Have a sense of humor. Being a writer is funny. Don't take yourself too seriously.