how to start creative writing blog

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Guides • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Dec 23, 2022

Creative Writing: 8 Fun Ways to Get Started

Creative writing is a written art form that uses the imagination to tell stories and compose essays, poetry, screenplays, novels, lyrics, and more. It can be defined in opposition to the dry and factual types of writing found in academic, technical, or journalistic texts.

Characterized by its ability to evoke emotion and engage readers, creative writing can tackle themes and ideas that one might struggle to discuss in cold, factual terms.

If you’re interested in the world of creative writing, we have eight fantastic exercises and activities to get you started.

1. Use writing prompts every week

Coming up with ideas for short stories can be challenging, which is why we created a directory of 1700+ creative writing prompts covering a wide range of genres and topics. Writing prompts are flexible in nature, they are meant to inspire you without being too constrictive. Overall, they are a great way to keep your creative muscles limber.

If you’re struggling for motivation, how does a hard deadline and a little prize money sound? Prompts-based writing contests are a fantastic way to dive into creative writing: the combination of due dates, friendly rivalries, prize money, and the potential to have your work published is often just what’s needed to propel you over the finish line. 

We run a weekly writing contest over on Reedsy Prompts, where hundreds of writers from all around the world challenge themselves weekly to write a short story between 1,000 and 3,000 words for a chance to win the $250 prize. Furthermore, the community is very active in providing constructive feedback, support, and accountability to each other 一 something that will make your efforts even more worthwhile.

Take a peek at our directory of writing contests which features some of the most prestigious open writing competitions in the world. 

2. Start journaling your days

Another easy way to get started with creative writing is to keep a journal. We’re not talking about an hour-by-hour account of your day, but journaling as a way to express yourself without filters and find your ‘voice in writing’. If you’re unsure what to journal about, think of any daily experiences that have had an impact on you, such as… 

Special moments . Did you lock yourself out of your house? Or did you catch a beautiful sunset on your way back from groceries? Capture those moments, and how you felt about them.

People . Did you have an unusual exchange with a stranger at the bar? Or did you reconnect with someone you haven’t seen in years? Share your thoughts about it.

World events . Is there something happening in the world right now that is triggering you? That’s understandable. You can reflect on it (and let some steam off) while journaling.

Memories . Did you go down memory lane after a glass of wine? Great, honor those memories by trying to recollect them in detail on paper so that they will always stay vivid in your mind.

Life decisions . Are you having an existential crisis about what to do with your life? Write down your thought process, and the pros and cons of the possible decisions in front of you. You’ll be surprised to discover that, not only is it a great creative writing exercise, but it can also actually help you sort your life out! 

If you struggle to write consistently, sign up for our How to Write a Novel course to finish a novel in just 3 months.  

NEW REEDSY COURSE

How to Write a Novel

Enroll in our course and become an author in three months.

3. Create an anonymous social media account

Like anonymous blogging, an incognito Twitter account sidesteps the pressure that comes with attaching your name to your work. Anonymously putting tiny stories out into the ether gives you the freedom to create without worrying about the consequences — which is great, so long as you don’t use it as an opportunity to troll people or spread conspiracy theories. 

You could use the anonymous account in different ways. For example, you could…

• Tweet from unique points of view (e.g. a dog observing human behavior );
• Create a parody account of real or fictional people (e.g. an English poet from the Middle Ages );
• Challenge yourself to write tiny flash fiction stories that fit into Twitter threads.

Just remember, you’re not doing this to fool anyone into thinking that your account is real: be a good citizen and mark yourself a fiction account in your bio. 

But if you’re not really a social media kinda person, you may enjoy our next tip, which is a bit more on the analog side.

GET ACCOUNTABILITY

Meet writing coaches on Reedsy

Industry insiders can help you hone your craft, finish your draft, and get published.

4. Find an old photo and tell its story

Find a random old photo — maybe on the web, maybe from a photo album in a yard sale — and see what catches your attention. Look closely at it and try to imagine the story behind it. What was happening? Who are the people in it and how are they really feeling? Do they share a relationship, and of what kind? What are their goals and dreams?

In other words, bring the photo to life with your imagination. Don't be afraid to take artistic license with your story, as the goal is to be creative and have fun while writing. 

How do you know it’s creative writing?

5. Create a character from a random name

Just as our universe started from a few simple elements, you can create a character from a few basic information, like their name, culture, and gender. Reedsy’s handy character name generator can help you with that, offering random names based on archetypes, Medieval roots, fantasy traits and more. A few examples? A Celtic heroine named Fíona O'Keefe, a hero’s sidekick named Aderine, or a Korean track star named Park Kang-Dae.

Once you've chosen their name, begin to develop their personality. Set a timer for 5–10 minutes and write anything that comes to mind about them. It could be a page from their FBI dossier, a childhood diary entry, or simply a scene about them boiling an egg.

Just ‘go with the flow’ and don’t stop writing until your time is up. Repeat the process a few times to further hone the personality. If you like what you end up with, you can always go deeper later with our character profile template . 

If a stream-of-consciousness exercise is not your thing, you can try to imagine your character in a specific situation and write down how’d they respond to it. For example, what if they were betrayed by a friend? Or if they were elected in power? To help you imagine situations to put your character in, we made a free template that you can download below. 

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Character Questionnaire

40 questions to help you develop memorable characters.

6. Construct a character by people-watching

People watching is “the action of spending time idly observing people in a public place.” In a non-creepy way, ideally. Sit on a bench on a public square or on a road-side table at your favorite café, and start observing the people around you. Pay attention to any interesting quirks or behaviors, and write it down. Then put on your detective’s hat and try to figure out what that tells you about them.

For example, the man at the table next to you at the restaurant is reading the newspaper. His jacket and hat are neatly arranged next to him. The pages make a whipping sound as he briskly turns them, and he grimaces every time he reads a new article. Try to imagine what he’s reading, and why he’s reacting the way he is. Then, try to build a character with the information you have. It’s a fun creative exercise that will also, hopefully, help you better empathize with strangers. 

7. “Map” something you feel strongly about into a new context

Placing your feelings into new contexts can be a powerful creative writing exercise. The idea is to start from something you feel strongly about, and frame it into a completely different context. 

For example, suppose your heart is torn apart after you divorce your life-long partner: instead of journaling or crafting an entire novel  about it, you could tell a story about a legendary trapeze duo whose partnership has come to an end. If you’re struggling with politicking and petty power dynamics at the office: what if you “mapped” your feelings onto an ant who resents being part of a colony? Directing your frustration at a queen ant can be a fun and cathartic writing experience (that won’t get you in trouble if your co-workers end up reading your story).   

8. Capture the moment with a haiku

Haikus are poems from the Japanese tradition that aim to capture, in a few words, daily moments of insight (usually inspired by nature). In a nutshell, it’s about becoming mindful of your surroundings, and notice if you can see something in a new or deeper way 一 then use contrasting imagery to express whatever you noticed. 

Here’s an example:

Bright orange bicycle

Speeding through the autumn leaves

A burst of color waves

It may sound a bit complicated, but it shouldn’t be 一 at least not for the purpose of this exercise. Learn the basics of haiku-writing , then challenge yourself to write one per day for a week or month. At the end, you’ll be able to look back at your collection of poems and 一 in the worst case scenario 一 revisit small but significant moments that you would have otherwise forgot about.   

Creative writing can be any writing you put your heart and soul into. It could be made for the purpose of expressing your feelings, exploring an idea, or simply entertaining your readers. As you can see there’s many paths to get involved with it, and hundreds of exercises you can use as a starting point. In the next post, we’ll look more in detail at some creative writing examples from some fellow authors. 

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Try our novel writing master class — 100% free

Sign up for a free video lesson and learn how to make readers care about your main character.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

How to start a blog: a complete guide

• Rebecca Strehlow
• 28 min read

Get started by: Creating a blog →  | Getting a domain →

If you’re wondering how to create a blog , you’ve come to the right place. As a blogger myself, I can tell you it’s a rewarding way to hone your writing skills, explore new ideas and build an online presence that revolves around your passions and expertise. You’ll get the chance to inspire, educate, and entertain your readers—and as your blog grows, you can even start making money and turn it into a full-time job or use it to start a business .

In other words, blogging is the first step toward finally pursuing your dream job or favorite hobby, so you really can’t go wrong. While starting a blog might seem daunting, I’m going to walk you through every step to make it as smooth and successful as possible. The process is actually quite easy, and you’ll have your blog up and running, as well as your first blog post written, before you know it.

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll find all the guidance and tools you’ll need to start a blog and get writing blog posts. You’ll learn how to make your website , write your first blog post and draw in loyal readers. Sounds exciting? Let’s dive in.

How to start a blog in 10 steps

Choose a blogging platform. Use a platform that offers customizable templates.

Pick a hosting platform. Consider a platform with good bandwidth, uptime and customer support.

Find the right niche. Narrow down your theme and have a specific audience in mind.

Select a blog name and domain. Choose a descriptive name that piques readers’ interests.

Set up and design your blog. Include imagery and effects that reflect your theme.

Brainstorm blog topics. Write down all your ideas before narrowing down topic selections.

Write your first blog post. Engage your audience with a killer title and use headers to make the content skimmable.

Create an editorial calendar. Create a calendar to help you publish consistently and hold yourself accountable.

Promote your blog. Use marketing strategies to expand your reach.

Make money blogging. Take advantage of opportunities to monetize your blog.

In this complete how to blog A to Z tutorial, we’ll cover everything from choosing your blogging platform to making money from your written work. With a little bit of guidance, you can get your blog online in 30 minutes or less.

This is going to be the most comprehensive advice you’ll find on building a successful blog from scratch. If you want to start a blog fast, though, feel free to use the numbered steps above as a quick cheat sheet. You can go directly to the step you need the most help with, or grab a cup of coffee and read it all the way through.

What is a blog?

While a blog can encompass an entire website or simply be its own section of a website, this is a place to share content about a topic you’re passionate about. A blog will typically include both written and visual elements published in an easy-to-read, article format so visitors can swiftly browse and find what they’re looking for. And with over 31.7 million blogs in the US alone, you can literally find blogs about every subject out there, from home renovation to baking to local business marketing strategies . Once you’ve established a community of readers, the possibilities are truly endless.

There's no definitive "perfect" time to start a blog. If you feel that you have the time and resources to start, manage and promote a blog and are enthusiastic about sharing your ideas with the world, it might be the right time to take the plunge and start your blogging journey. The sooner you start, the sooner you can learn and grow as a blogger.

Ready to start your blog now? Sign up with Wix today.

01. Choose a blogging platform

The first step in starting a blog is to select a blogging platform or Content Management System (CMS) for publishing your content. A quick Google search will show you that there are several different sites available that suit bloggers from all industries. I recommend Wix because it’s a good all-around blogging platform that satisfies most needs.

Wix’s blogging platform is fairly straightforward to get the hang of, and it offers a variety of attractive design options and templates to work with. In addition, it comes with features to analyze your blog’s performance and monetize your content, which will come in handy as you setup your blog and build your readership.

How much does it cost to start a blog?

When researching how to create a blog, one of the biggest questions people have is how much does it cost to start a blog . On many platforms, starting a blog is completely free .

You can decide at any point whether you’d like to upgrade to a variety of different plans, depending on your budget and needs. Learn more about how much does it cost to build a website.

02. Pick a hosting platform

Once you select your preferred blogging platform, you’ll need to choose a hosting platform. A blog, like other types of websites , requires a host. This essentially stores websites on a server under a unique address so that visitors can easily reach them.

faqOn some blogging platforms, hosting is already included, so you won’t need to find a separate web host when setting up your blog. In that case, you can skip this step and move to Step 3 .

With other website builders, such as WordPress, you will need to find and pay for a separate web hosting platform. Some popular options include:

If you’re not sure which web hosting platform to choose, take into account these factors:

Uptime: The amount of time that the server hosting your website is up and running. A strong uptime rate (99.95% or above) is a good indication that the host’s servers perform well.

Bandwidth: The amount of data your website can transfer to visitors over a certain period of time. This factor is based on the size of your website pages as well as the amount of traffic you expect. This quick bandwidth calculator can help you determine your site’s bandwidth.

Customer support: Customer service you can contact in the event something goes wrong. Ideally, your hosting provider should offer an online help center, offer callbacks and respond to questions and concerns on social media.

Once you’ve chosen your blogging platform and hosting provider, you can start coming up with your blog idea.

Don’t worry about picking and registering your domain name just yet. We’ll walk through that process together in Step 4 .

03. Find the right profitable blog niche

Let’s move away from the technical and dive into the more theoretical. Take a step back and think about the main element that will form the foundation of your blog, from its URL and domain name to its content and design: your blog’s niche. What, exactly, do you want your blog to be about?

There is virtually no limit when it comes to your choice of subjects. The most crucial thing is that you select a specific topic area that will be the central focus of your entire blog and its content strategy.

Possible blog types range from fashion blogs to real estate blogs to book blogs or food blogs . Because there are lots of other blogs focusing on the same subjects, you’ll need a way to stand out while still writing about what you love.

Here are three simple steps for choosing the perfect blog niche —one that not only is in line with your passions, but one that you can also monetize and grow:

Narrow down your interests

Research your audience

Check if it’s profitable

Narrow down your blogging interests

When you start a blog, think long term. To motivate yourself to blog regularly, you’ll need to write about something you’re genuinely interested in. If you choose a topic solely on the basis of its being popular or profitable, your efforts will peter out pretty quickly, along with your entire blog content strategy.

If you aren’t sure right off the bat what you should be blogging about, that’s okay. Begin with a simple brainstorming session about subjects you like. What do you get excited talking about? What are you eager to learn more about?

Now, write down the first five to 10 interests that come to mind. For the sake of this example, let’s say:

Next, think about your more specific interests within these subject areas and add them to your list. Your additions might look something like this:

Backpacking in Southeast Asia

Vegan recipes

Raising twins

Indie rock music

Hiking in the Rockies

Don’t worry about these niches being perfect just yet. You’ll research them more thoroughly in the next steps. (However, if you're looking for inspiration, check out how these popular art blogs are using their platforms to connect with audiences who share a similar passion.)

The next step of starting and creating a blog is to learn which topics people are interested in reading about. If your blog gains traction, you can eventually start making money from it and become a full-time blogger.

You can determine the demand for any given niche with a bit of market research. Begin by taking a look at Google Trends , which shows you how many people are searching for a particular topic. The more searches a topic gets, the more public demand it has.

For instance, let’s type “vegan recipes” into Google Trends. In the image below, you’ll see that there’s a relatively stable level of interest in this topic, so it’s a good candidate for a blog niche.

“Paleo recipes,” on the other hand, has a much lower degree of interest. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea—some bloggers prefer to write for a more specific crowd if they have a unique specialty—but it does mean there are fewer people interested in that particular subject area.

If Google Trends reveals that interest in a subject area is either very low or declining, then that topic is unlikely to gain traction.

Check if it’s profitable blog niche you want to start

Whether you run a personal blog or a professional one, it’s a good idea to check whether your niche is profitable. Even if you’re starting out as a hobby blogger or want to create a fan website , you’ll want to think about future monetization options in the event that your blogging efforts evolve into a career.

There are multiple ways to earn money as a blogger, but one of the most common methods is affiliate marketing. As an affiliate, you’ll work together with a specific company, providing a link to their products within your blog, and earning a commission for any sale made through your site.

Considering whether you could blog as an affiliate is a good way to figure out if your niche is profitable. Think about the kinds of “best of” or “how to” posts you might write. For instance, “Best kitchen appliances for easy cooking” or “How to make carrot cake in 10 minutes.” In both instances, you could include an affiliate link to your favorite food processor or electric mixer and make money for each purchase made through your blog.

You don’t need to plan out your money-making strategy just yet, but thinking generally about profitable opportunities can help you choose a niche. For now, focus on starting your blog—we’ll talk more about making money blogging in Step 10 .

04. Select a blog name and domain

As you think about how to make a blog, the question of what to name it is probably lurking somewhere in the back of your mind.

There are three main routes you can go with your blog's name. These include:

Your first and last name

The name of your business (if you have one)

A creative new name

When choosing your blog’s name, you should also think about the personality you want it to reflect. Should it be formal and professional? Sweet and romantic? Edgy and offbeat? If you’re stuck on names for your blog , this blog name generator is a helpful source of inspiration.

Once you decide, you should also go ahead and choose your domain name for your blog. Also referred to as a URL, a domain is a site’s address on the web (this website’s domain name, for example, is www.wix.com). Typically, your domain name will be the same as, or at least influenced by, the name of your blog.

If you really want your blog to stand out, consider a .blog domain extension . It's a clear and unique way to help your blog and content pop.

05. Set up and design your blog

Choose a blog template, decide which pages to include, get indexed on search engines, create a blog logo.

At this point, you’ve chosen a blogging and hosting platform, domain name and blog niche. You’re now equipped with all the basics for setting up your blog. Here's how to optimize your blog design :

The first part of setup for a blog is selecting a template. Like your blog’s name, its look and feel will be an important part of its personality.

The most efficient way to get your blog up and running is to choose a pre-designed blog template . Afterwards, you can customize it based on your preferences.

Be sure to pick one that conveys your blog’s subject area. There are website templates for bloggers of any genre, whether you’re a food blogger, photography blogger or business blogger. As you browse, think about the mood you want your website to communicate, for example. whether it’s classic, modern, rugged or minimalist.

You should also take that into account as you further personalize the template with your preferred colors. Color psychology plays a huge role in forming your audience’s impression of your blog. As you choose a color palette, keep in mind the feelings and attitudes that different colors evoke. Blue, for instance, tends to evoke dependability and trust, while yellow evokes energy and joy.

If you’re unsure of which templates to choose, these blog examples serve as a helpful source of design inspiration.

Once you’ve chosen a template, think about which pages to include. Most blogs include more than just a section to display their posts. They might also include an online store, as in the image below, or a contact page.

Here's an overview of the different options when designing your blog:

01. Contact page: This is a place to put your email address so that fans and potential business partners can reach out to you. You can also include a contact form so that people can send a message directly through your site.

02. About page: This tells visitors who you are, what you do, and why you do it, providing some context behind your blog and humanizing your content.

03. Online store: You’ll also want to add a separate online store page if you’re thinking of selling items related to your blog. You can call this page “Products” or “Shop.”

If you want to beef up your blog with even more pages, a Tutorials page, Now Trending page or Author’s Pick page are all popular options.

Furthermore, some blogs opt to place their posts directly on the homepage, while others keep their homepages and blog pages separate. If you do this, make sure to include a navigation menu so that visitors can easily access your blog as well as any other pages.

There’s no right or wrong way to set up a blog, so play around with different options to see what best suits your style and personality. Keep in mind that you can always add or remove pages over time as your blog evolves.

Another part of starting a blog is making sure it’s visible on Google and other search engines. This is crucial if you want your content to pop up in search results, so you’ll want to take care of this step right away.

First, make sure your site is indexed on Google. Essentially, this means giving Google a heads up that your blog exists. You can do this by submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console .

Pro tip: Google Search Console is not only important for indexing your site, but it’s also a valuable platform that you’ll be using throughout your blogging journey. It tells you important data about your blog’s site visitors and clicks, which you can use to improve your content.

To find out whether your site is already included in Google’s search index, do a quick site search (a site search uses your homepage URL and takes the form of site:yourblogname.com ). If your blog pops up in the search results, then your site is already indexed.

Finally, polish off your site with an attractive blog logo . This is another way to add personality to your site, and it’s an essential step if you want to create a blog that evolves into a recognizable brand.

One option is to design your own or outsource the task, but you can also use an online logo maker . These tools give you plenty of room to customize your logo with your preferred colors, fonts and icons, and tend to be quicker and more affordable than hiring a professional designer.

Once you create your logo, place it in the upper left-hand corner of your website, and link it to your homepage. This will help brand your content while improving the navigation experience for readers.

06. Brainstorm blog topics

On the technical side, your blog is now setup and ready to go. It’s time to start thinking about which topics you’ll get started with.

Begin by thinking about your experiences, successes, failures or discoveries related to your niche. What insights can you share? What ideas are you looking to explore in-depth?

As you think of topics, try to get into your readers’ heads. Here are some questions to guide you through the brainstorming process:

What characteristics does my target audience possess?

What subjects does my target audience get excited about?

What challenges does my target audience face?

You can also come up with ideas using the topic cluster model . Essentially, this is a tightly organized system that strings together related posts using a series of internal links. While this process is usually considered part of SEO, you can also think of it as a mind map for coming up with ideas.

By this model, think about a broad topic—say, recipes—and then divide that up into smaller subtopics, like dinner recipes or brunch recipes. Then, divide those up into even more specific topics, like 20-minute dinner recipes, mimosa recipes, and cake decoration ideas. Any of these topics could be its own blog post.

If you’re still stuck, this list of blog ideas can help jumpstart the brainstorming process. They include:

A 30 before 30 list (also 40 before 40, or 50 before 50)

Your sources of inspiration

Beginners’ guides

Time-saving hacks

A challenge you’ve faced

Use these ideas to guide you, but feel free to add your own creative twist based on your niche.

07. Write your first blog post

Start with keyword research, come up with a blog post title, outline your main points, write engaging content, insert images, optimize for seo, edit and publish.

Now that you’ve come up with ideas, you’re ready to dive into the writing. Let’s go over how to write a blog post from start to finish:

Finding the right keywords is crucial for getting people to read your posts. By targeting certain phrases with your article, you increase the chances of your blog appearing on search results pages for those queries.

Let’s say, for instance, that you want to share a carrot cake recipe in your blog. You’ll want to target keywords such as:

Carrot cake

Carrot cake recipe

Best carrot cake recipe

How to make carrot cake

Depending on your topic, some keywords may be more obvious than others. You can refine your keywords using free keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or you can use more robust paid options like SEMrush or Ahrefs .

Next, you’ll need to strategically target your selected keywords throughout your article. This means two things: First, you’ll need to sprinkle those phrases throughout your post (but try to do so as organically as possible—no one likes unnatural keyword stuffing). Second, you should structure your article based on the format you see in the top 10 search results for those keywords (you can also reference these results when deciding how long should a blog post be ).

Let’s say, for example, that you want to write an article about your favorite carrot cake recipe. Start by checking your competitors—the top 10 search results on Google for the keyword “carrot cake recipe.”

When you type that phrase into the search engine, you’ll notice that the top results are written as numbered steps, rather than as a story. You can therefore assume that most readers prefer the list format for these types of posts. In order to provide valuable content to your readers—and to rank high on Google as a result—you’ll want your own post to assume a similar format.

Likewise, you’ll want to touch on all the main points covered by your competitors. This doesn’t mean you can’t be be creative. It’s just to say that in addition to sharing your own original insights, you should cover all the bases.

To continue with our example, let’s assume that when you look up “carrot cake recipe,” the top search results include a section about how to make cream cheese frosting. This is an indicator that many readers find this content helpful. In addition, it shows that Google has a preference for articles including that detail. You’d be wise, then, to touch on this idea in your own article.

Keyword research gives you an idea of the best format for your blog post, as well as which sections to include. This naturally segues into the outline stage of the writing process.

First, choose which type of blog post you’d like to write. Will it be a how-to guide? A product recommendation? An op-ed? Whichever blog post template you choose, you’ll want to have a clear idea in mind before structuring the outline.

Then, use headers and subheaders to break up your content into organized, bite-sized chunks. Beneath each heading, make bulleted notes of the main points you’ll include in each section. This will be the skeleton of your first blog post.

Feel free to use this downloadable blog post template to help with your outline. All you need to do is fill in the blanks:

The next part of starting a blog article is coming up with a strong title. You can come up with your blog titles at any stage of the planning process, but the best ideas often arise as you build your outline.

A blog title is a small but mighty piece of content. Often, it makes the difference between whether or not people click on your article.

To make your blog titles catchy and compelling, put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Think about what might interest and excite them, and try the following strategies:

Be clear and direct

Promise value

Appeal to your readers’ emotions

Pique their curiosity

Use humor, alliteration or wordplay

Here are a few fill-in-the-blank blog title ideas to help you:

Here’s more information on how to write a headline that stands out. If you’re curious about diving more into what makes a headline a success, Buzzsumo’s shared headlines study is also an insightful resource.

Now, it’s time to start typing away. Keep in mind that you’ll need an introduction, body text broken up by headers and sub-headers, and a conclusion (optional).

In the introduction, grab your audience’s attention with a captivating anecdote, a compelling quote or statistic, or an interesting fact. Then, share a brief summary of what the article is about, making sure to grab the interest of your readers.

Next, write the body text, using your outline as a guide. This is where you share your knowledge and expertise as a blogger. Be sure to avoid fluff; writing for the sake of writing is one of the biggest blogging mistakes . Instead, make sure each sentence is meaningful, and dive straight into sharing your original insights and actionable tips. You should also use a tone of voice that resonates with your audience, whether it’s funny and casual or serious and formal.

Finally, wrap up the post with a concluding section. While not every blog includes this final bit, it’s a nice way to tie your ideas together and share your closing thoughts.

Keep in mind that writing a blog post can take several hours, and it’s a process that shouldn’t be rushed. Set aside at least half a day to write your first draft.

There are quicker ways to research, plan and create blog content, if you choose to decide with AI content generation tools. There are several to choose from - including Open AI's Chat GPT, Google's BARD and others such as Jasper.ai. Just be sure to heavily edit any AI generated content, be on top of fact checking it's output and don't forget to bring your own voice and style to the content.

Write a blog post with AI

As AI content generators become more popular and as their output improves, considering whether to use AI to write blog posts is a valid question a lot of bloggers are asking themselves. AI content generation can speed up the blog writing process and help you create more, faster. However, in our experience, AI generated content still requires a large degree of human editing, fact checking and injecting of experience into it. So while it might help you create drafts faster, it's not going to be something you can publish fresh from an AI content generator.

However you can use AI for other parts of the blog writing process. You can use it to:

Create blog titles

Write meta titles and descriptions

Structure your blog articles

Help you proofread for grammar and spelling mistakes

As you start your blog, remember that your choice of images can strengthen readers’ overall impression of your article. Whether you add photos, screenshots or illustrations to your articles, they should be functional as well as beautiful. Make sure they convey your main points and highlight important examples in the post.

If you don’t have your own images, begin by browsing free stock photos on the web. Pexels and Unsplash are both popular sites for gathering visual material. While you might eventually want to use photos you take yourself, stock photos are a quick way to get your blog started.

Once you create your content, there are a couple things you’ll need to take care of before hitting Publish. These steps primarily revolve around strategy, from improving your blog SEO to generating conversions through your article. Here’s a quick post-writing checklist to guide you:

Double check your keywords: Quickly search your content (CTRL+F) to review your use of keywords. Did you include all the keywords you intended to? If not, check to see whether there are any other opportunities to incorporate the keywords throughout your article. (Keep in mind that keyword stuffing is considered a bad practice, and search engines can penalize you for it. Incorporate them naturally into the text, rather than forcing them in.)

Add internal links: One trick up every bloggers’ sleeve is to link between their blog posts (also known as the practice of internal linking). This helps improve your posts’ SEO, and it also encourages your readers to browse your other articles. Rather than linking randomly, you should link between primarily related blog posts; this is better for SEO, and it also makes the links more valuable to your readers. If you’re just starting a blog and don’t have much content yet, don’t forget to go back into your posts and add in the links later.

Incorporate CTAs: The next trick in the book is to include calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout the article. These little snippets of content often take the form of phrases such as Buy Now, Subscribe, or Read More. By placing call-to-action buttons in your article, you can direct readers to buy your products, subscribe to your newsletter, or click for further reading.

Use alt text: Because Google can’t read photos, bloggers often add a short description to each image (ideally using keywords) to help the search engine understand what is being displayed. This description, called alt text, helps your images show up in Google image searches.

Write your post’s metadata: Metadata is the term for the text used to display a web page in Google search results. This includes the meta title (also known as the title tag) and meta description. Sometimes, the meta title is the same as the title of your blog post, while other times, you’ll want to choose a slightly different title for displaying your post. There’s no right or wrong here, so long as your title is engaging and includes your most important keyword. The meta description, which is the short snippet of text beneath the meta title, should also include your main keywords and should preview the article’s main points.

Choose your URL: Every webpage has a dedicated URL, and your blog posts are no different. A strong URL helps your articles rank high on search engine results pages, and typically contains a keyword. Blog post URLs often take the form of www.yourdomainname.com/blog-post-keyword or www.yourdomainname.com/blog/blog-post-keyword .

You now have everything you need for your first blog post. Give it a couple reads, and share it with family members or friends to review. It’s always helpful to have a second, third, or fourth pair of eyes.

When you think your article is ready to go, upload it to your blog. Your blogging platform will also have a place for you to type in the metadata and URL. Once that’s done, hit Publish and let the celebrations begin.

08. Create an editorial calendar

Whew! You’ve just written your first blog post. Take a break, and when you’re ready, plan out the rest of the month’s posting schedule.

Creating an editorial calendar is an important part of starting a blog. It’s an effective way to ensure you publish content consistently, letting you hold yourself accountable as a writer and ensuring you don’t deviate from your blogging goals. Your readers want new content, and you need to deliver. Plus, search engines take into account how frequently you publish when determining your site’s overall ranking.

You probably already have a handful of topics from your brainstorming session in Step 6. If not, use the same process to come up with new ideas. Once you have at least 10 or so ideas, start building a content calendar.

Your calendar doesn’t need to cost a thing, and it certainly doesn’t require the use of unfamiliar tools or platforms. Open up Excel or Google Sheets, and start building a schedule from there. The columns you use are completely up to you, but you’ll probably want to create different sections for the publishing date, blog title, main keywords, article status and comments.

Pro tip: If you know you’re prone to procrastination (aren't we all?), open up a Google Calendar and fill in your deadlines there. You can even set aside blocks of time in your calendar for writing.

How often should you blog?

When learning how to start a blog, a big question people ask is how often they should be publishing new content. As a rule of thumb, the more often you blog, the more traffic you get. There’s no black-or-white answer for exactly how frequently that is, but studies have pointed us to a few important statistics :

11 or more posts per month yields a noticeable increase in traffic. Among small companies of 10 or fewer employees, those who published at least 11 blog posts a month had twice as much traffic as those who published two to five blogs a month.

Small companies also found that publishing at least 11 posts per month yields twice as many leads as those publishing six to 10 monthly articles. This is important if your goal is to obtain subscribers, sell products or work as an affiliate (more on that in Step 10).

How often you blog also depends on your goals . If your main goal is to generate brand awareness, start with one to two new posts per week. On the other hand, if you’re primarily aiming to increase blog traffic , you should ideally be writing three to four new posts per week.

Keep all this in mind as you create your editorial calendar, but make your goals small and achievable. If you set unrealistic deadlines that you can’t meet, you’ll get thrown off course and even discouraged.

You can always ramp up your efforts once you get used to publishing and make it a habit to stick to your schedule. In addition, remember that you can always bring in guest contributors to up the quantity of published content each week.

09. Promote your blog

Share on social media

Create a blog newsletter

Write for other sites

Reach out to an existing community

Participate in question and discussion sites

Invest in paid ads

Try new content formats

At this stage, you have everything you need to start a blog. These last couple of steps will focus on how to spread the word about your blog and grow it into a serious monetization tool.

In order to get readers, you’ll need to find creative ways to drive traffic to your site. While improving your SEO is an important step, the following methods can also help you promote your blog . Note that most of them are completely free, while a few (like advertising) are paid.

Share on social media: Social media is an excellent place to post your content and draw attention to your blog. Whether you promote your blog on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, it’s a great way to reach new readers. Learn more about blogging vs instagram in our guide.

Create a blog newsletter: Send out a weekly email newsletter to engage your readers and get them coming back to your blog for more. This will help you sustain a loyal fan base. To get subscribers to your blog email list in the first place, include a prominent Subscribe button in your website’s navigation bar, footer, and within your blog posts.

Write for other sites: Strengthen your reputation as a writer and expert in your niche by publishing content outside your own website. Consider opening a Medium account and making a name for yourself there, or post articles on LinkedIn . You should also keep an eye out for guest blogging opportunities, which are offered by publications such as Forbes and Entrepreneur .

Reach out to an existing community: Facebook groups, forums and LinkedIn groups are gathering places for people interested in a particular topic. If you find an online community that’s relevant to your blog niche, share your website with them and network among their group members.

Participate in question and discussion sites: Sites such as Quora and Reddit give you the opportunity to highlight your blog in discussion threads. Use one of your blog posts to answer a question or follow up on a comment, but be sure to come across as helpful and informative rather than promotional.

Invest in paid ads: In addition to sharing posts on social media, you can boost your posts with a paid promotion so that they reach more people. Likewise, you can pay for Google ads and reach new users through the search engine.

Try new content formats: Expand your reach even further by trying new content formats. These essentially repurpose the same information provided in your posts. For instance, you can turn your blog posts into videos and start a YouTube channel. You might even create a podcast or offer a webinar. The sky's the limit.

Learn more: Blogging vs Youtube

10. Make money blogging

Affiliate marketing

Advertise within your blog

Offer paid subscriptions

Write sponsored content

Sell e-books and merchandise

Provide consulting services

If you’re looking to start a blog with a large readership, chances are you’re also aiming to make money from your blog’s popularity. We touched on affiliate marketing earlier in the article, but let’s talk more about this and other money-making strategies that can help you generate passive income from your writing efforts.

There are more ways than one to make money blogging . Here’s a quick overview of each method:

Affiliate marketing: This is one of the most common ways to make money blogging, and it’s easy to get started. Intermediate affiliates can earn between $300 to $3,000 per day , and that number only goes up with experience. There are plenty of affiliate marketing programs out there, but Amazon Associates is a popular choice for beginners.

Advertising within your blog: Another option is to display ads within your blog, which means you’re essentially selling your blog real estate as ad space. This is a fairly reliable way to make money, as you’ll be earning revenue with each click. If you’re thinking of taking this route, Google AdSense is by far one of the most lucrative and popular programs.

Offering paid subscriptions: You know how the New York Times makes you pay to read their content? You can do the same thing with your blog. While some of your articles should be free, you can also create exclusive content that readers can buy access to through a subscription plan.

Write sponsored content: Reach out to companies—or, as you blog grows, make it easy for brands to contact you—regarding sponsorship opportunities. You’ll be writing articles that promote those companies’ products, and the business, in turn, will compensate you for the posts.

Sell e-books and merchandise: You can also sell digital or physical goods directly from your site. This might include branded merchandise, products related to your field, or e-books and other online resources. One way to do this is by adding a Pay button to your homepage that your readers can click to browse your merchandise.

Provide consulting services: This approach involves making use of your professional experience and harnessing the knowledge you’ve gained as a professional blogger. Based on your insights and expertise, think about the kinds of consulting services you might be able to offer to your clients. If you’re writing a nutrition blog, one such idea could be making customized diet plans or working as a nutrition coach for clients.

For further details, take a look at this article on how to monetize a blog or check out the Wix Learn online course on monetizing your blog.

5 reasons to start a blog and is it worth it

People start blogs for a variety of reasons, many of which mean blogging is still worth it, some of these reasons include:

01. Share your ideas with the world

Sometimes you just want to be heard and get your ideas out into the universe. This is where a blog can help—it’s a form of communication and space that’s entirely your own. You can use your creativity and passion to create a space customized exactly to your liking where you can share your ideas, expertise and experiences.

02. Promote a product or service

Blogging for business  is a great way to engage potential customers and provide more information about a product or service. Additionally, blogging does wonders for a website's SEO.

03. Build your brand

A blog provides a platform to showcase your knowledge and skills, establishing yourself as an authority in your field and building credibility and trust with your audience. As Ophyr Hanan, Blog Growth and SEO Outreach Specialist at Wix, says, "By fostering relationships and collaborating on content, it can help build the foundation for thought leadership and authority building both for you and within your industry."

04. Earn income

Blogging can be profitable with time and continued effort. The best way to see the monetary fruits of your labor is by posting quality content regularly that draws in new readers and brings more traffic to your website. This will help your blog gain advertisers and can also boost your status as an online influencer, which can open up the door for affiliate marketing.

05. Build a community

Thanks to the internet, we no longer need to live in the same city, state or even country to feel connected to others. A blog, as part of a wider blogosphere  community, creates a space to share your story, ideas and start conversations with people all over the world with mutual interests. A blog typically has a comments section where your readers can speak with you directly, allowing you to engage in conversation and build relationships.

Is it too late to start a blog?

Blogging is crucial to build your brand's voice and community, and allows you to expand your reach to a relevant audience who might otherwise not know you exist.

Judit Ruiz Ricart, Team Lead of Blog Growth at Wix

Blogs are still a popular and effective way to share your thoughts, ideas and expertise with the world. In fact, blogging is one of the most popular forms of content marketing. It can also be a great way to build a community and connect with other people who share your interests.

Remember that the internet is still growing, with more and more people using it every day. This means that there's a large and growing potential audience for your blog, too. While there are many blogs out there, there's always room for new voices and perspectives. If you have something unique to share, people will be interested in reading it. And the best part is that there are many tools and platforms that make it easy to create and manage a blog.

There are a number of reasons why blogging is still relevant, including:

Search engines love blogs

Blogs are a great way to improve your website's SEO and rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is because blogs provide fresh, high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience.

Blogs build authority

When you write informative and engaging blog posts, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. This can help you attract new customers and clients, and build trust with your existing audience.

Blogs build connections

Blogs provide a platform for you to share your thoughts and ideas and to connect with other people who share your interests. This can help you build a community around your brand. This is especially true of service industries, fitness blogs for example are a great way to build a loyal health focused audience and the same is true for almost every industry.

Blogs generate leads and sales

When you write blog posts that are relevant to your target audience, you can include calls to action that encourage them to learn more about your products or services, or to contact you for a consultation.

The blogging landscape has changed in recent years, the space is more competitive as more blogs exist and competition for audience numbers grows. Hand in hand with this social media and video have become more popular ways to consume content, especially amongst younger audiences. However amongst all of this blogs still play an important role in the content marketing mix.

Blogging resources - how to become a blogger

As you learn how to create a blog and become a blogger, browse these blogging resources to help guide you through the writing process, SEO and more:

Blog post checklist : Check off these steps to ensure you’ve covered all the bases with your first blog post.

Blogging for beginners : Read through these additional tips on how to start your blog from scratch.

Free online writing courses (Udemy) : Browse Udemy for professional writing courses that will help you develop your blogging skills.

Free SEO tutorial (Moz) : Learn the basics of SEO with this free six-part video course.

Blogging tools

Finally, online tools are a big part of launching a blog, since they make the process more streamlined and efficient. Here’s a quick list of some helpful blogging tools you can use to start a blog—don’t forget to bookmark them for future reference:

Google Keyword Planner : Get data about which keywords to use in your blog posts.

Google Analytics : Obtain insights into your blog’s data to strengthen its performance.

Google Search Console : Have a clear view of the number of website visitors and clicks your blog receives.

ShareThrough’s headline analyzer : Type in your headline and get feedback on its strengths and weaknesses.

Pexels : Find free stock photos for your blog articles.

Grammarly : Review your writing with an AI editing tool.

BuzzSumo : Keep track of trending content to create relevant, targeted posts.

Asana : Manage your writing schedule with an online task management tool.

How to start a blog infographic

That's all there is to it. Let's wrap up with a quick infographic:

At this point, you have all the tools and resources you need for starting a blog. You couldn't have found a more rewarding endeavor, and I couldn't be more honored to help you get your blog off the ground. Feel free to bookmark this guide as a reference as you begin this new journey, and happy blogging.

Start a blog FAQ

How can i start a blog for free.

First of all you'll need to choose a blogging platform with free user options. With Wix, for example, you can create a blog for free. You can also save money when starting a blog by writing all of your content yourself and by using as many free content planning and keyword research tools as possible. You can also use stock images included within the template or editor of your blogging platform for free in most cases.

How do I make a successful blog?

Is blogging still worth it in 2024, how to make a blogging website, how do bloggers get paid, can you start a blog as a side hustle, how to write a blog post with ai, do blogs make money, how do i start a blog with no money, related posts.

How to write catchy blog titles: 12 tips and examples

120 profitable blog niche ideas and how to pick the right one

How to make money blogging: the complete free guide

Was this article helpful?

• WordPress Hosting
• WordPress for Agencies
• Domain Names
• Website Builder
• Create a Blog
• Professional Email
• Website Design Services
• Course Maker
• Enterprise Solutions  
• WordPress Themes
• WordPress Plugins
• WordPress Patterns
• Google Apps
• WordPress.com Support
• WordPress News
• Website Building Tips
• Business Name Generator
• Discover New Posts
• Popular Tags
• Blog Search
• Daily Webinars
• Learn WordPress
• Plans & Pricing

How to Write a Good Blog Post: A Complete Step-by-Step Process

You pull up a blank document, ready to write a blog post, but the white emptiness stares back. How do you begin?

We’ve all been there, staring into that vast white space, wondering where to start. I’ve felt that subtle anxiety too. Yet, with the right approach, that daunting task can turn into a delightful journey. With an established process, writing becomes less about filling the space and more about connecting deeply with your readers.

Dive into the steps in this post and uncover the secrets to crafting a blog post that truly engages and resonates with your audience.

Table of Contents

How long does it take to write a great blog post?

Step 1: identify your topic, original research, topical research, competitive research, how-to guide, feature article, product review or comparison, link/article roundup, expert roundup, step 4: create an outline, introduction, body content, step 6: pen a headline, step 7: edit and proofread your content, step 8: add your meta data, step 9: publish your post, it’s all about practice.

As you get into writing blog posts, you might wonder how long you should take to write a good one. Are you taking too long? Should you spend more time?

Orbit Media Studios found that bloggers take an average of four hours and one minute to complete a blog post in their 2022 survey . For reference, these folks wrote an average of 1,416 words per blog post.

But think of this number as an estimate. It takes everyone a different amount of time to write a blog post based on factors like:

• Personal writing speed: All bloggers write at a different pace, and they’re all valid.
• Subject matter knowledge : It’s faster to write about a subject you know over one you don’t.
• Topic complexity: Most people will need more time to write about piezoelectric ceramics than how to blow a bubble with gum.
• Research requirements : It’ll take longer to put together a blog post that weaves together original interviews than one with a few online sources.

Plus, Orbit Media Studios discovered that bloggers who spend more time on their blog posts get more success. Thirty-three percent of respondents who spent six or more hours per blog post reported “strong results.” Compare that number to the 22% benchmark.

You’ll see that the first steps to writing a blog post involve careful preparation. Start by choosing a topic to write about.

Get as specific as possible when you pick your subject. Specificity lets you differentiate your content from blog posts on similar topics and helps you cover an idea in-depth. Let’s say you want to write about how to cook a steak — you could narrow that down to how to cook a T-bone steak on a grill.

After you decide on a topic, establish the angle you want to take. Going back to our example of how to cook a T-bone steak on a grill, you could come from a scientific angle. For your blog post, you could consult a scientist on why certain techniques make a better steak.

Step 2: Do your research

Now that you know what you want to write about, you can research your topic . Blog post research falls into three categories:

Original research comes from data you generate yourself by consulting other people. Not every blog post needs to have original research to have high-quality content, but it can contribute to truly unique writing.

Try these tactics to get one-of-a-kind sources for your post:

• Surveys: Use a free tool like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to ask people questions on a large scale. Find people who know about your topic at your organization, subscribed to your mailing list on the subject, or in an online community.
• Polls: Polls work well for asking a broad audience a single question. Many social media and communication apps have built-in poll features, such as Twitter and Slack.
• Interviews: Ask experts on your subject for an interview over email, on a video call, or in person. Reach out to your colleagues and network to see if they know anyone. You can also use a service like Help a Reporter Out to get expert quotes.

Topical research is the research you conduct around the internet. Use your preferred search engine to find online sources with these traits:

• Authoritative: The author or website should have plenty of experience or credentials on the topic. When applicable, they should use solid research to back up their claims.
• Recent: Aim for resources written three or fewer years ago when possible.
• Helpful: When your reader clicks through to your source, they should get value out of it and understand how it connects to your article.

This type of research often flies under the radar for newer blog post writers. Competitive research involves evaluating other articles on your subject. By understanding the other content out there on your topic, you can find ways to improve upon it.

Don’t just look for what ideas the other blog posts include. Instead, think about what they’re missing. Maybe they don’t cover a point you feel is important, or you could format your content more clearly than them.

Step 3: Choose the type of blog post you’ll write

With knowledge of your topic on hand, it’s time to decide how you’ll present it. Some popular blog post genres include:

List blog posts organize information into a list with headings naming each item. They often come in the form of numbered lists with a title featuring the number of items, such as “5 Ways to Fold a Towel.”

When you write a list blog post, you don’t have to make your list the only content. HelpScout’s 13 Best Practices for Improving Online Customer Service introduces online customer service, then digs into its items.

A checklist blog post provides a checklist for readers to follow to perform a task.

These posts often provide a simplified checklist to follow and then provide more details for each item, like our blog post checklist .

A how-to guide walks the reader through the steps it takes to perform an action.

These blog posts rely heavily on lists and images to help readers understand each part of the process. Melly Sews’s how-to guide to sewing a flat-felled seam uses both.

An interview blog post showcases an interview the author has with someone who has insights to share about the article topic.

You can go about one of these blog posts in two ways. Either list out your questions and answers in a Q&A format or use your interview answers to tell a story. Notion did the latter in Three-time YC founder and first-time mom finds flow in Notion .

A feature article brings together original research and interviews to explore a subject. Since features often involve interviews, they can overlap with interview blog posts.

Some blogs take a feature-first approach to posting, such as Microsoft’s Unlocked blog. One example of one of their features is Can an alphabet save a culture?

In the context of blog posts, an essay presents the author’s argument or opinion. The writer uses research and evidence to back up their points.

Media Strategies Aren’t as Crazy as They Seem from the Animalz blog features real-life examples that back up a unique perspective.

News posts share news from your community or company.

On business blogs, a lot of news posts relate to company and product updates, like SparkToro Now Has 50% More Podcasts from SparkToro.

A case study tells a success story about a product or service. It generally focuses on one event or customer.

This type of blog post requires original interviews with the customer involved so you can get their perspective on your work. With some products, you can share the results of how you helped the customer. Take Buffer, a social media scheduling tool, sharing posts from its customer in this case study as an example.

Product reviews and comparisons evaluate the usefulness of products for the reader. Reviews focus on a single product, while comparisons compare the features of multiple products.

Some of these product posts come in the form of a list ranking the best products in a category, like Zapier’s email newsletter software roundup .

Link and article roundups bring together links to online resources or articles on a specific subject.

Some of these roundups are more purchase-focused, such as Good On You’s roundup of eco-friendly fashion deals .

Expert roundup blog posts present opinions on a topic from multiple subject matter experts.

This format can overlap with other formats, like in Databox’s blog posts that synthesize expert opinions into lists. The Heroes of Business Transparency is one example.

Many people skip or rush through this step even though it’s just as important as the actual writing. A detailed blog post outline gives your article structure and lets you evaluate your overall argument before you write out the full post.

It also helps combat writer’s block. At the outline stage, you only have to get a basic idea down, taking off the pressure of writing a complete idea. Then, when you get to the writing stage, you’ll have your outline to reference when you don’t know what sentence to write next.

Follow these steps to write an outline:

• List each section and subsection of your blog post. Each section could cover a list item, a point in your argument, a step in a process, etc.
• Add up to three main points per section. Here’s where you’ll start forming the ideas you’ll cover. As you practice making outlines, you might find it helpful to get even more detailed at this stage.
• Include any links and examples you want to include for your points. Place your sources where you plan to reference them so you can add them easily in the writing stage.

Here’s a hypothetical outline for a blog post by my cat on why I should feed her a second dinner:

You can go more in-depth with your points in your outline, but here’s how the formatting should look.

I recommend writing your outline in a separate document and copying any headers and links over to your draft document. It can be tempting to write your outline and fill out your draft from there, but your document will get disorganized quickly with this approach.

Step 5: Write your post

Onto the writing itself!

Make sure to follow web writing best practices when you write your content.

People read 25% slower onscreen, and they skim rather than read. Web text should be short, scannable, and structured as linked, topical pages. Nielsen Norman Group

Shortening or “chunking” your content helps readers skim, so try to keep your sentences to 25 words or fewer and paragraphs to three sentences or fewer. Make sure to follow the style guide for your blog if you have one as well.

A blog post consists of three main sections that require different approaches:

Integrate your blog post’s angle and an emotional hook into your introduction. This technique establishes what makes your post unique from the start and draws in the reader.

For example, in this blog post, I’m trying to provide a comprehensive process so you never feel lost when writing. I explained that angle in the second paragraph of my intro.

As for the emotional hook, try putting yourself in the reader’s shoes or telling a story. I used the example of staring at a blank page wondering what to do next because I’ve been there and know others have, too.

You could also use the Animalz technique of using an unexpected hook and referencing it throughout your blog post. This method takes practice and careful thought, but that hard work really pays off.

Whichever hook you use, keep your introduction concise — about three paragraphs or fewer. An intro that goes on too long can lose the reader’s interest.

A quick side note: You don’t have to write your introduction first if it comes easier to you after you write the rest of your post. Mark it for later and revisit it when you have more context to work with.

Your body content consists of all the words between the introduction and conclusion.

As you write this part of your post, try to cover all the information important for your reader to know. If you have a word limit to stay within, consider linking out to resources on complicated sub-topics.

Speaking of linking, include links to other posts on your blog and trusted sources throughout your body content. Search engines prioritize websites that link relevant pages to each other. Plus, it works as a way to cite your sources when you use outside information.

Just make sure that any site you link to is relevant to your post. Adding links for linking’s sake will make it harder to establish authority and search engine performance.

Lastly, make sure your writing is crisp, clear, and concise by keeping paragraphs three sentences or less, and each sentence 25 words or less .

Here’s an example of a well-structured post’s body content.

Time for the grand finale. You have multiple ways to go about writing a conclusion, such as:

• A summary: Summarize the key points you covered in your post.
• A takeaway: Provide a takeaway from the ideas you presented in your post. You could go back to the angle you established at the beginning, for example.
• A redirection: Connect your blog post to another post on your blog and direct your reader there for further reading.
• A bonus tip: Offer one final tip for the reader to use as they apply the knowledge in your post.

When it feels appropriate, you can also add a call to action to subscribe to your newsletter, try your product, or perform another transactional action. Connect your call to action back to the rest of your conclusion so it doesn’t feel pigeonholed.

After you finish writing your first draft, give it a headline . You can write the headline before your post if you like — there’s no hard and fast rule. For this blog post, we’re writing the headline after the content so you have your draft on hand to inspire your headline.

Follow these steps to craft a top-notch headline for your article:

• If you write blog posts with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind, grab the top keyword for your article. This keyword should have a direct relation to your subject.
• Write down 25 versions of your headline to give yourself plenty of choices to consider. Make sure your keyword feels like a natural part of each headline if you include it.
• Narrow those 25 options to your five favorites.
• Choose a “winner” from your five finalists.

CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer Studio can help you identify what headlines will hook readers and work for SEO. It has a Google Chrome extension and WordPress plugin. If you don’t have a plan that supports plugins, the extension provides a prompt alongside your WordPress headline.

Every blog post needs editing to shine, no matter how talented the writer is. Give your content plenty of this TLC to create quality results.

Start with a basic spelling and grammar check using your word processor’s tools. Then, you can use a tool like Grammarly or Hemingway for more in-depth fixes. While Grammarly performs an advanced spelling and grammar scan, Hemingway checks sentence structure, like so:

After you perform these checks, you should still read through your writing manually. Your human eyes will catch mistakes the computer misses. Plus, your editing should focus as much on the quality of your ideas as it does on your spelling and grammar.

We provided some tips to make the manual editing and proofreading process easier in an earlier WordPress blog post. I also suggest asking yourself these questions as you go through your content:

• Do my logic and arguments make sense?
• Did I use my SEO keywords? Did I insert them naturally?
• Do I notice any words being used frequently that I can mix up with adjectives?
• Did I vary my sentence structure for more dynamic reading?
• Will my blog post be readable for my average reader?
• Did I follow my blog’s style throughout the post?

Your blog post’s title tag, meta description, and URL all influence how people find and understand it.

The title tag and meta description are the title and description you see for a page in search results. By default, WordPress uses your headline as the title tag and your excerpt as the meta description. But, if they aren’t the proper length for search results, they can get cut off.

It’s best practice to write a separate title tag and meta description so you know they’ll look good. In WordPress, you can edit this data by changing your post’s code or using a plugin .

Yoast and All in One SEO are two popular plugin options. These plugins add a box below your content in the WordPress editor where you can manage your title tag and meta description. They also guide you through writing those search specs well.

Your URL slug is the unique string of words that appears at the end of your URL.

For example, this blog post’s URL is:

Its slug is:

That’s the part of the URL that’s different for each blog post.

WordPress pulls your URL slug from your headline, but that slug usually isn’t optimized for search results. According to Ahrefs , a good slug follows keywords and summarizes the essence of the blog post.

No need for a plugin or fancy coding to edit your URL slug. Go to the Block tab in the right-hand menu, then edit your URL using the URL option. Save your draft or update your blog post to save your new slug.

Now that you have your meta data set up, you can finalize your content for publishing. Copy and paste your blog post from your word processor to your WordPress post. The formatting will carry over to the block editor.

Or, you may have written your blog post within the blog post editor. I generally don’t recommend this approach in case you accidentally click “Publish,” but I know some writers get by just fine doing it. You do you.

If you paste your content from a Google Doc or another online text editor, go through your post and re-upload your images from your computer. The images you paste from another source are kept on your editor’s website, and you’ll want them on your WordPress site for safekeeping.

Once you establish a solid process for writing your blog posts, the next step to mastery is practice. As you adjust your system to your workflow, you’ll know what to do next instead of hoping words will magically appear on your blank page. And we’ll be with you as you practice. Just use this guide to help keep you on track.

Pair your airtight writing process with a good topic generation system , and you’ll become an unstoppable blogger. We can’t wait to see what you write!

Want more tips? Get new post notifications emailed to you.

Type your email…

Share this:

About the author, melissa king.

Melissa King writes actionable blog posts about content, marketing, and productivity for tech companies. Find more of her work at melissakingfreelance.com.

More by Melissa King

Design your portfolio. Open a store. Launch a business.

You can. you will. we’ll help..

Invent the world’s greatest cat food, save a rainforest, start a needlepoint club. Whatever it is, it’s going to need a website—that’s where we come in.

WordPress.com

• WordPress Hosting
• WordPress for Agencies
• Domain Names
• Website Builder
• Create a Blog
• Professional Email
• P2: WordPress for Teams
• Website Design Services
• Enterprise Solutions
• WordPress Themes
• WordPress Plugins
• WordPress Patterns
• Google Apps
• WordPress.com Support
• WordPress Forums
• WordPress News
• Website Building Tips
• Business Name Generator
• Logo Maker
• Discover New Posts
• Popular Tags
• Blog Search
• Daily Webinars
• Learn WordPress
• Developer Resources
• Remove Subscriptions
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Privacy Notice for California Users

Mobile Apps

• Download on the App Store
• Get it on Google Play

Social Media

• WordPress.com on Facebook
• WordPress.com on X (Twitter)
• WordPress.com on Instagram
• WordPress.com on YouTube

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• Building Your Site
• Promote Your Site
• Entrepreneurship
• Design & Inspiration
• Tips & Tricks

Ultimate Writing Blogs Guide: Everything You Need to Know in 2024

Are you passionate about writing? Have you ever considered starting your blog ? To Write blogs can be a great way to express your creativity, share your thoughts and experiences, and connect with like-minded individuals. Whether you're an aspiring writer, an established author, or simply someone who loves to write, blogging can offer many benefits.

Blogging is also a fantastic way to build your online presence and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. By consistently creating valuable content for your readers, you can attract a loyal following and boost your credibility as a writer. Plus, blogging can open up opportunities for collaboration, guest posting, and even monetization through sponsored content or affiliate marketing. So if you're passionate about writing and want to make an impact with your words, starting a blog could be the perfect next step for you!

Benefits of Writing Blogs

One of the key benefits of writing blogs is the opportunity to reach a global audience. With the power of the internet, your words can be read by people from all corners of the world. Blogging also allows you to establish yourself as an authority in your niche, build a community around your passion, and even monetize your writing through various means, such as advertising and sponsored content.

Importance of Creative Writing Blogs

Creative writing blogs are essential for writers who want to hone their craft and showcase their unique voices. These blogs provide a platform for experimenting with different writing styles, exploring new ideas, and receiving feedback from readers. They also serve as a valuable source of inspiration and motivation for writers struggling with writer's block or self-doubt.

Finding the Best Writing Blogs

Finding the best writing blogs can be a daunting task in a sea of countless blogs on the internet. However, with careful research and exploration, you can discover top writing blogs that resonate with your interests and goals. Whether you're looking for advice on improving your writing skills or seeking inspiration from successful authors, plenty of excellent writing blogs are out there waiting to be discovered.

Understanding the Basics of Writing Blogs

Ink Blog Template from Strikingly

When writing blogs, the first step is to choose a platform that suits your needs. Whether it's WordPress, Blogger, or a website builder like Strikingly, finding the right platform is essential for starting your blog. Once you set up your platform, it's time to brainstorm ideas for your content. Consider what topics you're passionate about and what will resonate with your audience.

How to Start Writing Blogs

To start writing blogs, outline your ideas and organize them into a cohesive structure. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your content flows smoothly. Next, start writing! Don't worry about perfection at first—just get your thoughts down on paper (or screen). Remember to include catchy headlines and engaging introductions to draw readers in.

Tips for Writing Engaging Blogs

When writing engaging blogs, consider using multimedia elements such as images, videos, and infographics to break up text and keep readers interested. Use a conversational tone and write as if you're speaking directly to your audience. This will create a more personal connection and make your content more relatable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Writing Blogs

One common mistake in writing blogs is neglecting proper proofreading and editing. Typos and grammatical errors can detract from the professionalism of your blog, so take the time to review and revise your content before publishing. Another mistake is being too self-promotional—focusing on providing your readers with value rather than constantly pushing products or services.

Remember that starting a blog is an exciting journey that allows you to share your thoughts with the world while connecting with like-minded individuals. By following these tips for getting started with writing blogs and avoiding common mistakes, you'll be well on your way to creating engaging content that resonates with readers!

Exploring Top Writing Blogs

Byte Sized Blog Template from Strikingly

When finding the best writing blogs, reviewing famous ones with a solid reputation for providing valuable content is essential. Look for blogs that cover a wide range of writing topics, from creative writing techniques to tips for aspiring authors. These blogs often have a large following and are known for their insightful and engaging content.

Reviewing Famous Writing Blogs

One famous writing blog that stands out is The Write Practice, which offers a wealth of resources for writers, including writing prompts, craft lessons, and publishing advice. Another popular blog is Goins, Writer, which focuses on helping writers build a successful platform and grow their audience. These blogs are great examples of effectively engaging with readers and providing valuable insights into the writing world.

Tips for Choosing the Right Writing Blog

When choosing the right writing blog, consider your specific interests and goals as a writer. Look for blogs that align with your preferred writing style or genre and offer practical tips and advice tailored to your needs. It's also helpful to read reviews from other writers to understand which blogs are most beneficial and reliable.

Learning from Successful Writing Bloggers

One of the best ways to learn about effective blogging is by studying successful writing bloggers who have built a solid online presence. Pay attention to how they engage with their audience, the type of content they produce, and how they promote their work across different platforms. By observing their strategies and techniques, you can gain valuable insights into what works in blogging.

Remember that finding top-writing blogs is not just about consuming content—it's also about learning from the best in the industry so you can improve your own blogging skills and create engaging content that resonates with your audience.

Writing Blogs for Authors

Author book template from strikingly, how writing blogs benefit authors.

Writing blogs offer authors a platform to showcase their writing skills, share their experiences, and connect with their readers personally. Authors can build a loyal fan base, receive valuable feedback, and gain exposure in the literary world by writing blogs. By consistently producing quality content on their writing blogs, authors can establish themselves as authorities in their niche and attract potential publishers and agents.

Tips for Author-Specific Writing Blogs

When creating author-specific writing blogs, writers must focus on content that resonates with their target audience. Authors should consider sharing behind-the-scenes insights into their writing process, offering sneak peeks into upcoming projects, and providing valuable advice for aspiring writers. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule and engaging with readers through comments and social media to foster a sense of community around the blog is also essential.

Connecting with the Author Community through Writing Blogs

Writing blogs is an excellent tool for authors to connect with fellow writers within the community. Authors can expand their network and gain support from like-minded individuals by participating in guest blogging opportunities, collaborating on blog tours, or engaging in writer-centric discussions on their blogs. Additionally, author-specific writing blogs can become valuable resources within the literary community by featuring interviews with other authors or sharing resources and tips related to writing.

Enhancing Your Skills with Creative Writing Blogs

Dinner is Done Template from Strikingly

Creative writing blogs can be an excellent source of inspiration for aspiring writers. Reading through other writers' personal experiences, struggles, and successes can often ignite a spark of creativity within you. Many creative writing blogs share writing prompts, exercises, and challenges that can help you overcome writer's block and generate new ideas for your work.

Using Creative Writing Blogs for Inspiration

Reading about the journeys of successful writers on creative writing blogs can provide valuable insight into their creative process and the obstacles they've encountered along the way. These stories can be a source of motivation and encouragement when you're stuck in your writing journey. Many creative writing blogs also feature interviews with established authors, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their methods and inspirations.

Improving Writing Techniques through Blogs

Creative writing blogs often offer practical tips and advice on improving your writing skills. From grammar and punctuation to character development and plot structure, these blogs cover various topics that can help you refine your craft. They may also provide resources such as recommended books, online courses, or workshops to enhance your writing skills further.

Exploring Different Styles in Creative Writing Blogs

One of the most valuable aspects of reading different creative writing blogs is the exposure to various writing styles and genres. By exploring diverse content from other bloggers, you can better understand different storytelling techniques and literary forms. This exposure can expand your horizons as a writer and inspire you to experiment with new approaches in your work.

By engaging with diverse voices in creative writing blogs, writers can access an endless wellspring of knowledge, inspiration, and support to propel their craft forward. Whether learning from established authors or discovering new techniques through engaging content, there's no shortage of resources available to help writers grow in their journey.

Leveraging Strikingly for Writing Blogs

Strikingly Landing Page

Strikingly is a robust platform that offers a range of features perfect for creative writing blogs. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily create visually stunning and engaging blog posts. The platform also provides customizable templates specifically designed for writing blogs, making showcasing your content in the best possible light easier.

Strikingly also offers seamless integration with social media platforms, allowing you to easily share your blog posts and expand your audience reach. Additionally, the platform provides built-in analytics tools that give you insights into your blog's performance, helping you understand what content resonates with your readers and how to optimize for better engagement. With Strikingly, you can focus on creating compelling content while the platform takes care of the technical aspects of running a successful writing blog.

Strikingly Features for Creative Writing Blogs

Strikingly offers features such as a built-in blogging tool that allows you to integrate your writing blogs into your website seamlessly. You can also add multimedia elements like images and videos to enhance your blog posts and make them visually appealing. In addition, the platform provides social media integration, allowing you to share your writing blogs with a broader audience easily.

Using Strikingly for Best Writing Blogs

When creating the best writing blogs, Strikingly's user-friendly interface makes it easy to craft compelling content that resonates with your audience. The platform's SEO tools help optimize your writing blogs for search engines, increasing their visibility and driving more traffic to your site. With its mobile-responsive design, your writing blogs will look great on any device, ensuring a seamless reading experience for your audience.

And if you're looking to monetize your writing blogs, Strikingly also offers e-commerce features that allow you to sell your content or merchandise directly from your site. This makes it easy for you to turn your passion for writing into a profitable venture without the need for a separate online store. With Strikingly's intuitive dashboard and analytics tools, you can easily track the performance of your writing blogs and make informed decisions to further grow your audience and revenue.

Enhancing Writing Blogs with Strikingly

Strikingly offers various customization options, allowing you to tailor the look and feel of your writing blogs to match your style or branding. You can also add interactive elements such as forms or surveys to engage with your readers and gather valuable feedback. With Strikingly's analytics tools, you can track the performance of your writing blogs and gain insights into what resonates with your audience, enabling you to improve and refine your content continually.

By leveraging Strikingly's features for creative writing blogs, you can elevate the quality of your content and reach a wider audience with compelling storytelling and engaging visuals. Whether you're an aspiring author looking to share your work or an established writer seeking new ways to connect with readers, Strikingly provides the perfect platform for bringing your writing blogs to life.

Take Action with Writing Blogs

Perspective blog template from strikingly, implementing lessons from writing blogs.

Now that you have explored the world of writing blogs, it's time to put those lessons into practice. Take the tips and advice you've gathered from top writing blogs and incorporate them into your writing. Whether improving your storytelling techniques or refining your blogging style, implementing these lessons will help you grow as a writer.

Finding Your Voice in Writing Blogs

Finding your unique voice is one of the most important aspects of writing blogs. Use the knowledge gained from creative writing blogs to develop a distinct style. Experiment with different tones, perspectives, and storytelling methods until you find a voice that resonates with your audience and sets you apart as a writer.

After learning about the benefits of writing blogs for authors and exploring the best writing blogs, it's time to take action. Start your blog , connect with other authors through their writing blogs, and share your insights and experiences with the writing community. By actively participating in the world of writing blogs, you can establish yourself as a valuable voice in the literary sphere.

Trusted by millions of entrepreneurs & creatives.

Writers' Treasure

Effective writing advice for aspiring writers

Creative Writing 101

Creative writing is any form of writing which is written with the creativity of mind: fiction writing, poetry writing, creative nonfiction writing and more. The purpose is to express something, whether it be feelings, thoughts, or emotions.

Rather than only giving information or inciting the reader to make an action beneficial to the writer, creative writing is written to entertain or educate someone, to spread awareness about something or someone, or to express one’s thoughts.

There are two kinds of creative writing: good and bad, effective and ineffective. Bad, ineffective creative writing cannot make any impression on the reader. It won’t achieve its purpose.

So whether you’re a novelist, a poet, a short-story writer, an essayist, a biographer or an aspiring beginner, you want to improve your craft. The question is: how?

When you write great fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, amazing things can happen. Readers can’t put it down. The work you wrote becomes a bestseller. It becomes famous. But you have to reach to that level… first .

The best way to increase your proficiency in creative writing is to write, write compulsively, but it doesn’t mean write whatever you want. There are certain things you should know first… it helps to start with the right foot.

To do exactly that, here we have a beginners’ guide from Writers’ Treasure on the subject:

• An Introduction to Creative Writing
• How to Get Started in Creative Writing in Just Three Steps
• Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing
• Fiction Writing 101: The Elements of Stories
• Poetry Writing: Forms and Terms Galore
• Creative Non-Fiction: What is it?
• Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative Writing
• Common Mistakes Made by Creative Writers

For novelists: do you want to write compelling opening chapters?

Are you an aspiring novelist? Will your novel see the light of day? For that, you will need to make the first chapter of your story as compelling as possible. Otherwise, readers won’t even pick up your novel. That chapter can be the make-or-break point that decides whether your novel is published or not. It’s because good editors know how you write from the first three pages… or sometimes even from the opening lines.

To solve this problem, I created a five-part tutorial on Writing Compelling Opening Chapters . It outlines why you need to write a compelling opening chapter, my personal favourite way of beginning it, what should be told and shown in it, general dos and don’ts, and what you need to do after having written it. Check it out for more.

Need more writing tips?

Sometimes you reach that stage when you outgrow the beginner stage of writing but feel that you’re not yet an expert. If I just described you, no worries– Writers’ Treasure’s writing tips are here. Whether you want to make your writing more readable, more irresistible, more professional, we’ve got you covered. So check out our writing tips , and be on your way to fast track your success.

I offer writing, editing and proofreading , as well as website creation services. I’ve been in this field for seven years, and I know the tools of the trade. I’ve seen the directions where the writing industry is going, the changes, the new platforms. Get your work done through me, and get fast and efficient service. Get a quote .

Free updates

Get free updates from Writers’ Treasure and learn more tips and tricks to improve your writing.

Share this:

52 thoughts on “creative writing 101”.

• Pingback: Creative Non-Fiction: What is it? | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: Poetry Writing Forms and Terms | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: Fiction Writing Tips and Elements to focus on | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: How to Get Started in Creative Writing | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: An Introduction to Creative Writing | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: How to Improve Your Creative Writing | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: Common Mistakes Made by Creative Writers | Writers Treasure
• Pingback: To Outline or Not to Outline, That is the Question
• Pingback: How to Create Effective Scenes and Chapters in Your Novel : Writing Forward
• Pingback: Writing Powerful True Short Stories
• Pingback: POV: What it is and how it matters
• Pingback: Creative Writing Skills: Do You Have Them All?
• Pingback: Three great articles check out on the Writers Treasure - Jamie Folsom
• Pingback: Warning: Do You Know that Your Paragraphs are Not Good Enough?
• Pingback: Welcome to Writers Treasure
• Pingback: How to Create Effective Scenes and Chapters in Your Novel
• Pingback: Adding Humour to Creative Write-up: Tips and Tricks
• Pingback: Creative Writing vs. Resume Writing | Resume Matrix
• Pingback: How to Get Started in Creative Writing in Just Three Steps | Blog do Learning
• Pingback: The #1 writing advice: write the truth
• Pingback: Creative writing in 2015: here’s what you need to know
• Pingback: Creative Writing Can Be Practical Writing - Simple Writer
• Pingback: Freedom Friday: Liberating Your Creativity | Renee "Soul Writer" Brooks
• Pingback: Tips to help you become a good copywriter | The Creative Copywriter.
• Pingback: Creative Writing | Shahad Almarzooq
• Pingback: How to be good at creative writing?
• Pingback: Learn creative writing
• Pingback: Creative Writing - Occident Books
• Pingback: How to become an outstanding writer
• Pingback: 5 creative writing tips to help you write great essays! – Essay Writing Tips and Help
• Pingback: Creative Writing Tips | learningland2016
• Pingback: NELTA ELT Forum
• Pingback: Language, Communication and Creativity. – lookinglanguage
• Pingback: Keep Your Kids Learning Even When School Year Is Over | Severna Park Children's Centre, Inc
• Pingback: 10 Free Online Courses on Creative Writing » A guide to free online courses
• Pingback: How to start a successful Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2016
• Pingback: How to start a successful Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2017
• Pingback: Best of English classes | Site Title
• Pingback: English Classes,Which Classes Dominate others? – Pressing Times
• Pingback: Creative Writing 101 | Junctionway
• Pingback: How to Write Quality Articles: A New Guide for Online Startups [Part Two: 3 Simple Ways for Finding Ideas] - Suhaib Mohammed
• Pingback: Writing Blogs in the Shower - Say It For You- Say It For You
• Pingback: 5 Ways To Improve Your Health First In The New Year - Sarah Scoop
• Pingback: 10 Hobbies Your Teen Can Get as an Alternative to Digital Devices While on Lockdown | meekscutoff.com
• Pingback: 50+ Easy Fiverr Freelance Jobs Examples to Start Today! | IsuaWealthyPlace
• Pingback: 10 Creative Writing Strategies In The Composition Classroom - Wizpals
• Pingback: 5 Ways to Become the MacGyver of Creative Writing
• Pingback: Balancing Your Life As A Writer And Head Of The Family - ebookomatic.com
• Pingback: EbookoMatic | Ricos Electronic World
• Pingback: 20 Types of Freelance Writing Careers (The Definitive List)
• Pingback: Welcome to Musings & Meanderings: A Journey Through Poetry and Prose - Musings & Meanderings

Comments are closed.

How to Start Blogging: A Definitive Guide for Authors

Note from Jane: This post was first published in 2012. I continue to update and expand it so that it remains relevant for today’s author.

This will be a strange way to begin a guide to blogging, but I want to save you time, trouble, and heartache.

The average author does not benefit much from blogging.jo

Yet blogging continues to interest authors, and be discussed, as a way to market and promote. Why? Because blogging does work, if certain conditions are met. The problem is that few authors meet those conditions. This post will delve into what it means to blog successfully and in a meaningful way for an author’s long-term platform and book marketing efforts.

For clarity: I define “blogging” as publishing material to a site that you own and control—usually your author website. Blogging is sometimes conflated with writing for other websites or blogs, but that’s not what I’m discussing in this post.

Another complication : “Blogging” has become a somewhat dated term. Some people use it to describe a practice that isn’t all that common now: keeping a rather personal “log” or diary of one’s thoughts and experiences. Blogging as discussed here is best described as online writing you do for free, or—better yet—an online content strategy where you create interesting articles, columns, interviews, etc. that get shared on social and discovered through search.

What it takes to become an effective blogger

If you approach blogging as something “lesser than” your book writing or published writing, you’re more likely to fail at it. While blogging can be less formal, less researched, and more geared for online skim-reading or social sharing, to do it well requires the same kind of practice and skill as crafting a novel. You get better at it the more you do it, but I see many authors give up before they’ve put in enough hours to understand the medium.

Furthermore, to stick with blogging long enough for it to pay off, you have to actually enjoy what it means to blog, and how online writing can be different from print.

If you treat the practice seriously, all the content that you generate for your blog can have another life, in another format or within another publication. For example, the best of my blog content is condensed into a book, Publishing 101 . That required a lot of editing and reformulation (online writing can’t be dumped into print without a lot of work), but it reflects the value and depth of what appears on my blog.

Blogging is often straightforward for nonfiction writers, less so for novelists

Nonfiction writers and experts have it easy: their subject matter lends itself to blogging, especially if they’re teaching workshops or regularly interacting with their target readers. Such writers probably know off the top of their head the questions that get asked most frequently, the topics that are most popular, and the problems that surface again and again. This is invaluable starting fodder for a successful blog:  knowledge of one’s audience . 

Fiction writers can have successful blogs as well, especially if they’re able to focus on a specific topic, theme, or subgenre. But it can be most difficult for unpublished novelists to gain traction with a blog; only  after the novelist has built a name for herself does a blog readership tend to develop. With nonfiction authors, the opposite is the case: blogging can help build a platform that leads to a book deal.

This is why advice about blogging can be so contradictory and confusing: much depends on what genre you’re writing in and who you’re writing for.

Consistency is critical for effective blogging

There are two types of consistency: frequency and subject matter.

Frequency: To gain any kind of momentum, you should commit to 2-4 posts a week. Some people may be able to get by on one post a week, but it’s a struggle to gain traction without volume. Ideally, starting out, you should shoot for several times per week. The longer you blog, and the more of an audience you build up, the more you can ease back on frequency.

Subject matter:  Think about this in terms of your headlines for your blog posts. If you look at a month’s worth of your blog headlines, they should convey a strong message about what you cover on your blog and who it’s for. A potential reader should be able to easily tell if they’re going to benefit from or enjoy reading your posts on an ongoing basis.

Unfortunately, authors have trouble staying focused and disciplined on one topic or subject matter, often because they get bored or they think readers will get bored. But again, it’s hard to gain traction if you’re switching it up all the time and not consistent in what you offer.

If you’re interested in blogging, but worry about the time commitment, then consider creating a multi-contributor blog, where several authors in the same genre (or targeting similar audiences) band together. That helps reduce the burden as well as increase the size of your audience starting out—since more people will be marketing and promoting the blog.

It takes patience to build a readership unless you’re already well-known

It may take people months before they even become aware that your blog exists. This isn’t necessarily through any fault of your own; there’s an incredible amount of noise around us, and enormous demands on everybody’s attention.

But if you make a continual series of impressions over a long period of time on the same topic, then it starts to click: “Oh, this person is blogging, and they’re regularly covering this topic.” Some writers assume, “Oh, everybody knows I’m blogging because I posted about it,” but no. That’s not the case, and that’s why consistency is so important.

Only about 10% of your readers (or even fewer) will make themselves known to you or engage with you on your blog, so it takes a while before you reach a tipping point, where there’s a concrete indication of growing activity or interest.

What should you blog about?

The chain of events goes something like this:

• An author’s book nears its publication date (or perhaps the author is attempting to secure a traditional book deal). She knows she needs to market and promote the book and/or build a platform.
• She finds (or hears) advice that blogging is a good way to accomplish #1.
• She wonders: What do I blog about?

My unproven theory: We have many authors blogging poorly because of this series of events.

So how does this answer the question, “What do I blog about?”

Well, if you have to ask, maybe you shouldn’t be blogging. In that, my position is somewhat stubbornly Zen: if the action is too forced or contrived, the blog may be doomed from the start. The best bloggers have rarely been told to go do it. It isn’t an activity authors should be dragged into, kicking and screaming. Nor should you feel like it’s a burden to come up with ideas; ideally, your problem is  too many ideas.

However, I don’t want to be totally defeatist here! I want to encourage experimentation. If you can approach blogging because it kind of does sound like fun, then let’s spark your imagination as to what you might blog about.

Here are several models to consider, based on how challenging I think they are (assuming you want your blog to “pay off”).

Easy: The literary citizenship model

If you’re not familiar with literary citizenship, you can read more about my views on it here . It basically means celebrating and bringing attention to authors, writing, and books—the things you presumably love and want to support. This model is ideal for unpublished novelists, memoirists, and poets.

Blogging with the intent to promote literary citizenship opens up a lot of post possibilities, including:

• Informal book recommendations or reviews
• Q&As or interviews with people in the community (usually authors)
• “What I’m Reading Now” types of posts and other “media consumption” lists where you talk about what stuff you’re watching, saving, listening to, collecting, etc.

Key benefits: You’re building a great network of contacts as you build some excellent content at your site. Every author loves to get attention (or find a new fan) for their work.

Where the difficulty lies: Lots of literary citizenship activity exists online, in many forms. To get a large readership will require a unique angle or spin—although this is true of any blogging effort.

Easy-Medium: Write for other writers

This is what I do. Many authors have considerable advice and insight for others in the field—and the audience of aspiring writers and established authors is massive. The downside: Connecting with other writers doesn’t necessarily grow your readership; you end up in an echo chamber with other writers.

Key benefits: If you already teach writing or mentor other writers, you probably have some content you can re-purpose to fuel your early blog posts. Initially, you’ll have no shortage of ideas, and your first readers will share your insightful advice on social media and help you build a traffic base.

Where the difficulty lies: In my experience, burn out. After a few years, it’s tough to keep things fresh and interesting. Your readers, as they advance, may also outgrow your blog.

Easy-Medium: Write in your field of expertise

This is the best option for anyone writing and publishing nonfiction. It works beautifully with how-to or prescriptive nonfiction categories, and it can also work with memoir as well. For example, if you’re writing a memoir about addiction or caring for aging parents, your blog can offer information and advice (and stories) for people going through the same thing.

Key benefits: You’ll likely be intimately aware of your readership’s needs and can quickly come up with content that interests them. If you teach or speak, you’ll also have content that can be readily repurposed for a blog.

Where the difficulty lies: Some categories are fiercely competitive, such as travel and cooking. You may have to do some work in coming up with an angle or voice that stands out.

Medium: Behind the scenes

You can write about the research, news stories, or current events that play a role in the construction of your books or other work. You might also develop competitions and events that focus on reader engagement, such as having readers name your novel’s characters, choose the best cover, etc. Presumably, readers will enjoy knowing more about the context and ideas that affect your writing and being involved in your future work.

Key benefits: For most writers, it feels natural to discuss the things that influence their work, and you will likely uncover and engage your most important fans.

Where the difficulty lies: You may run out of material quickly, or not have a very high frequency of posts. Or you may despise the idea of involving readers in your work. For unpublished novelists, this approach is challenging since people aren’t familiar with your work and may not care about your process (yet).

Difficult: Personal essay or daily life

Some writers are successful with informal missives that comment on what’s happening day to day or that reflect on their personal life. This could also involve regular posting of specific media, such as photos or videos.

Key benefits: It can be a good creative outlet or practice, especially if you’re committed to blogging on a schedule. Fans of your work may enjoy the intimacy (though some authors prefer to have an air of mystery).

Where the difficulty lies: Not everyone can write entertainingly about themselves (and some don’t want to). For writers who aren’t yet known, it will be hard (if not impossible) to interest other people in the details of your personal life, unless you’re a superlative writer.

This is not an exhaustive list of what you could blog about, but it gives you an idea of the most common options.

Do think through how can you bring your own voice  or perspective to a topic, theme, or subject matter without repeating what’s already out there. This is easier said than done. It took me 18 months to find the right angle—to realize I do best when I focus on business advice and digital media topics for authors.

The most successful blogs have a very focused angle and appeal to a very specific audience. This makes it easier to attract attention and build a community around common interests or perspectives.

No one should blog in a vacuum

Before you start a blog, identify the other key people already blogging in your area—the influencers. Start reading and sharing their content, and comment at their blog. Eventually, if possible, you should guest blog for them. See the other bloggers not as competitors, but as community members who may eventually become supporters of your work. If your blog is high-quality, and generates conversation, they’ll be likely to recommend you or send you traffic. So identify the notable community players, or the people who you’ll want to build relationships with over time.

Choose the right blogging platform

The best platform to use is whatever you use for your author website—do not be tempted to build your blog somewhere else. You want everything under the same umbrella for search engine optimization and long-term marketing strategy. So, for example, if you have an author website on SquareSpace, then start your blog there; don’t start one over at WordPress or Blogspot.

If your website platform does not support blogging, then it may be time to switch platforms. I talk about the basics of author websites here.

If you don’t have an author website, or if you’re doing a multi-contributor blog, then I recommend using WordPress. It’s well-supported, continually developed, and runs about 20% of all websites today. Here’s my  step-by-step guide to hosting your own website or blog , which doesn’t take longer than 10-15 minutes.

Before you launch the blog

Before you start, consider the following.

• Blog title and tagline.  There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but it should be clear to new visitors what your blog is about and what they’re going to get from it. If your blog title is metaphorical, clever, or not clear about the blog’s subject matter (or if it’s just under your name), add a tagline that tells and sells the angle. Even Michael Hyatt, who is very well-known at this point, has a tagline: “Your Leadership Mentor.”
• Readability. If your blog is meant to primarily be read, then don’t hamper readability by making the text too small, too tight or (worst of the worst) white type on a black background. Be aware that ads or a hard-to-navigate layout can also hamper readability and drive readers elsewhere.
• About page or bio. If your blog content is interesting, people will want to know more about the person behind it. Don’t make them search for this. Create a separate page, and be sure to include a way to contact you.
• Comments.  You should develop a policy for how you’ll handle or moderate discussions. Will you approve every comment before it goes live? Will comments be automatically published if they’re not spam? An open commenting policy that doesn’t require sign-in helps you get more comments, but you’ll want to make sure you’re receiving email alerts when new comments are posted, just in case you need to delete anything spammy or inappropriate that gets through. Fortunately, major blog platforms (like WordPress) help you streamline your comment system to automatically eliminate spam activity. If you have any trouble, then install  Akismet , the industry-standard plugin to eliminate spammy comments.

How to craft quality posts that get read and shared

Quality can be a squishy term; much depends on what your audience or readership considers “quality” or what kind of content is engaging to them. The better you know your audience, the better your posts will be.

However, here’s how to ensure that your posts are more likely to be engaged with and shared.

• Don’t be afraid of length. For some strange reason, people started thinking that ideal blog posts are 500 words, even less. That’s simply not true. In fact, when it comes to search ranking, Google looks at the substantive nature of the content and will rank your content lower if it appears shallow. Social media is typically better for quick shares, brief commentary, or short statements—or anything that doesn’t merit more than a few hundred words. The most successful posts at this site are regularly longer than 2,000 words. However, the longer the content, the more readable it needs to be, which brings us to the next point.
• Improve scannability.  Most people skim online content and make a very quick judgment call as to whether it merits closer attention. If so, your content may be saved for later, or readers will slow down and read the content from beginning to end. To make your content easily scanned, add subheads, plenty of paragraph breaks (one-line paragraphs are acceptable), bulleted lists or numbered lists, bold lead-ins—whatever it takes to make your posts more easy to grasp and see if it’s valuable.
• Add at least one image. You’ll notice that I always begin posts with an image. Psychologically, this typically improves the perceived value of the post—plus these images get pulled and used when the post is shared on social media. It’s OK if the image isn’t directly related to the content; it can be metaphorical, as long as it’s attention-grabbing or colorful. Blending in is the opposite of what you want.
• Ask a question at the end. If you want to get people active in the comments, you’ll do better if you end the post on a question, where you ask people to share something specific about their knowledge or experience. Active comments are generally seen as a good thing because it increases the time people spend on your content, which is a signal of engagement for search engines and thus contributes to better search ranking for your blog.

Your post headlines are critical

If people saw only your post headline (e.g., on Twitter), would they feel compelled to click on it? Remember, the headline is often the only thing people see when they’re surfing online and looking at search results, so it’s one of the biggest factors in whether your post gets read. Here are a few considerations:

• Is the headline specific and clear? There’s very little room to be clever, cute, or abstract with blog post headlines. Plus, for search engine optimization, you need to be thinking of keywords that belong in that headline that will help people find your post.
• Is the headline intriguing or provocative? I’m not advocating clickbait headlines, but it doesn’t hurt to create mystery, intrigue, or play on people’s curiosity. You cross the line into clickbait when the headline doesn’t deliver on the promise made, or if the headline is overly sensationalized to get clicks.
• Does the headline offer a benefit? All of us have limited time and energy to consume content online, so we’re always thinking WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?)

Here are some actual blog post headlines that I helped an author improve, to be more specific and attuned to keyword search.

• Original headline: Total Randomness, Mostly Related To Books That Aren’t Mine
• Improved headline: My Summer Reading List: Books I’ve Loved (and Books Still Waiting)
• Original headline: Turn, Turn, Turn
• Improved headline: What If You’re Dreading the Change of Seasons?
• Original headline:  Wanna Have Coffee?
• Improved headline: Overcoming the Obstacles That Prevent You From Meditating

Create cornerstone content

Cornerstone content refers to any article, post, or page at your site that draws new readers to your blog consistently, usually through search or by referral from other sites. Cornerstone content often is a comprehensive, definitive piece that tackles a frequently asked question, issue, or problem—or features a very popular author or  thing in popular culture that is searched for often.

The cornerstone content on this blog can be seen right under “Most Popular Posts”—each one points to my 101 posts on how to get published.

Sometimes, cornerstone content might be a manifesto or download in PDF form. Chris Guillebeau is well-known for 279 Days to Overnight Success that drew thousands (if not millions) to learn about his blog and his message.

If you’re a nonfiction writer, then this probably comes naturally: Put together a 101 guide, FAQ, or tutorial related to your topic or expertise—something people often ask you about. (My most visited resource on this site is Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published .)

If you’re a novelist, this strategy may take some creative thinking. Consider the following:

• If your book is strongly regional, create an insider’s guide or travel guide to that particular region. Or think about other themes in your work that could inspire something fun: a collection of recipes; a character’s favorite books, movies, or music; or what research and resources were essential for completing your work.
• Create a list of favorite reads by genre/category, by mood, or by occasion. Tie into current events or “look-alike” media whenever you can; for example, if you write romance and you know your readers love  The Bachelor , create a list of books that fans of the show would enjoy reading.
• If you have a strong avocational pursuit (or past profession) that influences your novels, create FAQs or guides for the curious.

Having even one piece of cornerstone content greatly reduces your burden to attract readers to your site through brand-new content. If it does its job, the cornerstone piece will bring a steady stream of new readers over a period of weeks and months, some of whom will become loyal followers.

If you’re very serious and strategic about this, I recommend reading How to Increase Website Traffic .

Make it easy to browse and share your posts

Some blogs have such a minimal design that it’s difficult to see the bigger picture of what the blog offers. Even though there are benefits to a minimalist design, I get more engagement by having a sidebar that offers tools to navigate the history of my blog and the hundreds of posts that live here.

• Calendar/archive. People new to your blog may want to dig around in your older posts. Make it easy for them to do so by offering a post calendar or archive.
• Category search.  Blog content should be organized into 5-10 different categories that are of high interest to your audience. For example, if people read an interview or book review on your site that interests them, they may want to browse all previous interviews or book reviews. Make this easy by categorizing the posts correctly and making the categories visible with posts.
• Most popular posts. For new readers of your blog, it’s helpful to have a consistent box or sidebar that tells readers what your most popular posts are.
• Sharing functionality. Make it easy for people to share your posts on Facebook, Twitter (or just about anywhere else) by adding sharing buttons to the bottom of your posts. This functionality is usually built-in to most blogs.

Improve your content’s discoverability through search engines (SEO)

Search engine optimization really requires its own post. However, you’ll be doing a good job with your SEO if:

• You use WordPress or Squarespace, which are already optimized for search.
• You make sure each post is categorized and tagged appropriately.
• You think about how readers would search for your content, and incorporate those search keywords into your post headline, post subheads, and more. If your site is self-hosted, then install WordPress SEO by Yoast , which will give you both the tools and education you need to optimize your content for search.

If your site is self-hosted , then you should have Google Analytics installed. If not, get started today—it’s a free service and easy to set up. After Google Analytics has collected at least 1 month of data, take a look at the following:

• How do people find your blog? Through search? Through your social media presence? Through other websites that link to you?
• What search words bring people to your site?
• What pages or posts are most popular on your site?

By knowing the answers to these questions, you can better decide which social media networks are worth your investment of time and energy (at least as far as blog promotion is concerned), who else on the web might be a good partner for you (who is sending you traffic and why?), and what content on your site is worth your time to continue developing (what content will bring you visitors over the long run?).

Create lists or round-ups on a regular basis

A very popular way to make people aware of your blog is to link to others’ blogs. If you can do this in a helpful way, it’s a win for you, for your readers, and for the sites you send traffic to.

In the writing and publishing community, weekly link round-ups are very common. (See  Elizabeth Craig for one example.) You can create such lists or round-ups on any theme or category that interests you enough to remain dedicated, enthusiastic, and consistent for the long haul—at least six months to a year, if you want to see a tangible benefit.

Run regular interviews with people who fascinate you

Believe it or not, it’s rare to come across an informed, thoughtful, and careful interviewer and interview series.

Think about themes, hooks, or angles for an interview series on your site, and run them on a regular basis—but only as frequently as you have time to invest in a well-researched and quality interview. Such series also offer you an excellent way to build your network and community relationships, which has a way of paying off in the long run.

Be a guest on other sites

Whenever you guest or appear on other websites, that’s an opportunity to have multiple links back to your own site and social network accounts.

A meaningful guest post means pitching sites that have a bigger audience than you, but they should also have a readership that’s a good match for your work. If you need a strong introduction to guest posting how-to, visit this excellent Copyblogger post.  If you’re not the type to write guest posts, then consider proactively offering yourself up to be interviewed as part of other bloggers’ interview series.

Whenever you make an appearance on another site, always promote the interview on your own social networks and create a permanent link to it from your own website.

Above all: You need patience

Here’s what my blog traffic looked like in its early years.

• December 2009. This is when I started using WordPress on this domain. I posted 3-4 times per month.
• Mid-2010.  This is when my traffic reached about 100 visits a day.
• January 2011:  I began a weekly series at my site, unrelated to writing and publishing, that featured mother-daughter interviews.
• July 2011:  This is when I began regularly blogging about writing and publishing at JaneFriedman.com (rather than at Writer’s Digest).

After about two years of consistency, I reached about 60,000 visits per month.

Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet , the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Great piece, Jane, and no surprise from such an experienced hand at this as you, thanks.

I’d like to add clarity of byline as something that’s far more important than many bloggers realize.

A blogger wants her or his work spread around the communities, per your smart comments above about sharing functionality and improving discoverability. But that blogger also deserves credit for that content. Some of us, in fact, work very hard to #CreditWriters (a Twitter hashtag), even in the tight confines of tweets, to be sure our authors get the recognition they deserve.

When you’re blogging, burying your identity in an “About” section is a mistake.

And making us search Twitter or click over to Twitter’s page on you simply to get your @Twitter handle (your @name in the code-language of Twitter) is also a mistake.

The smartest efforts I’ve seen so far, create a byline–always at the top of a post–that includes both the author’s name and @Twitter handle.  This gives “feeders” (people who use social media to move good content around) an immediate chance to credit a writer without wasting time digging around.

Some good examples of different name + @Twitter handle bylines: http://ow.ly/i/e184 http://ow.ly/i/e188 http://ow.ly/i/e18b  http://ow.ly/i/e18c http://ow.ly/i/eovq http://ow.ly/i/eouR

Professional journalists live by their bylines and they know how important it is to own their work, right up top, on every piece. Good bylines aren’t about bragging. They’re common courtesy and pragmatic communication. When you meet someone, you tell him or her your name, right? And in a world in which your Twitter presence is important, you offer your @Twitter handle, as well. Many of us add our @Twitter handles to our business cards. Bloggers, many of whom have no background in formal journalism, can miss out on recognition, distribution, and visibility on the assumption that “everybody knows who I am, it’s my blog.”

Awful lot of blogs. Awful lot of posts. The world really doesn’t know one from another, and we’re all busy. Bloggers who help us get their names and @Twitter handles at “electric speed” show us that they get what’s going on in the world of fast-twitch distribution, game on.

Thanks again-

Thanks for that great insight I’ll definitely apply that to my blog

[…] Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers | Jane Friedman This post is for writers totally new to blogging, about to start a blog, and/or feeling dissatisfied with their current blog. Source: janefriedman.com […]

This is great. What I wish I’d had when I was starting out. I’ll spread the word. Thanks, Porter for the great idea of putting your twitter handle front and center on the blog!

Well, Anne, I bow to YOU in so many things related to blogging, so it’s really nice of you to pick up on the @Twitter handle issue. And thanks to Jane for getting us all sorted so well. I’ve been totally lucky to have met her early so I’ve had the benefit of her wisdom before getting too far in, myself. Cheers – 

Totally loved this post, Jane. I agree with Porter that one of the worst things a blogger can do is hide his/her identity and handles on other social networks. That’s why I always suggest using your name as a handle on other social networks (if not taken). In fact, I use you as THE example for why folks need to act now on claiming their name online.

🙂 Thanks, Robert! Means a lot coming from you.

Robert: Would you mind helping a fellow blogger? When I clicked on my name in my comment, instead of going to my blog, which for me is the point of having a profile, it took me to something called Yahoo Plus, which is less than useless for me. It gave my full name, my age and what state I live in, which I don’t want people to know, but didn’t go to the blog, which I did. When I clicked on your name, it went directly to your blog the way it’s suppose to. (By the way, it’s  a cool blog.) How do I get mine to do the same thing?

You can change these settings when you make the comment. There are all kinds of options for this “profile” info—e.g., you can offer just your name & URL, or use an established profile. In this case, it appears you chose the Yahoo-based profile (whether consciously or not).

Thanks, Robert — couldn’t agree more about the importance of using your name as your social-media handle (rather than blog title, etc.), if for no other reason so that you get continuity of community from one project to the next. I love how when we arrive at Jane’s page here, what’s right up top is JANE FRIEDMAN. Her wonderful McLuhan-powered “electric speed” line is the tag, not the center of her universe, which is excellent. I use her as my best example for folks, too. 🙂

I’ve had my blog for a couple of years but this has really helped focus my thoughts about it! 

[…] Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers | Jane Friedman […]

Thank you for these great tips! My regret is that when I started my blog, I didn’t use my name. I’d change that if I could do it over again.

Shoot! Well, if you’re using Blogger, you could always (rather easily) import everything onto a new WordPress platform if/when you’re ready for a fresh start.

Thank you Jane (and Porter for your extremely helpful addendum) this is truly blogger gold! I’ve had my blog on my website for about a year and still feel as if I’m crawling through the trenches. To say I needed this post doesn’t even begin to cover how much I NEEDED this post 🙂

Awesome! Thanks for commenting.

My pleasure, Barbara, Jane did all the heavy lifting. 🙂 

This was a very informative post. Because I’m relatively new to blogging, I need all the help I can get and this article provided a lot of important information. Thanks, Jane! I’ve written two women’s mystery suspense novels and I’m in the early planning stages of a third. I’ve recently created my own writers forum, a blog for writers and avid readers. I’d like to invite everyone to visit my site. http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com

This is just the kind of comprehensive information I was looking for a long time, forwarded to me by another fellow writer. I needed to learn more about WordPress, as I currently have a blog with Bloggers, and thanks to you, I can understand WordPress better now!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for taking time to comment!

Finding the Best Creative Writing Blogs on the Internet

Regardless how many books I’ve written or sold, if I’m not still educating myself about writing, I’m stagnating.

My late mother taught me the value of life-long learning. Not only was she a piano teacher into her eighties, but she was also a piano student. 

One of the most powerful learning tools today is the internet. But you could surf through endless writing blogs before finally finding which are the best for you and worthy of your time. 

So I asked my team to research what’s out there, and we’ve compiled a short list to get you started. But you also know how to search by specifying genres and areas of interest, so don’t stop here. Our list is by no means exhaustive, and I haven’t even included all the ones I enjoy. 

Here, then, are just suggestions of a few blogs you might want to check out to start your own list of writing resources —and we list them in alphabetical order:

• Become a Writer Today

Through his blog Become a Writer Today , Bryan Collins focuses on the needs of new writers. 

A non-fiction writer, blogger, and podcaster, Bryan writes on those genres, as well as on self-publishing . He’s written two 3-book series, “Become a Better Writer Today” and “The Power of Creativity.” 

A team of writers cover the business side of writing and such topics as writer’s block , formatting, and best practices. 

• The Creative Penn

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, Joanna Penn is behind The Creative Penn . 

She also writes books for writers—her 21 titles have sold more than a half million copies. She’s a speaker, an entrepreneur, runs Curl Up Press, and has been named one of the top 100 Creative Professionals in the UK. 

Joanna’s blog focuses on self-publishing, marketing, and writing. The Creative Penn podcast offers more than 350 episodes on writing.

• Creative Writing Now

Founded by writing teacher Nancy Strauss, Creative Writing Now offers courses, tips , prompts, and information on writing contests. Writing teachers will find lesson plans as well.  

DIY MFA serves as a do-it-yourself manual for the equivalent of a Master of Fine Arts in writing without the expense. It centers on writing with focus, reading with purpose, building your writing community, and how to discover the writing tools available online and off.

Founded by author and podcaster Gabriela Pereira, the site posts on everything from playwriting to surviving rejection, travel writing, and many other writing topics. She offers a “ writer igniter ” that generates writing prompts. 

• Jane Friedman

A must read for writers and publishers, blogger Jane Friedman is one of the leading voices in the digital age of publishing.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, publishes The Hot Sheet (a newsletter for authors), is a columnist for Publishers Weekly , a professor with The Great Courses ( How to Publish Your Book ), and wrote The Business of Being a Writer . 

Jane’s blog offers how-to’s on publishing, writing a book proposal , finding a literary agent , and many other such topics. 

• Helping Writers Become Authors

Through her website Helping Writers Become Authors , K.M. Weiland has published more than 1,200 blog posts educating writers on the ins and outs and dos and don’ts of writing and publishing. 

She offers a bi-monthly e-letter, a podcast, and a vlog. She writes historical and speculative fiction, as well as how-to books, including Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel .

• Live Write Thrive

Novelist, copyeditor, and writing coach C.S. Lakin  created Live Write Thrive to help write your novel with posts like “ The Challenges of Believability in Writing Science Fiction ” and “ The 3 Ways to Show Emotion in Your Characters .” 

Bridget and Brendan McNulty and Dagmar Timler co-founded Now Novel , a platform designed to help you craft your story . 

The blog offers information for writers at every stage, a character writing hub, productivity tips, and help creating fantasy worlds. 

• Pro Writing Aid

Pro Writing Aid is a desktop app you can use with programs like Scrivener , Word, and Google Docs. It catches grammar errors, suggests style changes, and even checks your work for plagiarism.

Their blog covers which writing apps are best, the writing process, blogging and content writing, grammar rules , and business writing. 

• Write It Sideways

Founded by Suzannah Windsor, Write It Sideways is for aspiring and emerging writers . 

A team of writers answers questions budding writers ask, and blogs on things like writer’s intuition,“Confessions of a Writing Group Virgin,” and “Here’s the Type of Hate Mail Bloggers Get.” 

• Writers Helping Writers

Authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi created Writers Helping Writers for new writers, seasoned writers, editors, and writing teachers. The blog offers advice on technique and strategy, as well as “Navigating the Changing Face of Book Promotion with Smart, Effective Strategies” and “ How To Stop Self-Doubt From Holding You Back From Writing .” 

• The Write Practice

Joe Bunting started The Write Practice to help writers become better through practice. 

He offers writing prompts and provides a platform for fellow writers to offer feedback on what you’ve written. 

And of course you’re always welcome to visit me at JerryJenkins.com .

Over the last half century I’ve been an editor, a publisher, a nonfiction author, and a novelist—yet I’m still learning and growing like you. I offer a 20-Step Guide on How to Write a Book , How to Develop a Great Story Idea , Find the Right Writers Group and How to Write Dialogue . 

• Time to Get to Work

The best mentoring comes from seasoned writers proven in their fields. So dive into these blog sites and commit to life-long learning. 

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake?

Faith-Based Words and Phrases

What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon

Before you go, be sure to grab my FREE guide:

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps

Just tell me where to send it:

Enter your email to instantly access my ultimate guide: 

What is Creative Writing? A Key Piece of the Writer’s Toolbox

Not all writing is the same and there’s a type of writing that has the ability to transport, teach, and inspire others like no other.

Creative writing stands out due to its unique approach and focus on imagination. Here’s how to get started and grow as you explore the broad and beautiful world of creative writing!

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is a form of writing that extends beyond the bounds of regular professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature. It is characterized by its emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes or poetic techniques to express ideas in an original and imaginative way.

Creative writing can take on various forms such as:

• short stories
• screenplays

It’s a way for writers to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a creative, often symbolic, way . It’s about using the power of words to transport readers into a world created by the writer.

5 Key Characteristics of Creative Writing

Creative writing is marked by several defining characteristics, each working to create a distinct form of expression:

1. Imagination and Creativity: Creative writing is all about harnessing your creativity and imagination to create an engaging and compelling piece of work. It allows writers to explore different scenarios, characters, and worlds that may not exist in reality.

2. Emotional Engagement: Creative writing often evokes strong emotions in the reader. It aims to make the reader feel something — whether it’s happiness, sorrow, excitement, or fear.

3. Originality: Creative writing values originality. It’s about presenting familiar things in new ways or exploring ideas that are less conventional.

4. Use of Literary Devices: Creative writing frequently employs literary devices such as metaphors, similes, personification, and others to enrich the text and convey meanings in a more subtle, layered manner.

5. Focus on Aesthetics: The beauty of language and the way words flow together is important in creative writing. The aim is to create a piece that’s not just interesting to read, but also beautiful to hear when read aloud.

Remember, creative writing is not just about producing a work of art. It’s also a means of self-expression and a way to share your perspective with the world. Whether you’re considering it as a hobby or contemplating a career in it, understanding the nature and characteristics of creative writing can help you hone your skills and create more engaging pieces .

For more insights into creative writing, check out our articles on creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree and is a degree in creative writing worth it .

Styles of Creative Writing

To fully understand creative writing , you must be aware of the various styles involved. Creative writing explores a multitude of genres, each with its own unique characteristics and techniques.

Poetry is a form of creative writing that uses expressive language to evoke emotions and ideas. Poets often employ rhythm, rhyme, and other poetic devices to create pieces that are deeply personal and impactful. Poems can vary greatly in length, style, and subject matter, making this a versatile and dynamic form of creative writing.

Short Stories

Short stories are another common style of creative writing. These are brief narratives that typically revolve around a single event or idea. Despite their length, short stories can provide a powerful punch, using precise language and tight narrative structures to convey a complete story in a limited space.

Novels represent a longer form of narrative creative writing. They usually involve complex plots, multiple characters, and various themes. Writing a novel requires a significant investment of time and effort; however, the result can be a rich and immersive reading experience.

Screenplays

Screenplays are written works intended for the screen, be it television, film, or online platforms. They require a specific format, incorporating dialogue and visual descriptions to guide the production process. Screenwriters must also consider the practical aspects of filmmaking, making this an intricate and specialized form of creative writing.

If you’re interested in this style, understanding creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree can provide useful insights.

Writing for the theater is another specialized form of creative writing. Plays, like screenplays, combine dialogue and action, but they also require an understanding of the unique dynamics of the theatrical stage. Playwrights must think about the live audience and the physical space of the theater when crafting their works.

Each of these styles offers unique opportunities for creativity and expression. Whether you’re drawn to the concise power of poetry, the detailed storytelling of novels, or the visual language of screenplays and plays, there’s a form of creative writing that will suit your artistic voice. The key is to explore, experiment, and find the style that resonates with you.

For those looking to spark their creativity, our article on creative writing prompts offers a wealth of ideas to get you started.

Importance of Creative Writing

Understanding what is creative writing involves recognizing its value and significance. Engaging in creative writing can provide numerous benefits – let’s take a closer look.

Developing Creativity and Imagination

Creative writing serves as a fertile ground for nurturing creativity and imagination. It encourages you to think outside the box, explore different perspectives, and create unique and original content. This leads to improved problem-solving skills and a broader worldview , both of which can be beneficial in various aspects of life.

Through creative writing, one can build entire worlds, create characters, and weave complex narratives, all of which are products of a creative mind and vivid imagination. This can be especially beneficial for those seeking creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree .

Enhancing Communication Skills

Creative writing can also play a crucial role in honing communication skills. It demands clarity, precision, and a strong command of language. This helps to improve your vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, making it easier to express thoughts and ideas effectively .

Moreover, creative writing encourages empathy as you often need to portray a variety of characters from different backgrounds and perspectives. This leads to a better understanding of people and improved interpersonal communication skills.

Exploring Emotions and Ideas

One of the most profound aspects of creative writing is its ability to provide a safe space for exploring emotions and ideas. It serves as an outlet for thoughts and feelings , allowing you to express yourself in ways that might not be possible in everyday conversation.

Writing can be therapeutic, helping you process complex emotions, navigate difficult life events, and gain insight into your own experiences and perceptions. It can also be a means of self-discovery , helping you to understand yourself and the world around you better.

So, whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, the benefits of creative writing are vast and varied. For those interested in developing their creative writing skills, check out our articles on creative writing prompts and how to teach creative writing . If you’re considering a career in this field, you might find our article on is a degree in creative writing worth it helpful.

4 Steps to Start Creative Writing

Creative writing can seem daunting to beginners, but with the right approach, anyone can start their journey into this creative field. Here are some steps to help you start creative writing .

1. Finding Inspiration

The first step in creative writing is finding inspiration . Inspiration can come from anywhere and anything. Observe the world around you, listen to conversations, explore different cultures, and delve into various topics of interest.

Reading widely can also be a significant source of inspiration. Read different types of books, articles, and blogs. Discover what resonates with you and sparks your imagination.

For structured creative prompts, visit our list of creative writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing.

Editor’s Note : When something excites or interests you, stop and take note – it could be the inspiration for your next creative writing piece.

2. Planning Your Piece

Once you have an idea, the next step is to plan your piece . Start by outlining:

• the main points

Remember, this can serve as a roadmap to guide your writing process. A plan doesn’t have to be rigid. It’s a flexible guideline that can be adjusted as you delve deeper into your writing. The primary purpose is to provide direction and prevent writer’s block.

3. Writing Your First Draft

After planning your piece, you can start writing your first draft . This is where you give life to your ideas and breathe life into your characters.

Don’t worry about making it perfect in the first go. The first draft is about getting your ideas down on paper . You can always refine and polish your work later. And if you don’t have a great place to write that first draft, consider a journal for writing .

4. Editing and Revising Your Work

The final step in the creative writing process is editing and revising your work . This is where you fine-tune your piece, correct grammatical errors, and improve sentence structure and flow.

Editing is also an opportunity to enhance your storytelling . You can add more descriptive details, develop your characters further, and make sure your plot is engaging and coherent.

Remember, writing is a craft that improves with practice . Don’t be discouraged if your first few pieces don’t meet your expectations. Keep writing, keep learning, and most importantly, enjoy the creative process.

For more insights on creative writing, check out our articles on how to teach creative writing or creative writing activities for kids.

Tips to Improve Creative Writing Skills

Understanding what is creative writing is the first step. But how can one improve their creative writing skills? Here are some tips that can help.

Read Widely

Reading is a vital part of becoming a better writer. By immersing oneself in a variety of genres, styles, and authors, one can gain a richer understanding of language and storytelling techniques . Different authors have unique voices and methods of telling stories, which can serve as inspiration for your own work. So, read widely and frequently!

Practice Regularly

Like any skill, creative writing improves with practice. Consistently writing — whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly — helps develop your writing style and voice . Using creative writing prompts can be a fun way to stimulate your imagination and get the words flowing.

Attend Writing Workshops and Courses

Formal education such as workshops and courses can offer structured learning and expert guidance. These can provide invaluable insights into the world of creative writing, from understanding plot development to character creation. If you’re wondering is a degree in creative writing worth it, these classes can also give you a taste of what studying creative writing at a higher level might look like .

Joining Writing Groups and Communities

Being part of a writing community can provide motivation, constructive feedback, and a sense of camaraderie. These groups often hold regular meetings where members share their work and give each other feedback. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with others who share your passion for writing.

Seeking Feedback on Your Work

Feedback is a crucial part of improving as a writer. It offers a fresh perspective on your work, highlighting areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Whether it’s from a writing group, a mentor, or even friends and family, constructive criticism can help refine your writing .

Start Creative Writing Today!

Remember, becoming a proficient writer takes time and patience. So, don’t be discouraged by initial challenges. Keep writing, keep learning, and most importantly, keep enjoying the process. Who knows, your passion for creative writing might even lead to creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree .

Happy writing!

Brooks Manley

Creative Primer  is a resource on all things journaling, creativity, and productivity. We’ll help you produce better ideas, get more done, and live a more effective life.

My name is Brooks. I do a ton of journaling, like to think I’m a creative (jury’s out), and spend a lot of time thinking about productivity. I hope these resources and product recommendations serve you well. Reach out if you ever want to chat or let me know about a journal I need to check out!

Here’s my favorite journal for 2024: 

Gratitude Journal Prompts Mindfulness Journal Prompts Journal Prompts for Anxiety Reflective Journal Prompts Healing Journal Prompts Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Journal Prompts Mental Health Journal Prompts ASMR Journal Prompts Manifestation Journal Prompts Self-Care Journal Prompts Morning Journal Prompts Evening Journal Prompts Self-Improvement Journal Prompts Creative Writing Journal Prompts Dream Journal Prompts Relationship Journal Prompts "What If" Journal Prompts New Year Journal Prompts Shadow Work Journal Prompts Journal Prompts for Overcoming Fear Journal Prompts for Dealing with Loss Journal Prompts for Discerning and Decision Making Travel Journal Prompts Fun Journal Prompts

Inspiring Ink: Expert Tips on How to Teach Creative Writing

You may also like, the 7 best bullet journals for 2024 & beyond.

How to Save Yourself from Task Paralysis

Is napping good for your productivity, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Productivity
• Favorite Journals

• Creativity Techniques

26+ Creative Writing Tips for Young Writers

So you want to be a writer? And not just any writer, you want to be a creative writer. The road to being a legendary storyteller won’t be easy, but with our creative writing tips for kids, you’ll be on the right track! Creative writing isn’t just about writing stories. You could write poems, graphic novels, song lyrics and even movie scripts. But there is one thing you’ll need and that is good creative writing skills. 

Here are over 26 tips to improve your creative writing skills :

Read a wide range of books

When it comes to creative writing, reading is essential. Reading allows you to explore the styles of other writers and gain inspiration to improve your own writing. But don’t just limit yourself to reading only popular books or your favourites. Read all sorts of books, everything from fairytales to scary stories. Take a look at comics, short stories, novels and poetry. Just fill your heads with the knowledge and wisdom of other writers and soon you’ll be just like them!

Write about real-life events

The hardest thing about creative writing is connecting emotionally with your audience. By focusing your writing on real-life events, you know that in some way or another your readers will be able to relate. And with creative writing you don’t need to use real names or details – There are certain things you can keep private while writing about the rare details. Using real-life events is also a good way to find inspiration for your stories. 

Be imaginative

Be as crazy and wild as you like with your imagination. Create your world, your own monsters , or even your own language! The more imaginative your story, the more exciting it will be to read. Remember that there are no rules on what makes a good idea in creative writing. So don’t be afraid to make stuff up!

Find your writing style

Thes best writers have a particular style about them. When you think of Roald Dahl , you know his books are going to have a sense of humour. While with Dr Seuss , you’re prepared to read some funny new words . Alternatively, when you look at R.L.Stine, you know that he is all about the horror. Think about your own writing style. Do you want to be a horror writer? Maybe someone who always writes in the first person? Will always focus your books on your culture or a particular character?

Stick to a routine

Routine is extremely important to writers. If you just write some stuff here and there, it’s likely that you’ll soon give up on writing altogether! A strict routine means that every day at a certain time you will make time to write about something, anything. Even if you’re bored or can’t think of anything, you’ll still pick up that pencil and write. Soon enough you’ll get into the habit of writing good stuff daily and this is definitely important for anyone who wants to be a professional creative writer!

Know your audience

Writing isn’t just about thinking about your own interests, it’s also about thinking about the interests of your audience. If you want to excite fellow classmates, know what they like. Do they like football , monsters or a particular video game? With that knowledge, you can create the most popular book for your target audience. A book that they can’t stop reading and will recommend to others! 

Daily Exercises

To keep your creative writing skills up to scratch it is important to keep practising every day. Even if you have no inspiration. At times when your mind is blank, you should try to use tools like writing prompts , video prompts or other ways of coming up with ideas . You could even take a look at these daily writing exercises as an example. We even created a whole list of over 100 creative writing exercises to try out when you need some inspiration or ideas. 

Work together with others

Everyone needs a little help now and then. We recommend joining a writing club or finding other classmates who are also interested in writing to improve your own creative writing skills. Together you can share ideas, tips and even write a story together! A good storytelling game to play in a group is the “ finish the story” game . 

Get feedback

Without feedback, you’ll never be able to improve your writing. Feedback, whether good or bad is important to all writers. Good feedback gives you the motivation to carry on. While bad feedback just gives you areas to improve and adapt your writing, so you can be the best! After every piece of writing always try to get feedback from it, whether it is from friends, family, teachers or an online writing community .

Enter writing competitions

The best way to improve your creative writing is by entering all sorts of writing competitions . Whether it’s a poetry competition or short story competition, competitions let you compete against other writers and even help you get useful feedback on your writing. Most competitions even have rules to structure your writing, these rules can help you prepare for the real world of writing and getting your work published. And not only that you might even win some cool prizes!

Keep a notebook

Every writer’s best friend is their notebook. Wherever you go make sure you have a notebook handy to jot down any ideas you get on the go. Inspiration can come from anywhere , so the next time you get an idea instead of forgetting about it, write it down. You never know, this idea could become a best-selling novel in the future. 

Research your ideas

So, you got a couple of ideas for short stories. The next step is to research these ideas deeper. 

Researching your ideas could involve reading books similar to your ideas or going online to learn more about a particular topic. For example, if you wanted to write a book on dragons, you would want to know everything about them in history to come up with a good, relatable storyline for your book.

Create Writing Goals

How do you know if your writing is improving over time? Simple – Just create writing goals for yourself. Examples of writing goals might include, to write 100 words every day or to write 600 words by the end of next week. Whatever your goals make sure you can measure them easily. That way you’ll know if you met them or not. You might want to take a look at these bullet journal layouts for writers to help you track the progress of your writing.

Follow your passions

Writing can be tedious and many people even give up after writing a few words. The only way you can keep that fire burning is by writing about your true passions. Whatever it is you enjoy doing or love, you could just write about those things. These are the types of things you’ll enjoy researching and already know so much about, making writing a whole lot more fun!

Don’t Settle for the first draft

You finally wrote your first story. But the writing process isn’t complete yet! Now it’s time to read your story and make the all-important edits. Editing your story is more than just fixing spelling or grammar mistakes. It’s also about criticising your own work and looking for areas of improvement. For example, is the conflict strong enough? Is your opening line exciting? How can you improve your ending?

Plan before writing

Never just jump into writing your story. Always plan first! Whether this means listing down the key scenes in your story or using a storyboard template to map out these scenes. You should have an outline of your story somewhere, which you can refer to when actually writing your story. This way you won’t make basic mistakes like not having a climax in your story which builds up to your main conflict or missing crucial characters out.

It’s strange the difference it makes to read your writing out aloud compared to reading it in your head. When reading aloud you tend to notice more mistakes in your sentences or discover paragraphs which make no sense at all. You might even want to read your story aloud to your family or a group of friends to get feedback on how your story sounds. 

Pace your story

Pacing is important. You don’t want to just start and then quickly jump into the main conflict because this will take all the excitement away from your conflict. And at the same time, you don’t want to give the solution away too early and this will make your conflict too easy for your characters to solve. The key is to gradually build up to your conflict by describing your characters and the many events that lead up to the main conflict. Then you might want to make the conflict more difficult for your characters by including more than one issue in your story to solve. 

Think about themes

Every story has a theme or moral. Some stories are about friendship, others are about the dangers of trusting strangers. And a story can even have more than one theme. The point of a theme is to give something valuable to your readers once they have finished reading your book. In other words, to give them a life lesson, they’ll never forget!

Use dialogue carefully

Dialogue is a tricky thing to get right. Your whole story should not be made up of dialogue unless you’re writing a script. Alternatively, it can be strange to include no dialogue at all in your story. The purpose of dialogue should be to move your story forward. It should also help your readers learn more about a particular character’s personality and their relationship with other characters in your book. 

One thing to avoid with dialogue is… small talk! There’s no point in writing dialogue, such as “How’s the weather?”, if your story has nothing to do with the weather. This is because it doesn’t move your story along.  For more information check out this guide on how to write dialogue in a story .

Write now, edit later

Writing is a magical process. Don’t lose that magic by focusing on editing your sentences while you’re still writing your story up. Not only could this make your story sound fragmented, but you might also forget some key ideas to include in your story or take away the imagination from your writing. When it comes to creative writing, just write and come back to editing your story later.

Ask yourself questions

Always question your writing. Once done, think about any holes in your story. Is there something the reader won’t understand or needs further describing? What if your character finds another solution to solving the conflict? How about adding a new character or removing a character from your story? There are so many questions to ask and keep asking them until you feel confident about your final piece.

Create a dedicated writing space

Some kids like writing on their beds, others at the kitchen table. While this is good for beginners, going pro with your writing might require having a dedicated writing space. Some of the basics you’ll need is a desk and comfy chair, along with writing materials like pens, pencils and notebooks. But to really create an inspiring place, you could also stick some beautiful pictures, some inspiring quotes from writers and anything else that will keep you motivated and prepared. 

Beware of flowery words

Vocabulary is good. It’s always exciting when you learn a new word that you have never heard before. But don’t go around plotting in complicated words into your story, unless it’s necessary to show a character’s personality. Most long words are not natural sounding, meaning your audience will have a hard time relating to your story if it’s full of complicated words from the dictionary like Xenophobia or Xylograph .

Create believable characters

Nobody’s perfect. And why should your story characters be any different? To create believable characters, you’ll need to give them some common flaws as well as some really cool strengths. Your character’s flaws can be used as a setback to why they can’t achieve their goals, while their strengths are the things that will help win over adversity. Just think about your own strengths and weaknesses and use them as inspirations for your storybook characters. You can use the Imagine Forest character creator to plan out your story characters. 

Show, don’t tell

You can say that someone is nice or you can show them how that person is nice. Take the following as an example, “Katie was a nice girl.” Now compare that sentence to this, “Katie spent her weekends at the retirement home, singing to the seniors and making them laugh.”. The difference between the two sentences is huge. The first one sounds boring and you don’t really know why Katie is nice. While in the second sentence, you get the sense that Katie is nice from her actions without even using the word nice in the sentence!

Make the conflict impossible

Imagine the following scenario, you are a championship boxer who has won many medals over the year and the conflict is…Well, you got a boxing match coming up. Now that doesn’t sound so exciting! In fact, most readers won’t even care about the boxer winning the match or not! 

Now imagine this scenario: You’re a poor kid from New Jersey, you barely have enough money to pay the bills. You never did any professional boxing, but you want to enter a boxing competition, so you can win and use the money to pay your bills. 

The second scenario has a bigger mountain to climb. In other words, a much harder challenge to face compared to the character in the first scenario. Giving your characters an almost impossible task or conflict is essential in good story-telling.

Write powerful scenes

Scenes help build a picture in your reader’s mind without even including any actual pictures in your story. Creating powerful scenes involves more than describing the appearance of a setting, it’s also about thinking about the smell, the sounds and what your characters are feeling while they are in a particular setting. By being descriptive with your scenes, your audience can imagine themselves being right there with characters through the hard times and good times!

There’s nothing worse than an ending which leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed. You read all the way through and then it just ends in the most typical, obvious way ever! Strong endings don’t always end on a happy ending. They can end with a sad ending or a cliff-hanger.  In fact, most stories actually leave the reader with more questions in their head, as they wonder what happens next. This then gives you the opportunity to create even more books to continue the story and keep your readers hooked for life (or at least for a very long time)! 

Over 25 creative writing tips later and you should now be ready to master the art of creative writing! The most important tip for all you creative writers out there is to be imaginative! Without a good imagination, you’ll struggle to wow your audience with your writing skills. Do you have any more creative writing tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

Related Posts

Comments loading...

Writing as a Hobby: Tips and Advice for Beginners

We all need a way to express ourselves whether that be through a creative outlet like art or fashion. For others, it’s writing.

Creative writing allows self-expression, investigating varied worlds and characters, and serves as an escape from daily life. Writing as a hobby is not exclusive to just novelists and poets; anyone can participate as writing stories, articles, or keeping a journal presents a fulfilling opportunity to make the most of your downtime.

Now perhaps you’re just starting out on your writing journey, or you’re stuck on where to begin and are wondering, how do you start writing as a hobby?

Allow us to help – read on and find out more!

Is Writing a Good Hobby?

Writing is an art form that can be shared with others or kept totally private. It’s a way to escape the real world and make sense of it. Writing can allow you to relax and take stock away from your hectic modern lifestyle.

It’s completely free! All you need is some form of paper and a pen, your phone, or a word processor on your computer. Your imagination is the only thing that limits you from every possibility.

When we think of writing, we may think firstly of authors or journalists who are under pressure to meet deadlines and demands from editors. However, writing as a hobby comes with none of those pressures. You are free to work at your own pace, and however, you like.

Remember, creativity and self-expression have no rules. You are free to experiment with the genres you love, and come up with completely new ideas. Once you’ve written these down, they are there forever for you to look back on and cherish.

Celtx is a powerful and versatile screenwriting software that can help you take your writing hobby to the next level. With its intuitive interface and wide range of tools, Celtx makes it easy to organize your ideas, format your script, and collaborate with others. Try Celtx Today for FREE .

Tips for How to Start Writing as a Hobby

1. set up a comfortable writing space.

A hobby is meant to be enjoyable, right? So, it makes sense for the space you dedicate to that hobby to be comfortable. Dedicate a surface in your home, whether that be a desk space or your kitchen table. Grab yourself a comfy chair and a hot drink and get cozy!

Or perhaps you prefer to get outside. Find the perfect spot in your local park or your favorite coffee shop. Find somewhere that provides the inspiration you need.

It’s also great to switch up your workspace. This can spark inspiration if you’re struggling for ideas. People watching, a new space and a different atmosphere can work wonders!

2. Remove Distractions

To make the most of your writing time, it’s important to set out a routine that works for you. Set aside time once a day or even once a week to sit down and write. This will keep you accountable for your new hobby.

Your writing time should also be a time away from the world where you can focus on yourself and your work. As we mentioned above, get yourself comfortable, and remove your phone or any other distractions.

3. Read as Much As You Can

Reading and writing are each other’s bread and butter. You won’t get one without the other.

Read books, magazines, screenplays, poetry, and blogs. If you expose yourself to a diverse range of writing, the more you’ll understand how that writing is structured and how to get the most out of your own work.

The benefits of reading include learning about the plot, characters, world-building and style, as well as how to engage a reader.

4. Experiment with Different Mediums

You may have your heart set on writing a particular format of writing. But even as a budding author or poet, it can be useful to experiment with other mediums.

Instead of diving straight into writing a novel, why not start with a short story?

By starting small, you’ll be able to quickly identify what you love about your writing and where you’d like to improve. You’ll also feel that sense of accomplishment a lot quicker.

Want to write a screenplay? Start by writing a short film , before moving on to a feature.

Keen on poetry? Start with a haiku before moving on to your epic poem!

What if you’re not sure which type of writer you’d like to be? You don’t have an idea for a story just yet? Why not start journalling or blogging? Journalling is a fantastic first step, jotting down the events of your day or your inner thoughts.

As you continue to write, your journal entries or blog posts could then spark inspiration for a future novel or script!

Of course, you do not have to share your work with the world. The beauty of writing is that you can keep it just for yourself or share it when you’re ready.

Remember, you don’t have to stick to one particular medium. Try as many as you like!

5. Join a Writing Group

If you’d like to be held accountable for your writing or are open to receiving feedback on your work, joining a local group could help you along your way.

Writing groups are a priceless opportunity to meet fellow writers from different backgrounds and with diverse interests.

Google will be your best friend in finding such groups. Just type in your location and then ‘writing groups’. Facebook is also a brilliant resource for connecting with other writers in your local area and many groups will have dedicated pages there.

6. Just Start Writing

This may seem like a pretty straightforward answer, but it is very easy to talk yourself out of writing. This could be for fear of not having any ideas, struggling to get your ideas down on paper, or your writing not turning out how you first imagined.

But the danger with this is that you’ll never get started. If it’s inspiration you need, you can find it anywhere: through your day-to-day life, through your favorite book, TV show or movie. Turn an existing story on its head or tell the story of a minor character from an existing IP.

The Benefits of Writing for Fun

Organize thoughts and ideas

Especially in modern society, we have a lot to think about. Writing can be a great tool to help us organize our thoughts or see the world through a different lens.

Many writers find they make sense of the world around them through their work. It forces them to be creative and connect ideas together. This is something you can do too!

Communication

As you begin to connect ideas and stories together, you will discover new perspectives. This can support you in becoming a better communicator all around, as you’ll be more aware of the range of lenses others see the world through.

With this new awareness, comes a better understanding.

Self-reflection

Writing gives us the time and space to make sense of the world around us, as well as our own minds.

You can understand much about yourself and your thought processes by reflecting on what you’ve written, it’s all there in black and white. Our writing can reveal more about ourselves than we first thought or ever considered before.

Monetization

Once you have honed your writing skills, you may wish to research selling your work. Whether you’ve written blog posts, a novel or a screenplay, there are countless avenues you can explore.

If you are looking to pursue a writing career or to sell your work, make sure you have a strong portfolio to draw from. You’ll also need to revisit and revise your work to make sure it’s the best it can possibly be.

Related Celtx Blog: How Much To Charge to Write a Script [By Script Type]

Promote yourself on social media or seek representation from a literary agent. Or perhaps you want to start a blog to share your work and attract businesses to sponsor you or advertise on your site.

You can also apply to writer positions such as copy or content writers, or perhaps you’d like to go freelance on a platform like Fiverr. There are so many opportunities ready and waiting!

Helpful Writing Tools

Dedicated pen and paper.

Ready yourself a notebook and pen specifically for your writing. That way everything is in one place and easily accessible. If you prefer to write on different pieces of paper, find a file or folder to keep everything in.

If you prefer to use technology, create a specific folder on your computer to store all your files in. Use free writing tools like Google Docs to write with or purchase a word processor like Microsoft Word.

If like us, screenplays are your speciality, try out a screenwriting software !

Support Tools

Nothing should stop you from being your most creative self. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting can be a frustrating part of writing, so make sure to utilize online and downloadable tools, many of which are free or have free account options!

Here are some of our recommendations:

• Celtx Screenwriting Software (for the screenwriters!)
• Grammarly (spelling and grammar check program)
• Clippings.me (a portfolio to share your work with the world)
• Google Docs (free word processing tool)
• Google Drive (free cloud-based storage solution for your writing files)
• Stayfocsd ( Chrome extension to keep you, well, focused!)

There we have it! We hope we’ve opened your eyes to the joys and benefits of writing as a hobby. The most important thing is to get started and let your imagination lead the way.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Natasha is a UK-based freelance screenwriter and script editor with a love for sci-fi. In 2022 she recently placed in the Screenwriters' Network Short Film Screenplay Competition and the Golden Short Film Festivals. When not at her desk, you'll find her at the theater, or walking around the English countryside (even in the notorious British weather)

View all posts

You may also like

What is a slugline definition & examples, character arc essentials: transforming characters from good to..., how to format dialogue in screenplays: rules you..., how to write a tv show (a true..., spec scripts uncovered: what they are and why..., what is third person point of view in....

Features and Solutions

• Email Marketing
• Landing Pages
• Grow Your Audience
• Increase Your Reach
• Make More Sales
• Improve Your Writing & Design
• Customer Playbooks

How to create a blog content strategy in 4 steps

By rhonda bradley may 16, 2024.

Who doesn’t want more traffic, quality leads, and sales to their blog? 

The answer might surprise you.

More than 60% of marketers do not have a documented blog content strategy. Yet without one, their chances of success drop dramatically.

A blog content strategy is a written plan that guides content creation, publication, and distribution. It saves you time and energy, ensures that you stay on track with your goals, and guarantees that providing value to your target audience remains a priority.

Find out how to achieve your content marketing goals faster with our step-by-step process for creating a blog strategy below.

Key elements of a blog content strategy

A blog content strategy is a roadmap that guides your blog SEO strategy, content topics, themes, writing, scheduling, and promotional efforts.

A successful blog content strategy includes:

• A detailed description of your target audience
• Crystal-clear goals and KPIs
• Keyword and topic planning
• Timeline and content calendar
• Repurposing and promotional strategy
• A plan for maintaining content quality and consistency

A thoughtfully written strategy helps you drive the right kind of traffic to your blog, provide valuable content to your readers, and generate high-quality leads (or sales) for your business.

Taking the time to document your blog content strategy gives you an edge over the competition since most of your competitors probably don’t have one. 

More than 60% of B2B and B2C marketers “wing it” without a written strategy.

These steps will help you choose the right content for your blog and form a plan to publish, promote, and improve upon your content as you grow.

Step 1: Define your target audience and marketing goals

Defining your target audience and goals gives you the information you need to conduct effective keyword research and plan content themes for your blog.

How to define your target audience:

• Conduct audience research.
• Identify your target reader.
• List your readers’ pain points.
• Learn what type of content engages your readers.

Festoon House owner Matt Little, who manages content for his company’s blog, says that audience research is the key to a successful blog strategy. “I always start by researching and understanding who our audiences are, what they are interested in, and what problems they are trying to solve.”

“Remember, content is king, but the audience is the kingdom. Cater to them, and you’ll build a loyal following.” – Matt Little, Owner, Festoon House

How to define marketing goals for your blog

Before you invest time and resources into blogging, make a prioritized list of your blog’s marketing goals.

What are the top goals for your blog ?

Let’s assume the primary objective of any business blog is to provide valuable content to a target audience. Marketing goals are a separate entity. 

👉 Marketing goals = What’s in it for you? 👈

Some of the most popular blog marketing goals are:

• Drive traffic to your website
• Generate leads
• Increase revenue
• Establish authority in your industry
• Increase brand awareness

Most blogs have several marketing goals. However, it’s important to prioritize them for your content marketing strategy . 

What KPIs should you track for blogs?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are insights that allow you to measure progress toward your content marketing goals.

If you’re new to KPIs and analytics, here are a few tips to help you get started.

How to measure the success of your blog:

Search traffic: Impressions, traffic, SERP position, click-through rate

Leads and conversions: Conversion rate, leads generated, revenue

Reader engagement: Bounce rate, average time on page, pages per session, social shares, scroll depth, returning visitors

Step 2: Conduct SEO keyword research

Keyword research helps you optimize your blog for search engines and develop relevant and valuable content for your audience.

Here’s a 4-step process for simple SEO keyword research.

A) Brainstorm relevant phrases and topics

Make a list of the phrases and keywords you think might be a good match for your audience.

Instead of simply copying ideas from your competitors, turn to your target audience for help brainstorming keywords that will attract quality readers.

Content and SEO manager Aleksa Filipovic recommends forging your own path when it comes to developing topic ideas. His blog on Measureschool has tripled its traffic over the past two years and now has 80,000 monthly readers.

“Turn to your target audience. Create surveys, look in online groups and communities, find out what your target audience is struggling with, and be the one with the answer. That way, you’ll find topics that can be covered and have no competition yet.” – Aleksa Filipovic, Content & SEO Mgr, Measureschool

B) Conduct keyword and search intent research

Create a keyword database in Excel or Google Sheets where you will list the results of your keyword research. 

Use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner or SEMRush to investigate your list of relevant words and phrases. Look for low- or medium-competition keywords with a fair or decent amount of traffic. 

When asked for her best tip on content marketing strategy, ButterflyMX Content Manager Katie Kistler stressed the importance of keyword research.

“ Using tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, or even the Google search engine results pages to source topics and keywords that your potential customers are looking for,” she explained, “is the most reliable way to create a high-performing blog quickly. ”

C) Conduct search intent research

Before you add a keyword to your database, take a moment to ensure that your interpretation of it aligns with what searchers are looking for when they type it into Google Search.

The simplest way to do this is to drop the keyword into Google Search and view the results. 

If the results produce informational resources (such as blog articles and guides) for a similar audience, you can add the keyword to your list. For example, people searching for “red sneakers” usually want to shop for shoes, not read a blog post about them. 

If the search intent doesn’t match, take a moment to experiment with more refined keywords.

For example, a quick search on “How to wear red sneakers” produces fashion tips, which is ideal if your blog post is about red sneaker fashion.

As you choose keywords for your blog, consider your niche and try to narrow your phrases to fit a more specific audience . This will help you reach the right people and give you a better chance of ranking well on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

D) Choose the main keywords you’d like your blog to rank for

You’ll use your top keywords to create “pillar” style articles that act as a main guide for a broad topic. 

All of your other blog articles will link to one related pillar article.

This pillar content approach is not required, but it’s very helpful to your SEO strategy.

Step 3: Create a blog content calendar and timeline

Now that you’ve created a keyword database, you can begin planning your blog’s content.

A) Create a content timeline

A content timeline outlines the themes you’ll use throughout the year, such as:

• Holiday and seasonal campaigns
• Company marketing campaigns
• Upcoming events
• Content that resonates with your audience at certain times of the year

For example, the (fictitious) Red Hot Shoes company might create a timeline like this:

Month 1: February (Focus: Valentine’s Day & Comfort)

• Posts: Styling tips for creating romantic red shoe looks, gift guide featuring red shoes, history of red shoes in fashion and romance.
• Posts: Highlight red slippers, sneakers, or boots; perfect for lounging at home, tips for keeping red shoes clean and comfortable.

Month 2: March (Focus: Spring & Awareness)

• Posts: Showcase new spring shoe collections with a focus on red colors, tips for transitioning your wardrobe to spring featuring red shoes.
• Posts: Partner with influencers or customers to share stories about how red shoes boost confidence, launch a user-generated content contest featuring red shoes.

B) Create a content calendar

Content calendars help keep you and your team on track.

• Decide how often you’ll publish.
• Plan your blog posts for the next four weeks and put them in your calendar.

Here’s an example of a simple blog content calendar created with Google Sheets:

Avoid planning content more than 4-6 weeks in advance. This gives you the creative freedom to adjust after viewing your blog metrics or reacting to industry updates that could affect audience sentiment.

For example, if a major political figure suddenly goes viral for wearing red sneakers, you would need to consider how that might affect your approach to content.

Step 4: Create a blog repurposing strategy

The days of pushing out massive amounts of blog content, regardless of quality, are gone. 

Instead of forcing yourself or your team to produce volume over value, focus on publishing high-quality content at a steady pace that works well for everyone .

Then, repurpose your blog content so you can use it to the fullest extent!

High-value blog posts are packed with gems such as stories, statistics, quotes, and lists. 

You can pull these valuable snippets from your posts to create more content and promote your blog on social media and in newsletters.

11 ways to repurpose high-quality blog posts

• Social media image posts
• Social media Stories
• Social media video shorts
• Infographics
• Email newsletters

How to drive traffic to your blog

Repurposing blog posts using the tips above will handle most of the heavy lifting when it comes to driving traffic to your blog. All you need to do is share your repurposed content on social media.

5 ways to drive more traffic to your blog posts:

• Share your repurposed blog content on social media.
• Share a preview in your email newsletter.
• Set up an automated blog newsletter so that every time you publish an article, an email goes out to your newsletter subscribers to let them know about it. 
• Run social media contests and drawings that drive people to your posts.
• Partner with influencers to promote your blog.

Additionally, you can further position yourself or your company as an industry authority, which will drive more traffic to your blog.

Creating podcasts, publishing books, conducting webinars, and forming a social group/forum are excellent ways to boost authority in your industry. 

Establish standardized blog guidelines

As you develop your content marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to consider how you’ll maintain quality and consistency over time . 

Establish your brand voice and tone

Develop brand voice guidelines and determine how you’ll optimize content for your audience.

In a recent chat with Backlinko SEO Lead Leigh McKenzie , he explained that developing an authentic brand voice is key to connecting with readers .

“Backlinko’s blog strategy is focused on nailing an authentic writing voice that resonates with readers.  As we grow our team, we tap into expertise but present it conversationally – not generic fluff.  Writing in second person or first-person plural creates an inclusive, one-on-one tone connecting our authority with readers naturally.” – Leigh McKenzie, SEO Lead, Backlinko

In the YouTube Short below, Brian Dean explains some of the ways you can optimize your content for readers. 

Dean advises creating skimmable blog posts with frontloaded value to improve your reader’s experience.

How to standardize blog quality and consistency

To consistently create high-quality content, you must standardize some elements of the blogging process.

You can achieve this by creating materials such as:

• Brand manual:  Includes information that helps writers represent and promote your company and its products, such as:
• A guide to your brand and its products, including a detailed description of your target audience and readers.
• Your company’s key differentiators and primary message(s)
• A list of competitors you do not want to link to.
• Blog article checklist: A list of the formatting, processes, and elements you expect with each blog post.
• Number of CTA’s.
• The minimum number of media, statistics, quotes, and other engaging or interactive elements required in each piece.
• Headline Capitalizer
• Blog writing guidelines
• A guide to your key blog requirements, such as formatting, SEO requirements, source and linking guidelines, and AI policies.
• Blog post templates

As you develop content standards, keep in mind that providing value to your audience is top priority. 

Chief Content Marketing Officer Ben Jacobson of Inbound Junction says blog strategists should be careful not to forget their audience when planning content.

“ There are two mistakes that I see many businesses making with their blog content strategies that really get under my skin nowadays, and these two issues are related.  One is using the blog as a pure SEO play, where getting pages to rank for keywords is the only objective.  The other is using the blog as a pure product marketing platform, where convincing readers to convert is the only objective.”

The ongoing process of blog content strategy

In this guide, we’ve covered the basics of how to create a blog content strategy.

Strategy is a fluid process that ebbs and flows with time. Don’t hesitate to change or adjust it as you view its metrics and get feedback from your audience.

For a surefire way to encourage readers to return for new blog articles, encourage them to sign up for your email newsletter. 

At AWeber, we provide you with all the email marketing tools you need to effectively promote your blog in as little time as possible. 

From automated blog newsletters to templates, AI writing assistance, and automation, we make it simpler than ever for you to nurture your audience and send more traffic to your blog.

Sign up for a free AWeber account today and begin promoting your blog without delay.

Keep reading:

Rhonda Bradley

Content Marketing Writer & Consultant

Share This Article

Get everything you need to grow your business

All the solutions you need from day one—email, unlimited landing pages, and so much more—for free. No credit card required. No time restrictions.

Leave a Comment

AWeber Communications 1100 Manor Drive Chalfont, PA 18914, USA Toll Free: +1 877-293-2371

Copyright © 1998-2024. Reproduction Strictly Prohibited. All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Anti-Spam

Kinda Frugal

17 Budget-Friendly Hobbies to Boost Your Happiness

Posted: May 27, 2024 | Last updated: May 27, 2024

Having inexpensive hobbies is a great way to occupy your mind with something positive and pass the time without spending money. It’s so easy to fall down toxic rabbit holes on social media or find ourselves aimlessly searching for some product online that will make us a little happier. Instead use your time in a creative and productive way. Who knows you might even be able to turn a profit from your favorite activity.

Whether you want to make money from an enjoyable pastime or not, consider incorporating some of these activities into your week. Your spirit and wallet will thank you.

1. Start a Podcast

The creator economy is big, but there’s still room for budding podcasters to make an impact. Choose a niche and start a YouTube podcast channel for free. To monetize the channel, you’ll need 500 subscribers, 3,000 public watch hours within 12 months (or 3 million shorts in 90 days), and three uploads within 90 days. The most profitable niche is finance, but choosing a niche of interest is essential, or you may lose motivation.

2. Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a creative and low-cost hobby with no limitations other than your imagination. A scrapbook can be a book, album, card, or box. You can even create a “vision” scrapbook instead of a vision board. Fill the scrapbook with personal memorabilia and photos. Alternatively, collect free magazines from friends and family and cut out pictures to create a vision scrapbook for the future.

3. Upcycle Furniture

Have you got some ratty old furniture in the garage waiting to be recycled? If so, why not get out the sanding paper and some chalk paint and recycle it yourself? There’s a demand for quality upcycled furniture, and it can be profitable if you do a good job.

Running is an excellent way to get fit and reduce stress. Apart from a decent pair of running shoes, the cost is minimal. Get out into nature, jog around the local park, or join a running group and meet new friends. It’s a fabulous hobby that can become pleasantly addictive (have you ever heard of the runner’s high?) as you start to get fit.

5. Yoga or Pilates

Perhaps you prefer a less vigorous activity. If that’s the case, why not try gentle yoga or pilates? Classes can be expensive, but hundreds of free YouTube channels have beginner workouts. Yoga and pilates work on the body and are great activities for calming the mind and reducing stress.

6. Birdwatching

You might be surprised at the variety of birds in your neighborhood. While it helps to have a pair of binoculars to observe shy feathered friends, it’s not absolutely necessary. If you want binoculars, visit a pawn shop or thrift store for a reasonable price. Grab a book about birds, head into nature, and see how many birds you can spot. It’s a delightful meditative practice, and you can amaze your friends with your birdy knowledge.

7. Start a Blog

You can start a blog 100% free with a platform like WordPress. Decide what you’d like to write about and get started. Blogging can get your thoughts out of your head, share expertise, and even make money if you get good at it.

8. Learn a New Language

Learning a new language can be challenging, but you get an incredible sense of achievement once you can speak at a conversational level. Perhaps you have planned a holiday abroad; why not commit to learning the language before you go? If you download a language app, start with the basics, such as learning everyday words.

Hiking is a fantastic, low-impact way to get fit and explore your surroundings. It’s one of the best outdoor, low-budget hobbies. All you need is a stout pair of boots and socks, and you can head out to the great outdoors. For additional fun, join a local walking group or convince family and friends to join you on a hike.

10. Start a Handicraft

If you enjoy doing things with your hands, you might love knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, or embroidery. Handicraft is a relaxing hobby that doesn’t cost much to start. You may even find suitable materials at a thrift store for considerably less than in a specialized craft store. These materials may also be available at an online auction site for a decent price.

11. Explore Art

A creative hobby transports you from everyday life into a magical world of vibrant color and unlimited imagination. Choose from oils, watercolors, acrylics, or mixed media. With some exploration, you will find your preferred art media. YouTube has hundreds of free tutorials on every imaginable artistic pursuit. Oils and acrylics are more expensive and trickier, but watercolors are so forgiving they allow for beginner errors.

12. Volunteer

Volunteering can become a rewarding hobby if you choose a charity genre that interests you. For example, volunteer at an animal charity or a wildlife center if you love pets. They always need help with the animals, such as feeding, exercising, cleaning out kennels and stalls, or raising vital funds.

13. Wild Swimming

Wild swimming has become very popular over the last few years. If your idea of heaven is jumping into a cold lake with like-minded brave souls, wild swimming might be a hobby for you. Find an organized group with a leader who is happy to provide safe swimming instruction.

14. Nature Photography

Although you might think you need a top-notch camera to capture nature, it’s unnecessary. Smartphone cameras have improved so much that you can take great one-click photographs of wildlife and nature. If you’re good at nature photography, there’s a market for selling online stock photographs like Shutterstock.

15. Train/Plane Spotting

These are eclectic pastimes for amateur hobbyists. You might like watching different trains or documenting engine numbers or train names. Some trainspotters like collecting tickets, monitoring train brands, and visiting different tracks and stations. You probably won’t know what aspects of trainspotting you’ll enjoy until you start.

If you live near a major airport, plane spotting is another hobby that doesn’t cost much. People take pictures of planes that come in for their types, airlines, or livery. Like trainspotting, it’s an interesting way to spend a couple of hours.

16. Foraging

Foraging can be an exciting hobby if you want to know what berries, mushrooms, and plants you can eat. It’s a delightful way to connect with nature and potentially discover dozens of wild edibles in your area. Before starting, however, gather as much research as possible by taking a course, buying a book, watching videos, and talking to expert foragers. You don’t want to eat the wrong mushroom or plant.

17. Creative Writing

Have you always considered yourself the next J.K. Rowling? If so, creative writing is a fun hobby that you can do for free. Let your imagination run riot and see what appears on the pages. If you’re brave, you could even self-publish a Kindle or paperback version of your story on Amazon. Some websites allow writers to publish and receive reviews on their work. Alternatively, simply enjoy the creative writing process as time out for yourself.

15 Activities Now Out of Reach Amid Economic Price Surge

In this era of profound social division and discord, one thing everyone can agree on is worsening conditions for healthy personal finance. Whether it’s the dream of homeownership, the goal of building a robust investment portfolio, or simply affording necessities like food, individuals across the spectrum struggle to overcome the decline in their financial well-being due to economic changes.

• Read More: 15 Activities Now Out of Reach Amid Economic Price Surge

15 Smart Tips for Living Well on a Strict Budget

In today’s economy, strict budgeting has become a reality for many, sometimes involuntarily. With fast fashion and rapidly changing trends, temptations are on the rise. Mastering a budgeting mindset can empower a person to manage their finances responsibly. It’s a step towards achieving self-fulfillment while leaving room for some fun.

• Read More: 15 Smart Tips for Living Well on a Strict Budget

More for You

George Conway Wants Court Win for Donald Trump

This Subtle Form of Cheating Could Be Why You're Not Happy in Your Relationship

Caitlin Clark Makes WNBA History In Latest Indiana Fever Loss

These 'Essential 8' habits slowed biological aging significantly, study shows

I Can't Help But Laugh At These 15 People Who Had To Learn Lessons The Hard Way

The 20 most popular types of guard dogs in America

North Korean rocket carrying military satellite explodes after launch, crashes into sea

Las Vegas 'Aliens' Video: What We Know

Shaquille O'Neal's Emotional Tribute to Bill Walton Moves NBA Fans

46% of divorced couples say this was the No. 1 conflict in their relationship—and it isn't money

25 Things You Should Never Do With Your Money

The Loneliness of the American Worker

Man lives debt-free in cob home that only cost $200 to build: ‘It’s just beautiful’

The 60 most beautiful cars ever made

Fact Check: There's More to an Image Allegedly Showing Astronauts Not Wearing Helmets on the Moon Than Meets the Eye

Nonnative Lizard Seen Strolling in Florida: It's 'Huge'

Bronny James Narrows Preferred NBA Landing Spots to Two Teams

Older Adults Reveal The Things They're Simply "Getting Too Old" To Deal With Anymore

Think tank says Alito misconstrued its research in SC gerrymander case

How 'Ozempic face’ is altering the way people look

Hopscotch Game Rules and Creative Ideas for Play

Rebekah Pierce

Remember those sunny afternoons spent outdoors, hopping on one foot from square to square, balancing with arms outstretched, and feeling the sheer exhilaration of landing that final jump?

Hopscotch isn’t just a game—it’s a portal to a simpler, joy-filled time.

Whether you’re a parent eager to introduce your child to this classic pastime, or an educator looking for fun, engaging ways to encourage physical activity, hopscotch is the perfect jumpstart (literally).

If you’re curious about how to play hopscotch, this guide is for you.

So, lace up your sneakers and grab some chalk—let’s dive into the timeless joy of hopscotch!

• What Is Hopscotch? 

Additional Tips for Setting Up Your Hopscotch Grid

Things you should know before you start, how to play old-school hopscotch, unique hopscotch game variations, what is hopscotch.

Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock.com

Hopscotch is both simple and magical.

At its core, it’s a playground game that involves tossing a small object onto a numbered pattern of rectangles drawn or etched on the ground, then hopping or jumping through the spaces to retrieve the object. The objective is to complete the course without stepping on the lines or missing a square.

Hopscotch has a rich history that dates back to ancient times. The game is believed to have originated in Roman Britain, where soldiers created courses over 100 feet long to improve their footwork and endurance.

The name “hopscotch” itself comes from the Old English word “hoppe,” meaning to jump, and “scotch,” meaning to scratch or score. Over centuries, hopscotch evolved into various forms and spread across different cultures, each adding its unique twist to the game.

What is the Traditional Layout of Hopscotch?

misfire_studio/Shutterstock.com

The classic hopscotch layout is a series of numbered squares or rectangles arranged in a specific sequence. Here’s how you can draw it.

There are only two materials you’ll need: chalk (for outdoor play) or masking tape (for indoor play).

The first step is to find a flat, smooth surface where you can draw your hopscotch grid. Sidewalks, driveways, and gym floors are all excellent choices. The key is to ensure the surface is even, free of obstructions and safe for jumping.

Now, let’s dive into drawing the hopscotch layout:

• Square 1 : Start by drawing a square directly in front of the starting point, which serves as the beginning of the game.
• Squares 2 and 3 : Draw two squares side by side, directly above Square 1.
• Square 4 : Place this square directly above Squares 2 and 3.
• Squares 5 and 6 : Again, draw two squares side by side, directly above Square 4.
• Square 7 : Place this square directly above Squares 5 and 6.
• Squares 8 and 9 : Draw these two squares side by side, directly above Square 7.
• Square 10 : This square goes at the top and is sometimes labeled as “Home” or “Safe.”

Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock.com

Here are a few insider tips on setting up your hopscotch grid (this way, you won’t find yourself having to redraw it halfway through or deal with the “she broke the rules!” meltdowns):

• Numbering : Use clear, bold numbers to mark each square from 1 to 10. This helps players easily identify the sequence.
• Square Size : Make sure each square is large enough for a child’s foot to comfortably fit inside. Typically, squares are about 1 foot by 1 foot, but you can adjust based on the available space and the players’ sizes.
• Spacing : Maintain consistent spacing between the squares. This ensures the game is fair and enjoyable for everyone.
• Decoration: Feel free to add some creative flair! Use colorful chalk or tape to make the grid more inviting. You can also decorate the surrounding area with additional designs or themes.

Still not sure how to play hopscotch? Here’s a quick YouTube video that will walk you through the steps. Or should we say, the jumps?

Hopscotch is not only a fun game but also a great way for children to develop balance, coordination, and motor skills. You can easily create a perfect hopscotch layout and ensure endless hours of entertainment. So, grab your chalk or masking tape and start drawing your hopscotch grid!

Tatevosian Yana/Shutterstock.com

Before you embark on a fun-filled game of hopscotch, here are some essential tips and tricks to make sure you hop, skip, and jump your way to victory with style and finesse.

Understand and Review the Basics

As we’ve already discussed, hopscotch is a classic sidewalk game that involves hopping through a series of numbered squares while following a set pattern. The goal is to complete the course without stepping on the lines or losing your balance.

Before you start, familiarize yourself with the basic rules and layout of the hopscotch grid to set yourself up for success. Review the rules every time you play, especially if you’re playing with little ones—this way, you can make sure everyone is on the same page.

Choose the Right Surface

The surface you play on can greatly impact your hopscotch experience. Opt for a flat, smooth area free from debris or obstacles that could trip you up during the game.

Asphalt, concrete, or tiled surfaces are ideal for a traditional hopscotch setup, ensuring a stable and safe playing environment.

Practice Your Hopping Technique

Yuricazac/Shutterstock.com

Hopping may seem straightforward, but mastering the art of hopping gracefully from square to square can take some practice. Start by warming up with gentle hops to loosen up your muscles and improve your balance.

Experiment with different hopping styles—one foot, two feet, or even fancy twists—to find what works best for you.

Strategize Your Throws

In traditional hopscotch, players toss a small marker, like a rock, stone, or beanbag, into designated squares before beginning their hopscotch journey.

Practice your throwing skills to ensure accurate placement of the marker in the right square. A well-placed throw can make navigating the course easier and more enjoyable.

Focus and Concentration

Hopscotch requires focus, concentration, and quick reflexes as you hop through the squares in sequence.

Stay alert, keep an eye on the marker, and maintain a steady rhythm to avoid missteps and complete the course successfully. Engage your mind and body in sync to enhance your hopscotch performance.

Have Fun and Get Creative

While hopscotch has its rules and structure, don’t forget to inject a dose of creativity and fun into your gameplay.

Experiment with different hopscotch variations, create your own challenges within the game, and let your imagination run wild as you hop, skip, and jump your way through the course.

Make sure your kids stay safe while having fun with the Findmykids app . Track their location in real-time and ensure they are where they’re supposed to be, whether they’re playing hopscotch or exploring the neighborhood. Download the app today for peace of mind!

How Do You Play Hopscotch? Basic Rules

san4ezz/Shutterstock.com

Ready to hop into action? Here’s a step-by-step guide to playing traditional hopscotch:

• Throw the Marker : Players take turns throwing a small object (like a stone or beanbag) onto the numbered squares in order.
• Hop Through the Course : Starting from behind the first square, hop on one foot in single squares and both feet in side-by-side squares, skipping the square with the marker.
• Retrieve the Marker : On the way back, stop at the square before the marker and balance on one foot to pick it up.
• Continue : Players continue through all the squares in ascending order. If a player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, they lose their turn.
• Winning the Game : The first player to complete the course from start to finish wins.

Old-school hopscotch follows the same basic rules but often includes variations to keep things interesting. Here are a couple of classic twists:

• “Potsy” : In some regions, players must toss their marker into each square in numerical order. The challenge lies in maintaining balance while hopping into the correct squares and nailing your tosses.
• Multiple Players : In larger groups, divide into teams and add challenges like hopping on one leg or playing with a time limit.

AlinaTuresson/Shutterstock.com

Looking to spice up the traditional game? Here are some unique variations to try:

• Alphabet Hopscotch : Instead of numbers, use letters for your hopscotch board to create a fun learning experience for younger kids. They can spell out words as they hop.
• Math Hopscotch : Turn hopscotch into an educational tool by adding math problems to each square. Players must solve the problem to advance.
• Fitness Hopscotch : Add exercises like jumping jacks or squats to certain squares on your hopscotch court to combine fun and fitness.
• Nature Hopscotch : Incorporate natural elements like leaves, sticks, or flowers into the game. Players must collect a specific item from each square.

Jumping to the Bottom Line

Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

Encourage your kids to step away from screens and engage in outdoor play . Games like hopscotch help develop motor skills, balance, and coordination. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to spend quality time together.

Hopscotch is more than just a game—it’s a gateway to physical activity, learning, and fun.

Whether you’re a parent looking to bond with your child or an educator aiming to make playtime educational, hopscotch offers endless possibilities. Don’t hesitate to get creative with the game, adding unique twists to keep it engaging.

We’d love to hear about your hopscotch adventures! Share your experiences and unique variations in the comments below, or tag us in your photos on social media. Let’s keep the hopscotch spirit alive and hopping!

Lopolo/Shutterstock.com

How do you play hopscotch?

To play hopscotch, players take turns throwing a marker onto a numbered square and then hop through the course on one foot, skipping the square with the marker. The goal is to retrieve the marker without stepping on any lines or losing balance.

What is the standard layout of the hopscotch?

The standard hopscotch layout consists of 10 numbered squares or rectangles arranged in a specific sequence: single squares (1, 4, 7, 10) and side-by-side squares (2-3, 5-6, 8-9).

What is the hopscotch pattern?

The traditional hopscotch pattern follows this order: Square 1, Squares 2 and 3 (side by side), Square 4, Squares 5 and 6 (side by side), Square 7, Squares 8 and 9 (side by side), and Square 10 at the top.

What is the original hopscotch?

The original hopscotch dates back to Roman Britain, where soldiers used it as a training exercise. The game has since evolved, with various cultures adding their unique twists, but the core mechanics of hopping through numbered squares remain the same.

The picture on the front page: Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock.com

It’s always a good idea to have a few rainy-day activities up your sleeve. Whether…

Memory games for kids are a great way to help your children improve their memories…

When the weather is warm and the sun is shining, it’s a great time to…

Subscribe now!

Glad you've joined us🎉🎉.

Morning Rundown: Why 'All Eyes on Rafah' is all over Instagram, a mosquito-borne virus threatens the U.S., and the MLB record gets a historic update

Highlights: Closing arguments wrap in Trump hush money trial

What to know about the hush money trial.

• Prosecutors finished delivering their closing statements in the trial shortly before 8 p.m. Former President Donald Trump's lawyers presented their arguments this morning .
• Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who spoke for more than four hours, argued that Trump falsified business records to cover up what was essentially an illegal campaign contribution meant to help him get elected in 2016.
• Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an alleged affair with Trump. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
• Court adjourned for the day at 8 p.m. and will resume at 10 a.m., when the judge will give instructions to the jury before it begins deliberations.

Judge lays out timeline for the rest of the week

Gary Grumbach

Zoë Richards

Tomorrow's trial proceedings are expected to get underway at 10 a.m., instead of the regular 9:30 a.m., with Judge Juan Merchan saying he expects jury instructions to last about an hour.

After that, the case will be in the hands of the jury.

Merchan said tomorrow's proceedings will conclude at 4:30 p.m., but he left the door open for the rest of the week, noting that if proceedings are needed on Thursday and Friday, the timing will be determined by how deliberations are progressing.

Trump makes no comments after leaving courtroom

Katherine Koretski

Trump did not make any comments as he left the Manhattan courtroom after the prosecution delivered closing arguments that went until just before 8 p.m.

Trump, who has often spoken outside the courtroom, instead raised his fist as he left.

Closing arguments are done; court to resume at 10 a.m. tomorrow

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has finished his closing argument, which began shortly after 2 p.m.

Judge Juan Merchan told jurors they will start tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Merchan told jurors that jury instructions will take around an hour before deliberations begin. He said the plan is to go until 4:30 p.m. for the day.

Prosecutor gets fired up during end of closing argument

Phil Helsel

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began accelerating and emphasizing his delivery to jurors during closing arguments with minutes to go before an 8 p.m. deadline.

Steinglass reiterated to the jurors that it is a crime to willfully create inaccurate tax forms and that Trump’s intent to defraud in this case is clear. He argued that why else would Stormy Daniels be paid in what he described as an elaborate scheme, instead of all at once.

Steinglass argued that that and other steps show Trump wanted the issue to be kept quiet until after the election.

“The name of the game was concealment,” he said.

Defense objects to prosecutor's remarks about Trump and Fifth Avenue

Jillian Frankel

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass urged the jury to hold Trump accountable, suggesting by way of analogy that he can’t shoot someone on Fifth Avenue during rush hour and get away with it.

Trump's defense team objected to the comment, which Judge Juan Merchan sustained.

Mixed level of visible engagement among jurors at this late hour

Laura Jarrett

At least one juror appears to be visibly engaged in prosecutor Joshua Steinglass’ presentation — offering an affirming smile.

Others, however, appear considerably less focused and can be seen twisting their hair and rubbing their faces.

The jury is approaching an 11-hour day at the courthouse.

Prosecutor talks about difference between reasonable doubt and certainty

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury that it does not need to evaluate each piece of evidence alone and in a vacuum but as part of a whole that he argues proves Trump’s guilt.

“You will see that the people have proven this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

During his remarks, the defense objected. Judge Juan Merchan sustained the objection.

“I’ll instruct them on the law and the evidence,” Merchan said.

Prosecutor launches into rapid-fire recap of Trump’s involvement in Daniels and McDougal stories

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is recapping all of the evidence intended to show Trump’s direct involvement in the settlements with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, beginning with an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.

A screen the prosecution displayed during closing arguments read “Mr. Trump involved every step of the way” as Steinglass went through a timeline of events.

Joshua Steinglass passes 4-hour mark in his closing arguments

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has passed the four-hour mark since he began giving the prosecution’s closing argument in Trump’s trial.

Steinglass began giving the prosecution’s closing arguments at around 2:07 p.m., but there have been several breaks since then.

Today's trial proceedings to continue until 8 p.m., judge says

After he returned to the bench, Judge Juan Merchan indicated to the attorneys that the court will push forward until 8 p.m. but will need to wrap up after that.

That would make an 11-hour day for the jury.

Last recess of the day

Judge Juan Merchan announced at 6:52 p.m. what he said will be the last recess of the day.

It's expected to last just a few minutes.

Merchan earlier said that the plan was to go until at least 7 p.m. and “finish this out if we can.”

'A bold-faced lie': Prosecutor revisits Robert Costello's testimony

Given the hour, it was initially unclear why prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began revisiting the testimony of Robert Costello , a Trump ally and lawyer who has clashed with Michael Cohen.

But the prosecution's display of an email exchange between Costello and Cohen hinted that the DA's office aims to portray Trump’s attitude toward Cohen changing only after his former attorney's compliance was in doubt, not because of anything else Cohen did.

Recounting Costello's testimony, Steinglass argued that Costello's assertion that he was acting in Cohen’s best interest and that he didn’t care at all about the defendant’s interest "was a bold-faced lie.”

‘You guys good to go a little bit longer?’ prosecutor asks, as 7 p.m. draws near

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked jurors, “You guys good to go a little bit longer?” and said “Alright!” after a bench meeting to discuss scheduling at around 6:30 p.m.

Judge Juan Merchan earlier today said the plan was to go until at least 7 p.m. and “finish this out if we can.”

Prosecutor refers to 'devastating' testimony by Hope Hicks

Given the largely chronological order of the prosecution's closing arguments, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass could be nearing the end of his remarks.

He discussed what he called Hope Hicks’ “devastating” testimony earlier in the trial, adding that she burst into tears because she realized the impact of what she had told the court.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche objected to that characterization, but Judge Juan Merchan allowed it.

Prosecutor argues Trump wanted to be 'involved in everything'

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass mocked former Trump aide Madeleine Westerhout’s testimony in which she said Trump was often so busy that sometimes he absent-mindedly signed presidential proclamations.

Steinglass, who dismissed Westerhout's remarks as a narrative Trump’s team encouraged, said that overall she gave the opposite impression — that the former president remained very attentive to outlays of his personal expenses, and that his most frequent contacts included his former attorney Michael Cohen and a former top executive of his company, Allen Weisselberg. Westerhout's testimony also conveyed that Trump continued to be the sole signatory on his own accounts, even though he easily could have added other signatories, Steinglass argued.

Trump wanted to maintain control — and “he insists on signing his own checks," Steinglass said, adding that Trump boasted about his frugality and micromanagement in his books, which Steinglass read excerpts from.

Steinglass also rejected the defense's argument that Trump was too busy to be involved in certain financial transactions.

“He’s in charge of a company for 40 years. The defendant’s entire business philosophy was to be involved in everything,” Steinglass said.

Prosecutor: Cohen's time being cross-examined exceeded his legal work for Trump in 2017

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said that Michael Cohen did very few hours of legal work for Trump on 2017, and that “these payments had nothing to do with the retainer agreement and nothing to do with services rendered in 2017.”

“Cohen spent more time being cross-examined in this trial than he did doing legal work for Donald Trump in 2017,” Steinglass said. He also told the jury that none of the Trump invoices went through the Trump Organization’s legal department because they weren’t for legal services rendered.

Steinglass also commented on how Cohen was paid pretty well, and had the title of personal attorney for the president.

“He was making way more money than any government job would ever pay, and don’t I know that,” Steinglass joked.

Some jurors cracked smiles and small laughs when Steinglass joked about government salaries compared to what Cohen was making.

Prosecutor says ‘these documents are so damning that you almost have to laugh’ at defense's argument

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury that “these documents are so damning that you almost have to laugh” at an argument presented by Trump’s defense.

Steinglass was referring to a comments by defense attorney Todd Blanche that the records were not false because, if they were false, they would have been destroyed.

Steinglass also argued that the 1099s forms on which Trump reported payments to Michael Cohen of $105,000 and $315,000 were another “unlawful means” through which the conspiracy was acted upon.

EXCLUSIVE: Elise Stefanik requests probe into Merchan's selection as judge

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., issued a complaint letter today to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and an inspector general for the New York State Unified Court System, requesting an investigation into Judge Juan Merchan’s selection to preside over Trump’s hush money case.

Stefanik pointed to Merchan’s role as presiding judge for a pair of other cases related to Trump and his allies, saying, “The probability of three specific criminal cases being assigned to the same justice is infinitesimally small.”

“One cannot help but suspect that the ‘random selection’ at work in the assignment of Acting Justice Merchan, a Democrat Party donor, to these cases involving prominent Republicans, is in fact not random at all,” Stefanik wrote. “The simple answer to why Acting Justice Merchan has been assigned to these cases would seem to be that whoever made the assignment intentionally selected Acting Justice Merchan to handle them to increase the chance that Donald Trump, the Trump Organization, and Steven Bannon would ultimately be convicted.”

The letter marks a continued effort by Trump allies to attack people involved with the case by filing complaints. The board overseeing the judges has made clear that Merchan didn’t need to recuse himself over issues that some of his critics have called a conflict of interest.

Trump posts on Truth Social during break in courtroom action

Vaughn Hillyard

During the court's roughly 20-minute break, Trump on his Truth Social platform disparaged the proceedings as "boring" and a " filibuster ."

Trump's Truth Social account has been active today with posts referring to his criminal trial and the closing arguments, which have continued as the prosecution continues its argument into this evening.

Judge says closing arguments to continue into the evening

Adam Edelman

Judge Juan Merchan announced a short courtroom break and said the plan is to go until at least 7 p.m. and "finish this out if we can."

“I was watching the jurors, they look pretty alert to me. I don’t think we’re losing anyone. So I think right now we’re going to try to finish this out if we can," he told the attorneys.

“Let’s see what we can do," Merchan continued, adding that they will revisit the timeline at 7 p.m.

Prosecutor argues Trump didn't sign confidentiality agreement for a reason

Kyla Guilfoil

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass tried to turn one of defense attorney Todd Blanche’s better arguments on its head.

Steinglass said that Trump didn’t sign the agreement because that was the point: The agreement was no less enforceable without his signature.

The timing of the payment on Oct. 27, 2016, Steinglass argued, further showed that Trump's primary concern was not his family but the election.

Prosecutor seems to say for first time there were 2 calls between Cohen and Weisselberg in late October 2016

Rebecca Shabad is in Washington, D.C.

Joshua Steinglass mentioned that in the phone records they have, prosecutors saw six calls between Michael Cohen and Allen Weisselberg over three years, two of which were in late October 2016, right before the Stormy Daniels deal was reached.

This appears to be the first time the calls have been mentioned in the case.

Steinglass also emphasized that Trump and Cohen spoke twice on the morning of Oct. 26, 2016, right before Cohen went to First Republic to submit paperwork to open his new account and to send the wire transfer to Keith Davidson on Daniels’ behalf.

Prosecutor walks through Michael Cohen's bank papers

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is now going through the false claims and omissions in former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s paperwork to First Republic to open an account in the name of his new LLC.

Those forms could serve as the “unlawful means” through which the alleged conspiracy to promote Trump’s election was acted on.

Prosecutor: Stormy Daniels' testimony shows Trump was 'not just words'

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is going at Trump now, referring to Story Daniels' testimony to argue that Trump is "not just words."

"Stormy Daniels was a walking, talking reminder that Trump was not just words" at a time when Trump was trying to distinguish between his words and the actions of both Clintons, Steinglass said.

He also noted that Daniels' story got little to no traction until the day after the "Access Hollywood" tape became national news, with phone traffic exploding among Keith Davidson, Dylan Howard, Michael Cohen and Trump.

Prosecutor describes ramifications of the 'Access Hollywood' tape

After a brief break, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass resumed his closing argument by describing the "Access Hollywood" tape, which multiple witnesses during the trial described as catastrophic for Trump's 2016 campaign.

Steinglass said the tape eclipsed coverage of a Category 4 hurricane, according to Hope Hicks; debate prep at Trump Tower was disrupted as campaign leadership discussed how to respond; and elected Republicans raced to disavow Trump's comments on the tape, with some withdrawing their endorsements.

Trump aide Madeleine Westerhout testified that senior Republican National Committee officials were even discussing dropping Trump from the 2016 ticket, Steinglass said.

“The video was vulgar, to say the least," he added.

Prosecution's closing arguments are one-third of the way done

Asked by Judge Juan Merchan "how much longer" the prosecution's closing arguments would take, Joshua Steinglass replied that there was still a lot to get through.

"We’re about a third of the way through," he said.

The prosecution's closing arguments began today shortly before 2:15 p.m.

Prosecutor says Cohen-Trump call shows effort to influence 2016 election

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jurors that it's their decision what the tape between Michael Cohen and Trump from Sept. 6, 2016, said.

Steinglass said it showed Trump suggested paying in cash — whether it means no financing, lump sum, it doesn’t matter, he said. Steinglass said they were trying to take steps that would not get noticed.

“This tape unequivocally shows a presidential candidate actively engaging in a scheme to influence the election," Steinglass said.

Prosecutor defends Michael Cohen's phone records

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is making arguments to defend Michael Cohen's phone records after the defense questioned their integrity.

Steinglass said that Cohen had no idea the Manhattan district attorney's office would ask for phone records again in January of last year, and there would be no conceivable reason for him to delete evidence of a crime he’d already been convicted and served time for.

Prosecution using graphics to illustrate points during closing arguments

The graphics that the Manhattan district attorney's team is using during their summation are high-tech and modern.

In presenting them, prosecutors are isolating certain calls and using zoom functions to highlight them. The graphics offer a clean and accessible way for the attorneys to illustrate their points to the jury.

Prosecutor: Call between David Pecker and Trump makes it 'impossible' to claim Cohen acted independently

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass discussed a call between David Pecker and Trump in which Pecker apprised him that Michael Cohen had told Trump about Karen McDougal coming forward.

"This call makes it impossible for the defense to claim that Cohen was acting on his own here," Steinglass said.

He said the transaction was an unlawful corporate contribution to the Trump campaign — and not only did Trump know about it, Steinglass said, but he participated as well.

Prosecutor details Karen McDougal catch-and-kill scheme

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is going through the Karen McDougal catch-and-kill scheme in minute detail — call by call, text by text and day by day.

Virtually no testimony is needed to illustrate the negotiations — and to the extent that testimony is used, it’s not from key witness and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. It's from David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer.

Analysis: Steinglass pokes hole in defense's argument around National Enquirer

Steinglass makes a very good point about the Dino Sajuddin story and corresponding payment.

Sajuddin is the former Trump Tower doorman who claims Trump fathered a child out of wedlock, a claim the former president has denied.

Given that everyone believed Sajuddin's claim to be false, purchasing the story was not something David Pecker did because of his fiduciary duty to shareholders; there was no reason to do it other than to benefit the 2016 Trump campaign.

Steinglass calls 2015 meeting at Trump Tower a 'subversion of democracy'

Steinglass characterized a meeting at Trump Tower almost a decade ago as a “subversion of democracy.”

He said the entire purpose of the August 2015 meeting was to “pull the wool over [voters’] eyes” before they made their decisions.

He also pointed out that while NDAs are not unlawful, nor are contracts illegal, a contract to kill your wife is illegal, and therefore an NDA designed to prevent certain information from becoming public during a political campaign is also illegal.

Steinglass tells jurors to think of Cohen as a 'tour guide'

Daniel Arkin

Trump's lawyers repeatedly attempted to make Cohen's trustworthiness and motives a focal point of the trial — a strategy that Steinglass flat-out rejected in his summations. "This case is not about Michael Cohen," Steinglass told the jury. "This case is about Donald Trump."

Steinglass encouraged the jury to instead think of Cohen as a "tour guide" through the evidence introduced during the proceedings, including what the state has presented as falsified business records aimed at covering up an election law violation. Cohen, according to Steinglass, "provides context and color to the documents" — but he is not the trial's main character.

Steinglass begins touching on campaign finance violations

Steinglass is teasing the crux of the prosecution’s argument, saying, “Once money starts changing hands on behalf of the campaign, that’s election law — that’s federal election campaign finance violation.”

“We’ll get back to that,” he adds.

Prosecution argues there is a 'mountain of evidence' against Trump

Steinglass is fighting back against the defense's rhetoric that the only evidence in this case came from Michael Cohen's testimony.

The prosecutor told the jury that Judge Merchan will say Cohen is an accomplice because he participated in these crimes, but you cannot convict Trump on Cohen’s word alone — unless there is corroborating evidence.

Steinglass said that there is a mountain of evidence in the case, saying "it’s difficult to conceive of a case with more corroboration than this one.”

Steinglass looks to counter questions on details of Cohen's stories

Steinglass is now using an imaginary conversation to explain Cohen’s retelling of some of the stories or dates he’d recounted to the jury that Trump’s lawyers had questioned.

“These guys know each other well, they speak in code. A better explanation is that Cohen could have gotten the time and place of the call wrong. This is one date in many, he spoke to the defendant 20 times in the month of October,” Steinglass said.

“Let’s say you had dinner at a restaurant with an old friend and the friend says they were getting married. Later you find a receipt and think that was the night they told you they were getting married, but found out the friend was actually in California on that night. That does not mean that you are lying about the fact that you had dinner with the friend or about the fact that your friend told you they were getting married,” Steinglass said.

Steinglass: We didn't pick Cohen at the 'witness store'

Steinglass is forcefully pushing back on the Trump team's attempts to tarnish Cohen's character and motives, reminding the jury that the ex-fixer was once a valued member of the former president's inner circle: "We didn't choose Michael Cohen. We didn't pick him up at the witness store. Mr. Trump chose Mr. Cohen for the same qualities his attorneys now urge you to reject."

Cohen's top quality was loyalty to his former boss, Steinglass said. Cohen was "drawn to the defendant like a moth to a flame, and he wasn't the only one. David Pecker saw Mr. Trump as a mentor; Mr. Trump saw David Pecker as a useful tool."

On Trump attacks on Cohen: 'That is what some people might call chutzpah'

Steinglass is explaining that Cohen had lied at Trump’s direction and that Trump was now using those lies to harm Cohen’s credibility in the trial.

“The defense also tells you you should reject his testimony because he lied and took pleas in federal court. He has had some trouble accepting responsibility,” Steinglass said. “For bank fraud conviction and his tax law violation, he said he admitted to you that he did the things. He pleaded guilty.”

“He feels like he was treated unfairly and as a first offender he should have been able to pay a fine and back taxes and he believes the Trump Justice Department did him dirty. Whether that is true or not, he accepted responsibility and went to prison for it,” Steinglass added.

“You should consider all of this for his credibility” he continued. “The lies he told to Congress had to do with the Mueller investigation and the Russia probe, and what he lied about was the number of dealings the defendant had with Russia, and the only benefit was he stayed in the defendant’s good graces.”

“Those lies that he told are being used by the same defendant to undermine his credibility,” Steinglass said. 

“That is what some people might call chutzpah,” he added, using a Yiddish word meaning audacity.

Prosecution is careful to repeatedly call Trump 'the defendent'

There’s subtle but notable rhetorical move happening in this closing by the prosecution.

Steinglass is repeatedly referring to Trump as “the defendant” instead of “Mr. Trump” or “the former president.” This contrasts greatly from the defense's language, as Trump's lawyers almost always refer to him as "the president."

It will be important to watch for Steinglass to argue at some point that no one is above the law, even the former president of the United States -- something we’ve seen other state and federal prosecutors say about Trump over the last year.

Steinglass focuses on inconsistencies in defense argument

Steinglass zeroed in on an example of what the prosecution considers an inconsistency in the defense team's case. He told the jury that if the $420,000 payment for Cohen was for legal services, as the defense argued, Cohen could not have stolen $60,000 from the Trump Organization, as the defense also argued. It's either one or the other, the prosecutor argues — not both.

Steinglass: 'I'm not asking you to feel bad for Michael Cohen'

Steinglass is trying to reason with the jury, telling the jurors that they don't need to feel bad for Cohen, but they should understand where Cohen is coming from.

“I am not asking you to feel bad for Michael Cohen. He made his bed," Steinglass said.

“But you can hardly blame him that he’s making money for the one thing he has left," he added, referencing Cohen's knowledge of the inner workings of the Trump organization.

Steinglass admits that Daniels’ testimony was “messy” — but 'Stormy Daniels is the motive'

Steinglass is laying out how “the defense has gone to great lengths to shame Stormy Daniels, saying that she changed her story” but adds that “her false denials have been thoroughly discussed and explained.”

“She lived 2017 in pure silence, Michael Cohen came out and said sex never happened” and Daniels “felt compelled to set the record straight,” he said.

Steinglass said that “parts of her testimony” were “cringeworthy” and “uncomfortable.”

But details like “what the suite” at Harrah’s “looked like” and how the toiletry bag appeared “ring true.”

“They’re the kind of details you’d expect someone to remember,” Steinglass explained, adding that, “fortunately, she was not asked or did she volunteer specific details of the sexual act itself.”

“It certainly is true you don’t have to prove that sex took place — that is not an element of the crime, the defendant knew what happened and reinforces the incentive to buy her silence,” explained Steinglass.

“Her story is messy,” he said. “But that’s kind of the point. That’s the display the defendant didn’t want the American voter to see.”

“If her testimony were so irrelevant, why did they work so hard to discredit her?” he added. “In the simplest terms, Stormy Daniels is the motive.”

Steinglass undercuts defense argument that Trump was totally in the dark on Daniels payment

Steinglass displayed quotes from one of the state's exhibits: a phone call in which Cohen — well before he started cooperating with prosecutors — tells Davidson that Trump hates the fact that his team settled with Daniels.

The quotes undercut the defense team's insistence that Trump knew nothing about the hush money payments to Daniels.

Steinglass to jury: You don't need to believe Cohen to find there was a conspiracy

Steinglass defended the state's witnesses against the Trump team's accusations of lying, but he added that the jury does not necessarily need to believe every word of Cohen's testimony to find that there was a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the 2016 election.

"You don’t need Michael Cohen to prove that one bit," Steinglass said, referring to the state's accusation of a conspiracy.

He added that Hope Hicks, Rhona Graff, Madeleine Westerhout, Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff were all witnesses who like Trump but confirmed Cohen's testimony.

Steinglass: 'You don't get to commit election fraud or falsify your business records'

Steinglass is appealing to the jury by explaining to them that it doesn't really matter why Trump broke the law, as long as they feel he did break the law. The argument appears to be a response to the claim by Blanche, during his own closing arguments, that Stormy Daniels had attempted to extort Trump.

"In the end it doesn’t really matter, because you don't get to commit election fraud or falsify your business records because you think you’ve been victimized," he said.

"In other words, extortion is not a defense for falsifying business records," he added.

"You've got to use your common sense, here," Steinglass continued. "Consider the utterly damning testimony of David Pecker."

Steinglass rebuts defense arguments about phone records

"The defense seems to be questioning our integrity,” Steinglass told the jury near the top of his summation.

But, he argued, it was the defense that didn't properly depict phone records.

The call summaries were made to help guide you, the prosecutor explained to the jury. The phone records are all in evidence and you can look through them at your leisure, he added.

It’s also an interesting accusation, Steinglass points out, given that the defense’s summary of calls between Cohen and Costello double-counts their calls. He also reminds them that not every phone call is accounted for in their phone records. Cohen had 11 phone numbers for Trump; they had records corresponding to two of them.

Prosecution kicks off closing arguments

The prosecution is now kicking off its closing arguments. Joshua Steinglass will give them.

Merchan told jury to disregard Blanche's 'prison' comment

Merchan, who chastised Blanche for imploring jurors not to send Trump to prison, told the jury that the lawyer's comment was "improper, and you must disregard it."

"If there is a verdict of guilty," the judge added, "it will be up to me to impose a sentence."

He went on to explain that a "prison sentence is not required in the event of a guilty verdict."

We are back

Merchan is at the bench. Trump is seated at the defense table.

Trump's family shows support outside the courthouse

Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump along with Eric's wife, Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, slammed the proceedings in remarks to reporters outside the courthouse during the lunch break.

"Michael Cohen is the embodiment of reasonable doubt," Donald Jr. said. "This entire case hinges on someone who has quite literally lied to every single person and body he's ever been in front of in his life before."

Both he and Eric Trump echoed their father's often repeated characterization of the trial, calling it a "political witch hunt" and a "sham."

Eric went on to say that the district attorney's office is ignoring crimes across the city and using the trial to attack Trump.

"They're sitting there, they're laughing, they're giggling," Eric said. "This was their moment. This is how they embarrass Donald Trump."

Laura Trump added that the trial has been "banana republic-type stuff."

"This is a case about politics, pure and simple," she said.  

After walking away from the news conference, Donald Trump Jr. added that Democrats "talk about democracy but are laughing about it like it's a soundbite," and claimed they are “trying to scare anyone who has any kind of belief that doesn’t go 100% with what they believe.”

Merchan says he will give curative instructions after Blanche's 'prison' comment

Merchan appeared to chastise Blanche after the defense lawyer implored jurors not to send Trump to prison — an unlikely outcome in this case

"I think that statement was outrageous, Mr. Blanche," Merchan said after jurors were excused for their daily lunch break, later adding: "It's simply not allowed. Period. It’s hard for me to imagine how that was accidental in any way."

Merchan told the court that he plans to give jurors a curative instruction — in other words, general direction that is aimed at clearing up an erroneous statement.

Prosecutor slams Blanche's 'prison' comment

Joshua Steinglass, the prosecutor who is expected to deliver the state's closing arguments, blasted Blanche's comment to the jury about prison time as a "blatant and wholly inappropriate move" by the defense.

Steinglass asked Merchan to provide a curative instruction, a direction given by a judge to correct an erroneous statement.

Trump lawyer tells jurors that 'this isn't a referendum on your views of' Trump

Summer Concepcion

Toward the end of his closing arguments, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that the verdict “isn’t a referendum on your views of” Trump, or “a referendum on the ballot box,” stressing the importance of basing their decision on evidence that emerged throughout the trial.

“If you focus just on the evidence you heard in this courtroom, this is a very very quick and easy not guilty verdict. Thank you,” he said.

‘You are gangsters!’: Robert De Niro clashes with Trump supporters in New York

Katherine Doyle

Amanda Terkel Politics Managing Editor

President Joe Biden’s campaign held a news conference outside the Manhattan courtroom where  Donald Trump is on trial  in his hush money case, with actor Robert De Niro and  two officers who defended the Capitol  from the Jan. 6 mob warning about the dangers of re-electing the former president.

“The Twin Towers fell just over here, just over there. This part of the city was like a ghost town, but we vowed we would not allow terrorists to change our way of life. ... I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country, and eventually he can destroy the world,” De Niro said.

Afterward, on the way back to his car, De Niro mixed it up with some pro-Trump protesters, who yelled that he’s a “wannabe,” “paid sell-out” to the Democratic National Committee, “nobody” and a “little punk” whose “movies suck.”

“You’re not going to intimidate,” De Niro replied. “That’s what Trump does. ... We are going to fight back. We’re trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters. You are gangsters!”

Read the full story here.

Blanche finishes summation

Blanche finished his summation at 12:49 p.m. ET, about three hours after he began the closing arguments.

Blanche refers to jail time

Blanche told the jurors: "You cannot send someone to prison based on the words of Michael Cohen."

It's worth noting that it's unlikely the former president will be sentenced to prison in this case.

Blanche says Michael Cohen is the 'GLOAT'

Blanche says that Michael Cohen is the "greatest liar of all time."

“Michael Cohen is the GLOAT. He’s literally the greatest liar of all time," Blanche said, a play on the sports term GOAT "greatest of all time. “He has lied to every single branch of Congress.”

He added, “He has lied to the Department of Justice.”

Blanche outlines 10 reasons why he believes jury should have reasonable doubt

Blanche presented jurors with a list:

• The invoices. Blanche argues Cohen created the invoices, Trump had no intent to defraud, and prosecutors did not present evidence that Trump knew about them.
• Valentine's Day 2017 vouchers. Blanche argues there is no proof Trump ever saw the vouchers.
• No evidence of intent to defraud.
• No evidence to commit or conceal a crime. "There is no falsification of business records, period," Blanche argued.
• No evidence Trump was involved in illegal agreement to influence election.
• AMI would have run Sajudin's story. Dino Sajudin is the former Trump Tower doorman who tried to sell a story about Trump fathering a child out of wedlock.
• McDougal did not want her story published .
• Daniels' story was already public .
• Alleged manipulation of evidence .
• Cohen is the "embodiment of reasonable doubt." "He lied to you repeatedly," Blanche said. "He is biased and motivated to tell you a story that is not true."

Blanche insists there was no felony because even if there was a conspiracy, it wasn't through 'unlawful means'

Blanche is insisting that there can be no felony falsification of business records because even if there was a conspiracy to influence the election, it was not carried out through any “unlawful means.”

To support his “no unlawful means” argument, Blanche said there is no proof Trump ever knew, for example, about certain paperwork Michael Cohen submitted to his bank or paperwork prepared to transfer Karen McDougal’s life rights from AMI to Trump.

Trump’s knowledge, however, is not required. All that matters legally is that a member of the conspiracy undertook those “unlawful means.”

Trump lawyer plays audio of Cohen screaming on his podcast

After playing audio of Cohen excitedly talking about the prospect of Trump being convicted, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche then played two excerpts of Cohen screaming on his podcast in a tone virtually unrecognizable to anyone who has encountered him only here.

This was more effective than most moments today.

Blanche says Michael Cohen is the 'MVP of liars'

Blanche said that Michael Cohen has lied to his family, including his wife and kids, his banker, the Federal Election Commission, reporters, Congress, prosecutors, business associates and bosses.

"He's literally like the MVP of liars," Blanche said.

Blanche raises his voice in accusing Cohen of lying

Blanche began shouting as he again accused Cohen of lying under oath. He reminded jurors that Cohen testified that he called Trump on Oct. 24, 2016, to provide an update on the Daniels situation, "It was a lie!" he said, pointing out that the call was actually to Trump's bodyguard, Keith Schiller.

"That was a lie and he got caught red-handed,” Blanche added.

Blanche accuses the prosecution of using Stormy Daniels to inflame jury

Over objections by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, Blanche is accusing the prosecution of calling Stormy Daniels as a witness at trial, but not calling her as a grand jury witness.

Blanche is arguing it was intended to inflame the jury’s emotions and to embarrass the former president.

The jury didn't appear to react to that statement.

Trump lawyer portrays Trump as the victim of the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape

Jonathan Allen

Blanche may be the first person to portray Trump as the victim of the “Access Hollywood” tape .

Though Blanche says it was not “so catastrophic” as to motivate Trump to break the law — more precisely, that there’s “no evidence” that it was — he says this of the release of the video Oct. 7, 2016: “This was an extremely personal event for President Trump. Nobody wants their family to be subjected to that sort of thing.”

(The video had Trump on a hot mic discussing getting away with assaulting women because he was famous.)

Blanche accuses Daniels of 'extortion,' and the prosecution stays mum (for now)

Blanche just said of Daniels’ nondisclosure agreement: “This started out as an extortion and it ended up very well for Ms. Daniels, there’s no doubt about that.”

The prosecution has not objected to Blanche’s repeated use of the word “extortion,” which suggests a crime was committed. That could be a strategic choice, because what they say in refuting that characterization during their own summation could be more memorable and powerful than a sustained objection.

Blanche claims that threats against Stormy Daniels never happened

Blanche said that Stormy Daniels decided to go public with her story supposedly because she was trying to protect herself from threats in a parking lot that she received five years earlier.

Blanche said, however, that there are recordings that show that's not true. He said Michael Avenatti, Gina Rodriguez and Daniels were lying about these threats.

“They never happened," Blanche said. “The recording makes clear that Ms. Daniels lied to you.”

Blanche has resumed his summation

The morning break is over and Trump's defense team is continuing with its closing arguments.

Blanche said he expects about 30 to 40 more minutes.

Trial takes a break

The trial took a quick break starting at 11:35 a.m.

Blanche questions why no one in Trump campaign addressed Stormy Daniels issue in April 2016

Blanche questions why no one in the campaign did anything about Stormy Daniels in April 2016 when her manager reached out about it.

But Blanche's point ignores the impact that the leak of the "Access Hollywood" tape in October 2016 had on the campaign. Trump's campaign was beleaguered by accusations of sexism as a result of the tape, so Daniels' claim may have had more of an impact.

Fight appears to break out between pro-Trump supporters outside the courthouse

Elizabeth Maline

A fight appears to have broken out between pro-Trump supporters in Columbus Park across the street from the courthouse.

New York City Police Department officers were seen hopping over the fence into the park to respond to the clash.

Blanche tries to impress upon jury that Cohen's recording of Trump call is unreliable

Blanche wants the jury to believe that Michael Cohen's recording of the call with Trump is unreliable because it cuts off early.

But more than that, Blanche is trying to tell the jury that the transcript of what they have is unreliable because while the recording discussed AMI and Pecker, there is doubt that they are talking about Karen McDougal, whose name is never mentioned, or any payment of $150,000, which cannot be heard on the tape.

Blanche says they were “talking past each other,” and that Cohen’s invocation of “financing” shocked Trump, who had no idea what was going on, and that Cohen’s interpretation of “cash” to mean actual bills is a fiction designed to make the conversation sound more sinister.

Trump team responds outside courthouse immediately following Biden campaign

Moments after the Biden campaign finished its remarks outside the courthouse, Trump campaign members went to the microphone to speak.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the campaign, called the Biden campaign's decision to have Robert De Niro — whom he called a "washed-up actor" — speak today as a way to "try to change the subject" from Biden's "falling" poll numbers.

Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson, called the Biden team's conference "a full-blown confession that this trial is a witch hunt."

"This is a disgrace. President Trump has been locked up in that courtroom for six weeks," Leavitt said. "But guess what, the American people see through this witch hunt, this scam, and that's why President Trump continues to rise in the polls."

Leavitt added that Biden is "weak" and "pathetic" and is using "elitist, out-of-touch Hollywood actors like Robert De Niro who have no idea the real problems that people in this city and across this country are facing." 

Blanche accuses Cohen of lying about Pecker lunch. Pecker didn't dispute it, though.

Blanche is continuing his effort to convince jurors that Cohen is a shameless liar. "Remember when Cohen told you he had lunch with Pecker?" Blanche told the jury. "Pecker said he was really frustrated that he was not getting paid for the McDougal story. Ladies and gentlemen, that lunch did not happen. Cohen made it up."

However, Blanche and Trump's other lawyers never entered any evidence backing up that claim — and Pecker during his testimony did not dispute that the lunch happened.

Blanche appears to want to have it both ways regarding David Pecker

Blanche appears to want it both ways regarding Pecker.

On one hand, he has characterized David Pecker as a “truth teller” and someone who, because of Pecker's immunity deal with the Manhattan DA, had no incentive to lie.

But Blanche also tells the jury that Pecker’s explanation that if the story from Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajuddin had been true, he would have published it — but only after the election — is not entirely credible because such a major story would have been published immediately.

Blanche argues the effort to silence Karen McDougal wasn't a 'catch and kill'

Blanche argued that the effort to silence Karen McDougal "is not a catch and kill either" because she didn't want her story published.

Blanche said McDougal wanted to kick-start her career, be on the cover of magazines and write articles. He said it wasn't McDougal's intention to publish her story.

"She didn't want her story published," he said.

Former Capitol police officers campaign for Biden outside courthouse

Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer, and Michael Fanone, a former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer, who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, spoke in support of the Biden campaign outside of the courthouse today.

Fanone, who suffered a brain injury and a heart attack in the assault, recounted the attack adding that "if Jan. 6 didn't happen, we wouldn't be here right now, I'd still be at work."

Dunn went on to say that Trump is "the greatest threat to our democracy and to the safety of communities across the country today."

"Trump does whatever will get him votes and helps Donald Trump," he said.

Blanche mixes up details in 'catch and kill' cases

Reporting from Manhattan criminal court

Blanche has been walking through each of the stories that were caught and killed. But he is mixing up details. He mentioned, for example, that Karen McDougal’s business manager was Gina Rodriguez. But Rodriguez worked for Stormy Daniels, not McDougal.

Analysis: Blanche's assertions about the Enquirer don't really hold up to scrutiny

Blanche is arguing that the Enquirer’s reach was not wide enough to influence the election. But especially in today’s social media-fueled age, the idea that a story’s reach is limited to the publication’s own distribution is simply untrue. More significantly, however, the Enquirer’s influence here was in preventing certain stories from ever seeing the light of day.

Blanche pushes back on idea that the Enquirer could influence an election

Blanche, attempting to undercut one of the key planks of the prosecution's narrative, told the jury that it's absurd to believe that positive stories in the National Enquirer could affect the outcome of an American election.

"The idea that even sophisticated people like President Trump and David Pecker believed that positive stories in the National Enquirer could influence the 2016 election is preposterous," Blanche said, referring to the former publisher of the tabloid magazine. He went on to say that many of the articles published in the Enquirer were recycled from other outlets.

Pecker testified earlier in the trial that he purchased potentially damaging stories about Trump and then made sure they never saw the light of day — a practice known as "catch and kill." He also testified that his editorial team attempted to run more glowing stories about Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

Robert De Niro condemns Trump in fiery remarks outside courthouse: 'He could destroy the world'

Actor Robert De Niro spoke to the press as a surrogate for the Biden campaign outside the courthouse, railing against Trump.

"I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it," De Niro, a native New Yorker, said.

"Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country and eventually he could destroy the world," he continued.

De Niro, who has also appeared in ads for the Biden campaign, condemned Trump for the violence that occurred Jan. 6 at the Capitol, arguing that if Trump wins in November, "he will never leave."

At the end of De Niro's remarks, a Trump supporter in the crowd called the two former police officers standing with De Niro — both present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — "traitors."

The actor engaged in a back-and-forth with the man in the crowd, defending the officers, Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone.

"They stood there. They didn’t have to," De Niro said. "They stood there and fought for us. They fought for you, buddy. You’re able to stand right here."

"They are the true heroes. I’m honored to be with these two heroes today," De Niro continued.

Blanche says every campaign is a 'conspiracy to promote a candidate'

Blanche said that the prosecution wants the jury to believe that the entire scheme was to promote Trump's successful candidacy in 2016.

“Even if you find that’s true, that’s still not enough. It doesn’t matter — as I said to you in the opening statement — it doesn’t matter if there was a conspiracy to win the election," Blanche said. “Every campaign is a conspiracy to promote a candidate.”

Blanche hammers on the question of Trump's intent to defraud

Blanche asked the jury: "Where is the intent to defraud on the part of President Trump?" He then showed a slide labeled "No Intent to Defraud."

The exact language of the charges against Trump in this case accuse the former president of breaking various laws with the "intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof."

Biden campaign arrives with Robert De Niro outside courthouse

Biden campaign members have arrived outside the courthouse with actor Robert De Niro and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who was attacked in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Blanche again suggests Cohen was bitter

Blanche asked the jurors whether they "believe for a second that, after getting stiffed on his bonus in 2016, when he thought he worked so hard," Cohen would then "want to work for free" for Trump.

"Was that the man who testified," Blanche asked rhetorically, "or was that a lie?"

Cohen did indeed testify that he was upset after he did not receive a holiday season bonus after the 2016 presidential election, but he repeatedly rejected the defense team's suggestions that bitterness and vindictiveness drove him to cooperate with prosecutors.

Blanche then argued it was "absurd" that Trump would agree to pay Cohen $420,000 even though the former president owed him only $130,000.

Blanche suggests Trump, as president, was too busy to be part of 'scheme'

Blanche repeatedly refers to Trump being in the White House when the repayments were made. He was very busy, Blanche said. That he was somehow in on a “scheme” to conceal a repayment is “absurd,” he added

His argument also reminds the jury this is no normal defendant: It’s the former president of the United States.

It’s an interesting line to to walk: Trump is so careful about his finances that he would never overpay, but he was also so busy in the White House that he was sometimes careless and wouldn’t know what he was paying for.

Blanche says prosecutors asked jury to believe Michael Cohen

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said, “What the people have done, what the government did for the last five weeks, at the end of the day, is ask you to believe the man who testified two weeks ago, Michael Cohen.”

Blanche rejects assertion that Trump had full knowledge

Blanche told jurors it was "a stretch" that Trump always "had full knowledge of what was happening" inside the Trump Organization and his other business enterprises.

"That is reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen," he said.

Trump lawyer says there's nothing 'sinister or criminal' about the word 'retainer'

Blanche commented on the fact that retainer was listed as the reason for the reimbursement checks from Trump to Cohen.

"There's nothing sinister or criminal about that word," Blanche said.

Blanche said it wasn't put there by Trump or Allen Weisselberg but by Trump Organization accounting employee Deb Tarasoff, who testified earlier in the trial.

What was missing from the chart put up on the screen

When Blanche put up a visual aid for the jurors showing invoices, vouchers and checks, the most glaringly noticeable line on any of the documents was the very familiar, thick-lettered signature of Donald Trump.

Blanche calls attention to the fact that Don Jr. and Eric Trump weren't called as witnesses

As Blanche is calling attention to the fact that Don Jr. and Eric Trump were not called as witnesses, they are sitting in the front row of the courtroom behind their dad.

“The burden is always on the government, they make decisions about who to call," Blanche said, adding, “They did not call Don or Eric.”

The jury did not look over at the Trump children.

Blanche tries to steer jury away from old Trump books

Blanche tells the jury to be wary if the prosecution starts reading from an old Trump book to help prove how involved the former president was in his company’s accounting system.

Those books were co-written by ghostwriters, Blanche says, implying the ghostwriters did the due diligence of figuring out the system in lieu of Trump’s personal knowledge.

Blanche tries to address toughest evidence before prosecution gets to it

Blanche is working hard to try to pre-empt certain arguments the jury is likely to hear from the prosecution after he sits down. Because he goes first and the prosecution will have the last word -- per New York law -- he can’t afford not to address the toughest evidence for his client. 

Blanche pushes back on hush money argument

Blanche appeared to suggest that Cohen received retainer payments not because of the hush money arrangement but because he was Trump's personal attorney.

"There’s a reason why in life usually the simplest answer is the right one, and that’s certainly the case here. That the story Mr. Cohen told you on that witness stand is not true.” 

Cohen was paid $35,000 a month by Trump to be his attorney, Blanche said.

Blanche planting the seeds of reasonable doubt

Blanche is doing two things simultaneously to plant seeds of reasonable doubt early in this closing argument — establish that the internal records at the heart of this case weren't falsified and that Michael Cohen is a liar.

Blanche argues Michael Cohen was working as Trump's personal lawyer

Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that Michael Cohen was serving as Trump's personal attorney, which he said was not in dispute.

“He talked to every reporter that he could, pushing the fact that he was going to be the personal attorney to President Trump," Blanche said. “This was not a secret. Michael Cohen was President Trump’s personal attorney. Period.”

Biden's campaign set to hold press conference outside the courthouse

President Joe Biden's campaign is scheduled to hold a news conference outside the court this morning at 10:15 ET.

The news conference is set to include the campaign team and "special guests," although the news release didn't say who they would be.

Trump lawyer argues invoices were false and there was no intent to defraud

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche argued that the invoices weren't false and there was no intent to defraud — and that if the jurors are so convinced, they don't have to go further.

As a matter of law, Blanche is correct, but it is also the case that the requisite intent to defraud is defined as including the intent to commit or conceal another crime.

Put another way, if the jurors believe the documents are false, they do have to confront whether Trump intended to conceal the underlying alleged conspiracy.

Jury sees chart that won't be put into evidence

Blanche displayed a chart on the courtroom screen showing what it presented as various financial records, including Cohen's invoices (which were then turned into vouchers, and then turned into checks).

The chart will not be put into evidence, so the jury can't refer back to it — and the general public may never see it publicly produced.

Trump lawyer accuses Michael Cohen of lying for likely the first of many times today

It's 9:48 a.m. and Trump lawyer Todd Blanche just accused Michael Cohen of lying — the first of many times we're likely to hear that claim today.

Blanche: 'This is a paper case'

Blanche continues his sentiment that the testimony that the jury has heard thus far is not enough to convict Trump. Instead, Blanche argues the true evidence for this case lies in documents.

"This case is about documents, it’s a paper case," Blanche said.

Blanche went on to argue that the case is not about Stormy Daniels, but instead about the payments Trump made to Michael Cohen.

“Were those bookings done with an intent to defraud? That’s why you’re here. And the answer to that — to those questions is absolutely positively not," Blanche said.

"The bookings were accurate, and there was absolutely no intent to defraud. And beyond that, there was no conspiracy," he continued.

Blanche tries to undercut Cohen and Daniels testimony

Blanche tells the jury members that “they should want and expect more than the testimony of Michael Cohen. ... You should want and expect more than the word of a woman who claims something happened in 2006.”

He continues by saying they should want and expect more than the testimony of Keith Davidson, who was trying to extort Trump. Notably, the district attorney's office does not object to the characterization of what happened as attempted or actual extortion.

Trump lawyer reiterates to jury that his client is innocent

Trump attorney Todd Blanche told the jury that they, as a group of citizens, decide the facts and decide whether Trump is guilty or not guilty. He said he wanted to repeat what he told them five weeks ago.

“President Trump is innocent," Blanche said. "He did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof. Period.”

Blanche starts his closing arguments

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche began giving his closing arguments at about 9:40 a.m. ET. He said that he expects he'll need 2½ hours to deliver the end of the defense's case.

He briefly put up a PowerPoint presentation and then took it down.

Merchan to jurors: You are the judges of the facts

Merchan is giving jurors an overview of what they're going to hear today from lawyers on both sides of the case. He explained that the summations "provide each lawyer the opportunity to review the evidence and give you the conclusions that can be drawn."

"You are the finders of fact, and it is for you and for you alone to determine the facts from the evidence," the judge told the jury.

He reminded the jury that the "lawyers are not witnesses," adding that nothing they say in their summations constitutes "evidence."

"You and you alone are the judges of the facts in this case," Merchan said.

Judge tells prosecution and defense: Don't go into the law

Before the jury entered, Judge Merchan told both the prosecution and defense teams that they shouldn't explain the law to the jurors during summation.

"Please do not go into the law. Stay away from the law," he said. "That'll be my job. I'll take care of it."

District attorney staff members are watching from the overflow room

As proceedings begin today, more than eight secondary members of the prosecution team have come into the overflow room to watch the trial.

The members present appear to be senior leadership from the district attorney’s office, including First Assistant District Attorney Meg Reiss and former Executive Assistant District Attorney Peter Pope, who led the investigation of this case leading to the grand jury’s indictment.

The staff members are seated in the jury box in the overflow room -- an area we have not seen used before for seating.

How long will summations last?

Todd Blanche, Trump's lawyer, estimates he'll need around 2½ hours to deliver his closing argument. He goes first.

Joshua Steinglass, one of the prosecutors, says he'll need "somewhere in the vicinity of 4 to 4½ hours."

Trump says 'this is a dark day in America' before heading into courtroom for closing arguments

Shortly before heading into the courtroom for closing arguments, Trump repeated his claims that he was forced to attend courtroom proceedings in the hush money trial because of President Joe Biden, without providing evidence.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee griped that the trial is “election hunting, election interfering” because it is an effort to go after Biden’s political opponent.

Trump again accused Judge Merchan of being “highly conflicted” and “corrupt” and read aloud quotes from legal analysts who support his assertions that the former president did not commit wrongdoing in the case.

Trump also complained about Merchan’s gag order that bars him from making disparaging comments against his family members and others involved in the case, saying that it’s an “unconstitutional thing” to impose on a presidential candidate.

“This is not a trial that should happen. It’s a very sad day. This is a dark day in America,” he said. “We have a rigged court case that should have never been brought, and it should have been brought in another jurisdiction.”

Jury instructions set in stone

Judge Merchan says that he provided the jury instructions to the defense and prosecution on Thursday afternoon and that neither side has commented on them. They are now final.

Merchan is on the stand and they're ready on go

The judge has taken his seat and proceedings are about to get underway.

The prosecution and defense in Trump’s criminal hush money trial will begin making their closing arguments to the jury today as the first criminal trial of a former president enters its final phase. NBC’s Laura Jarrett reports and Hallie Jackson provides analysis for "TODAY."

‘Phony’ checks and hush money payments: Breaking down Trump’s 34 charges in his New York criminal trial

JoElla Carman

Trump faces 34 felony counts in the New York hush money trial that is expected to potentially wrap up as early as this week.

Here's what to know about the charges.

Biden campaign preps for a Trump trial verdict: From the Politics Desk

Monica Alba

Natasha Korecki

Mike Memoli

President Joe Biden has largely steered clear of Trump’s legal woes. But with a verdict in the  hush money trial  coming as soon as this week, Biden’s campaign is exploring a shift to a new, more aggressive posture, according to two people familiar with the strategy. 

Regardless of the outcome, top Biden campaign officials plan to stress to voters that Trump will be on the ballot in the fall and that no potential court proceeding will change that fact.

A person familiar with the discussions summed it up this way: “Donald Trump’s legal troubles are not going to keep him out of the White House. Only one thing will do that: voting this November for Joe Biden.” 

Trump has departed for the courthouse

Brittany Kubicko

The former president has left Trump Tower for the courthouse downtown.

Rudy Giuliani's son argues with anti-Israel protester outside court

Former New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani started a heated argument with a protester who was shouting antisemitic tropes outside the courthouse this morning.

Giuliani, a former Trump White House official and the son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, followed the demonstrator who was wearing a ski mask around a protest zone and yelled at the man about the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

The protester carried a sign with numbers representing Gazans who have been killed in the ensuing conflict and voiced canards about Jews controlling the U.S. government and the entertainment industry.

Trump's guests in court today

Jake Traylor

Matt Korade

Several of Trump's children will be in court for closing arguments, including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and his wife, Lara Trump, who is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, as well as Tiffany Trump, the former president's only daughter with his ex-wife Marla Maples, and her husband, Michael Boulos.

Also in attendance will be Trump's longtime friend Steve Witkoff, a real-estate investor who testified as a defense expert in Trump’s Manhattan civil fraud trial , Will Scharf, a lawyer for Trump who is running for attorney general in Missouri against Republican incumbent Andrew Bailey, and Deroy Murdock, a contributing editor for National Review Online.

Trump lawyer says she has 'zero confidence' Judge Merchan will issue jury instructions 'in an appropriate manner'

Trump legal spokesperson Alina Habba on Sunday expressed concerns about jury instructions in the hush money trial against the former president and the jurors not being sequestered over the holiday weekend.

“Generally, as an attorney, as an American who understands the law and how to apply to laws to facts, there are no facts that support this alleged crime,” Habba said during an interview on Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures.” “We’re not even sure what the crime is. So it’s a books and records issue.”

Habba echoed Trump’s claims that Merchan is “severely conflicted” without evidence, noting the judge’s gag order that bars Trump from issuing disparaging comments on his family members and others involved in the case. Trump has repeatedly accused Merchan of being “conflicted,” often citing his daughter’s work at a digital fundraising and advertising firm that often collaborates with Democratic politicians.

“This judge is the judge that determines the jury instructions. The jury instructions are the road map for non-attorneys and jurors to follow the law,” she said. “It’s going to be critical, and frankly, at this point, I have zero confidence in the fact that this person, who should not be sitting on the bench right now, will do the right thing and give jury instructions that are in an appropriate manner without any persuasion towards the prosecution.”

Habba then raised concerns about jurors not being sequestered over the holiday weekend, arguing that they could be swayed by family and friends who have certain opinions.

“They should have been sequestered because, in my opinion, these jurors are handling something that is completely unprecedented and unwarranted in America, and for them to be able to be out and about on a holiday weekend with friends and families who have opinions, who are watching the news TVs on the background at the pool party — I have serious concerns,” she said.

Trump blasts Merchan and District Attorney Alvin Bragg in Truth Social posts over the weekend

Alexandra Marquez is based in Washington, D.C.

Isabelle Schmeler

In a series of social media posts over the holiday weekend, Trump attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges in this case against him, attacked Judge Juan Merchan and said the case was about a "legal expense" and a "bookkeeping error."

"I have a great case, but with a rigged and conflicted judge," Trump said in one post, before adding in another one, "The City of New York’s D.A., Alvin Bragg, is trying to prosecute a Federal case, which cannot be done, and where there is NO CRIME."

One post blasted the case for blowing a "legal expense" out of proportion, saying, "Let’s put the President in jail for 150 years because a LEGAL EXPENSE to a lawyer was called, by a bookkeeper."

Another post yesterday accused Merchan, without evidence, of being a "corrupt and conflicted" judge and claimed that Bragg is backed by liberal billionaire megadonor George Soros, who has been a target of antisemitic conspiracy theories .

Trump’s lawyers are preparing for the final stretch of the former president’s hush money trial in New York. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports on Trump’s busy weekend ahead of closing arguments in court.

Closing arguments set to begin in Trump’s criminal trial

Dareh Gregorian

Closing arguments will begin today in the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump , as the first criminal trial of a former president enters its final phase.

After the prosecution and the defense deliver their concluding arguments, the judge will give instructions to the jury. Then, the 12 ordinary New Yorkers who sit on the jury will begin deliberations on whether or not the former president is guilty of the charges against him.

After 20 days in a courtroom, here's what you missed in the Trump hush money trial

Ahead of this week's closing arguments, catch up on what you missed over the last few weeks of the first criminal trial of a former president.

In sometimes explosive testimony, former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen said that he did call Trump a "Cheeto-dusted" villain but admitted to past lies and theft upon questioning by Trump's attorneys.

Despite promising to testify, Trump did not ultimately take the stand and pushed back on media reports that he fell asleep multiple times during the trial. On his Truth Social account, the former president claimed he was simply resting his “beautiful blue eyes” while listening “intensely” to the proceedings.