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Jan
12

5 Appetizing Blogging Tips: Learn To Cook – Learn To Blog

By | Blogging, Write Better

46 Comments

Pizza
I  have a confession to make.

I hate cooking.

I know I have to do it, but I don’t like it.

All that effort and the results are gone in a flash.

But I’ve come to realize lately that blogging is very much like cooking. But it’s better than cooking because the results stay for all to see. (A good thing? I hope so…)

Here’s what happens when you cook – and how it relates to blogging.

1.  You need an appetite.

When I’m hungry I feel motivated to make a meal, even if it’s beans on toast. My appetite motivates me.

When you love blogging, as I do, you’re hungry to write, think of ideas, find good images. You look forward to switching on the computer, scanning your notes and starting a draft post.

It’s hard work, but fun. Tiring, but satisfying too. Just like cooking, for those who love it…

2.   Start with an easy, ‘never fail’ recipe.

I remember when we had cookery lessons at school. We always started with something that the  teacher knew would succeed, so we could carry said ‘dish’ home to show our mums with pride. And then eat it… or not.

When I was a beginner blogger I kept to topics I felt totally confident to write about, that I knew there was a need for in my niche. I had a simple blog site that I could easily manage, with few ‘bells and whistles’ to make me nervous. It’s only after nearly a year that I’m trying more complicated stuff, more involved recipes.

It’s the same for you. Until you’re familiar with the ‘bells and whistles’ on your site, stay where you feel confident. Then, when you’re ready, you can move on and try new things, to stand out from the crowd.

3.   Timing is vital.

If the recipe says, bake for 30 minutes, then that’s what you do. You  don’t wander off and leave the oven and hope for the best. You do what the instructions say and your dish should come out just like in the picture in the cookery book.

When you begin blogging, try to keep to a posting pattern that you can manage. It’s different for every one but whatever you decide, keep to it, so your readers know what to expect. You can always change the timings later if you wish.

4.   Start to adapt and make it  your own.

My best friend is an excellent cook. She substitutes ingredients, alters the quantities and produces amazing dishes. Why is she able to  do that? Because she’s experienced. She knows what will work and what won’t.

As you write more and more posts you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t. It’s called ‘experience’. The mistakes you make when you start will be your teachers. The feedback you receive in the comments will show you what your readers want and you’ll learn to follow their lead, rather than simply writing what fulfills you.

You’ll try new styles, approaches, formats and angles, finally finding your ‘uniqueness.’  You’ll develop your very own secret blogging recipe.

5.   Relax and enjoy it!

Although cooking isn’t my favourite activity, I know that if I stop tweaking it, fussing over it and just get on with it, the result is far better and I actually almost enjoy it. I’m not trying to emulate the famous chef who devised the recipe, I’m just trying to make a reasonable meal.

Blogging needs to come almost naturally – you should be yourself in your writing. I try to imagine I’m actually talking to my reader and try to write in my own personal style. I’m not a famous blogger (in my dreams…), I’m just trying to present a useful, thought provoking or helpful post.

Blogging is my passion.

If you want to write a successful blog, it must be your passion too.

We’re all on a learning curve with our blogs.

Do tell us -

What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt since you began?

What one piece of advice would you give to a beginner blogger?

What secret blogging ingredients are you hiding in your pantry?

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About Linda Hewett

Linda blogs at Positive Spin Blog where she provides Practical Confidence Solutions. She is a qualified Confidence Coach and has experienced many Confidence Issues herself, so she is able to empathise with her readers and help them to solve their problems.

Comments

  1. y8 games says:
    January 29, 2012 at 4:26 pm

    nice tips and nice blog.
    thanks for post.

    Reply
  2. jocuri barbie says:
    January 7, 2012 at 11:33 am

    wow Linda , looks delicious :D
    thanks
    jocuri barbie recently posted..PartyMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Anna says:
    January 16, 2011 at 11:07 am

    The main lesson I learn is the following: if your first aim of blogging is just money, leave it! Blogging should be a hobby, a pleasure and only after that – the source of profit. The second lesson: writing about what you don’t know is impossible and ineffective as people will not read your posts.

    Reply
  4. John from Electricians in Paddington says:
    January 14, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    I love the concept of this post actually! It’s an excellent idea. Well, my piece of advice to new bloggers. Just be yourself! Do your thing and show the world who you really are by making your post valuable to them and make them hooked up. And don’t just post to impress post to express!
    John from Electricians in Paddington recently posted..Electricians Paddington – Great Local Electricians Vs Average Local ElectriciansMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Mark says:
    January 14, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Hi Linda, That was tasty!

    That once unpleasant activity of read is a pleasant one while authors—now bloggers like you—have a passion for it, or at best like it.

    Also, I agree with you that ingredient of passion for what satisfy us, our preferences—our niches—then linking people—with more or less of the same enthusiasm—is important to stick—and growing—the yummy experience.

    Reply
  6. Hire PHP Programmers says:
    January 14, 2011 at 8:50 am

    Wow, I am in love with this cookery book of yours. Thanks for the share Linda !!

    Reply
  7. Alex says:
    January 14, 2011 at 3:18 am

    Blogging is definitely a recipe that has to be delicious and have the ingredients everyone likes (so no peanuts, you never know when you find someone allergic).

    And like food you always have to find something new to impress your tastebuds, because after a while (think of chewing gum) the same food wont taste as great as the first time you ate it. This also includes cooking something unique with your own secret ingredients.
    Alex recently posted..Studioul de arta manichiuraMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Natural Gas Dehydration says:
    January 14, 2011 at 2:47 am

    I need that cookery book ASAP, i have started loving it Linda. Thanks for passing this along here!!

    Reply
  9. Frieke Karlovits says:
    January 13, 2011 at 11:58 am

    Linda – it is nice to be reading your blog. Your suggestions are valid. What I feel is that bloggers need to overcome the fear that “everything has been said by somebody already”. This is certainly true, but not verybody is reading everything and like in life – some writing you like others you don’t. Visualising the right readers is all it takes apart from doing the work to let the blog flow.

    Cheers
    Frieke Karlovits
    Frieke Karlovits recently posted..Network Marketing Today – Online BrandingMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Chef Todd Mohr says:
    January 13, 2011 at 10:16 am

    As a professional Chef who teaches thousands of people to cook through my video blog, the biggest problem I hear from people about recipes that “don’t work”.

    The biggest frustration for the home cook isn’t cooking, it’s following the written recipe.

    Recipes have inherent flaws and variables that make them impossible to duplicate and always let you down. The best cooks use basic cooking methods to create their own recipes.

    When a recipe calls for “one onion, chopped”, how big is this onion? When a recipe says “cook under medium heat”, how do you define medium? And, worst of all is cooking by time. “Saute for 3-5 minutes” can mean raw or burned depending on the stove, pan, ingredient, etc…

    I’d suggest online cooking classes that are video-based. I’m not suggesting one of those membership sites that just opens a huge library to you and you have to teach yourself. I mean a COURSE that has a beginning, middle, and end, where one skill is built upon the next.

    Concentrate on the basic cooking methods of saute, steaming, braising, roasting, grilling, poaching, simmering and you can most certainly learn to cook without reading. Actually, you’ll be a better cook for not following badly written recipes, you’ll be creating new recipes for others to follow.

    Chef Todd Mohr
    WebCookingClasses.com

    Reply
  11. Tourism Survey Research says:
    January 13, 2011 at 7:16 am

    Wow, brilliant article Linda. I loved your concept a lot. Thanks for the round-up !!

    Reply
  12. Bucks County DUI Lawyer says:
    January 13, 2011 at 1:09 am

    Great tips! I love the way you see your blog as a recipe, a creative style and very unique. And, well I guess, you’re right. And I have to agree with the others and with you of course. If you don’t want to cook that kind of food, stick with your specialty and experiment. But one thing is for sure, if you love and enjoy what you’re doing surely you will succeed. Just give it your best shot and everything else will follow. :)

    Reply
  13. Patricia says:
    January 12, 2011 at 11:44 pm

    Hi Linda

    I am similar to you in the cooking stakes. I can cook but I don’t enjoy it. Yet I have a friend who will be cooking to relax! What’s that about??!! I love it cos I often get to sample said tasty morsels when her family come visit :-)

    With blogging, I am asked by my friends how I can spend so much time on my laptop blogging. Simple I enjoy it. Not like work, it’s fun.

    Don’t find it difficult finding topics to share. The creative side of my brain rarely switches off. But when we examine the problem solving area…that’s mostly switched off lol So techie tasks and all things remotely techie I hand over to my geek buddies.

    Like with recipes. We all have our favourites. Have to have the right flavour. I see this with my small niche blog. Have dedicated readers, occasional visits and those who will pop by if I go off topic cos it’s not their particular flavour. That’s okay cos just with a menu, we all order different food when in a restaurant.

    What will you find in my pantry….the lovely lavender. Aromatic herb and the delicate perfume will help you relax. To find out more you will have to visit.

    Patricia Perth Australia
    Patricia recently posted..Are You Lurking Behind The Lavender BushMy Profile

    Reply
  14. men's underwear says:
    January 12, 2011 at 7:27 pm

    Blogging is much better than cooking – NO DISHES to wash. I’ve never liked cooking either but I have to admit that blogging is much more work than I was expecting it to be. It’s something you really need to work at everyday (like cooking) but I never do. If I blog once a week I’m doing good. Thanks for your insights (just order in pizza :-)).

    Reply
  15. Mavis Nong says:
    January 12, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Hi Linda,

    These are the best tips for blogging success you are sharing here. You’re right, you gotta have a passion to do it, otherwise it would not enjoy blogging at all.

    The first thing is to make a decision that you are going to treat blogging as a business not as a by-the-way activity. That is if you want to see results.

    Thanks for sharing these tips, Linda.

    All the best,
    Mavis
    Mavis Nong recently posted..My Second Guest Post- How To Get Your Readers Hooked!My Profile

    Reply
  16. Delena Silverfox says:
    January 12, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    I’ve been a passionate and diehard blogger since around 1996. For a beginning blogger, I think I’d just say stick with it if you love it, and give yourself permission to find your own voice and style. Don’t worry about what people will think; those that love your style will find you and stick with you. I’ve made some lasting friendships over the years from people who just started out as my blog followers, left a few comments, and the rest is history. =)
    Delena Silverfox recently posted..MicfoMy Profile

    Reply
  17. Tyson says:
    January 12, 2011 at 10:58 am

    Hello Linda – The single most important thing I’ve learned since starting my blog is not to force things. If I am not “feeling” a certain topic or I am simply not in the right state of mind, I solicit for guest bloggers to add to my content.

    Reply
  18. Keith says:
    January 12, 2011 at 9:47 am

    The single most important thing I have learned in blogging: There are NO rules! Do it your own way and don’t listen to “them or they”! Follow that and you will be successful!
    Keith recently posted..Outsourcing With FiverrMy Profile

    Reply
  19. TrafficColeman
    Twitter:
    says:
    January 12, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Blogging is an pattern type action..if your able to do it on an consistence basic and do it well. Then it will not become of your normal routine of everyday work..don’t make it feel like an 9 to 5.

    “Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
    TrafficColeman recently posted..The Facebook Obsession – My Story And OpinionsMy Profile

    Reply
  20. Gera says:
    January 12, 2011 at 9:20 am

    Hi Linda,

    As foodie and blogger I like this type of post! I’d add spice up your post with great images.

    Also try to new “recipes” in blogging like exploring new niches, methods or plans to achieve your goals. :)

    Cheers,

    Gera
    Gera recently posted..11 Mistakes Why Social Media FailsMy Profile

    Reply
  21. Gifts for kids says:
    January 12, 2011 at 7:54 am

    I am now thinking to use my hand at cooking as so many recipes come to know from such a blog and specially this one for pizza is really amazing. SO i have made up my mind to go with this.

    Reply
  22. Linda Hewett
    Twitter:
    says:
    January 12, 2011 at 6:10 am

    Great! Better get that cookery book out, ASAP!
    Thnks for the compliment, Deer Hunts.
    Linda Hewett recently posted..10 Simple Steps To Fitness – By Accident!My Profile

    Reply
  23. Deer Hunts says:
    January 12, 2011 at 5:41 am

    Wow, I loved your writeup Linda. This is such an innovative concept of making our blogs even more popular. Awesome tips must say, thanks for the share!!

    Reply
  24. Mia says:
    January 12, 2011 at 5:01 am

    Although i like cooking, sometimes i need a push to start making something. I think that the same thing applies for blogging.

    Reply
  25. Karthick says:
    January 12, 2011 at 4:28 am

    Nice blog tips…I like your site very much thank you

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Things I Learned About Blogging While Blogging says:
    June 7, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    [...] check out these Blogging Tips by Keisha Easley over at We Blog Better. Tweet Further Reading:7 Quick Writing Tips For Daily [...]

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  2. Featured in Blokube.com says:
    January 12, 2011 at 12:04 pm

    5 Appetizing Blogging Tips: Learn To Cook – Learn To Blog…

    Treat your blog like a recipe… as you begin, start with the ‘failsafe’ approach, moving on with confidence to try new things and finding your unique approach. Relax…you’ll enjoy it!…

    Reply

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