(Please note: Nothing here makes an allusion to any of the bloggers I currently follow.)
I am a better reader than writer. Nearly six years on WordPress conferred upon me the fortune of reading the blogs of some of the best writers I’ve ever laid eyes on. Most of them – to my bafflement – have never gotten their imprints on the Freshly Pressed Hall of Fame. Many of them have also stopped blogging completely.
Aiming to gain an eye on what sets them apart from the rest, I checked out the permutation of their words, taking note mostly of their strengths than weaknesses.
I’ll take the case of Blogger “C” who has earned wide readership and accolades for his polished blog posts.
Sophistication and cleverness as among the virtues of this popular blogger no doubt helped him furnish his site with his well-thought-out and well-constructed compositions.
Flawless spelling and punctuation plus precise use of vocabulary have been affixed to his system, too.
But there’s something more.
While most of us merely assemble the words to express our thoughts and send them out as soon as we deem them comprehensible, he wouldn’t think of publishing a post without making sure he’d been watchful of his selection of his most favourite words during the crafting of his sentences. You’d never catch him employing terms he personally holds in distaste.
Let me illustrate (The examples are my own whilst similar to his style):
Rectifying the situation has done the service of solemnizing my pledge.
That certainly sounds more exotic than: Resolving the issue has the favorable result of formalizing my promise.
He also makes ample use of phrasal verbs, being attentive as to their every execution.
My arm shoots out across my son’s chest to ward off a probable injury.
Once again, sounds cooler than: My arm prevented my son’s chest from getting hit by something.
His style has been described as smooth. It’s hard for me to exactly pin down his special technique but I’m sure you discern we’re most probably talking of cohesion here.
His obvious intent isn’t just clarity: Elegance and fluidity are aspired as well.
I am not suggesting Mr. “C” is the epitome of the consummate blog writer. His cogitation could become boring. He lacks bounce in his words. His topics mostly impersonal and the contents of his writings more often bland.
But still, the pains he took in generating all those pages are worth the recognition.
If I may digress, there had been a few bloggers who discouraged me from utilizing the thesaurus when drafting a piece — which is something I don’t understand; something I can’t heed. What purpose does a thesaurus serve then if it can’t spur us writers? Besides, I prefer variety in expression. For a word lover like me, the counsel against its use is like telling me to cease from drinking my favourite blend of milk tea.
Okay, that’s an understatement. I hug my thesaurus as if my globe of words depended on it.
And so I’ve learned one or two from my own observations as to special writing styles of a few inspiring bloggers. I am sharing them with you because I believe in us helping each other out in our goal to become better writers.
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Bohemian Sentiments 