The Art of Blog Story Telling

March 31, 2013 by cyril

The Art of Blog Story Telling

Guest Post By Courtney Frey

Category: Writing and Blogging

Are you finding yourself wondering how to truly impact your reader through your stories?

“A good writer leads his reader to the mountain-top.  A great writer allows the reader the view for themselves.”  Ralph McClaugherty
With millions of blogs available, it is often difficult to discover new ways to reach loyal readers of quality who truly seek to follow your blog on a long term basis.  One of the best things that you can do for yourself as a story writer is to develop your absolute goal first, and then write according to that goal.
For instance, develop a theme.  Readers who are loyal want to count on visiting your blog and taking something of value away from it.  If you write on too many and too broad a subject matter, your readers will not be able to connect with you.  A good story writer also sells himself/herself to the reader, not only the character or message written about.  Be fearless in exposing yourself as an author, in the beautiful truths of yourself and your journey, and you will gain faithful readers over a long-term period.
Ask yourself:
1.      Am I allowing my readers to connect to me, as the author?  Have I published my bio, do I have photo’s that tell my story, and is my mission in my writing clear?  Am I writing just to write, or do I have a developed purpose?  For instance, if you write about overcoming a disability, or about families and developing healthy relationships – stick to your theme and have a purpose with each story that is directly tied to your objective in writing.
2.      Do my stories offer a call to action or a message that is universal?  What can my reader take away from my words?  Offer an impact statement each time you write, and not only inspire your reader through the story, but lend them the opportunity to comment, to provide their own interpretation, and to connect with you as the author.  The better story blogs will often end with a question posed to the reader, for instance, “How you have found forgiveness’ in the past?”
3.      Writing stories in first person can have a powerful impact because you are able to become vulnerable to your reader.  However, one of the many mistakes that occurs in writing first person is to assume that every one of your readers can relate to you.  Again, this is why it’s important to have a well developed bio on your site with images and information about yourself.   After you write a creative non-fiction piece in first person, read it again as if you were a stranger.  Ask yourself four key questions:
a.      At which point in my story did I connect to the author?
b.      Do I have an impact on the reader, and if so, in what way?
c.      Did I relate to the message?  Was it universal?
d.      Do I sound preachy in my message, or is it one that anyone could read and feel hopeful?
4.      Finally, embrace your readers.  Follow other bloggers who follow you or who have commented on your stories, and respond to them.  Developing a good story doesn’t necessarily mean that you will gain readership, however, developing yourself as someone of value with so much to offer can increase your traffic.    Make sure that you committed to your readers, just as you are to your writing.  If a reader spends ten minutes reading a story you’ve written, let them know that you appreciate that time, and reach back out to them.  I often times will contact a reader who has liked something I’ve written, and ask them, “Could I have connected better to you?”   Feedback is key when you are in the business of story-telling.
Tell your story, tell it well.  It is yours to share with the world.

Published By Cyril P Abraham

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