How I Write A Blog Post

A long while back I wrote a blog post on how I write a chapter. In fact, it was my ninth post, and inspired by Katie Grace's post on how she writes a blog post. While I'm sure my process for chapters has changed as I've selected new projects, I have now found a consistent method for writing a blog post. Even though it's not a proven successful formula, it's a formula nonetheless. ;)

You've probably noticed the pattern in how I post. My way is not the only way to do it; everyone finds their own pattern. But I do encourage you to find a blog post pattern if you haven't already! Mine goes like this:

1. Title
2. Introductory Paragraph
3. Post Header Image
4. Opening Paragraph
5. Point One Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
6. Point Two Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
7. Point Three Header Image
• 1-3 Expounding Paragraphs
8. (Repeat until all points are covered)
9. Closing Paragraph
10. Ending Tildes
11. Concluding Statement and Question

Of course, that's only how it goes when I'm writing a topical post. And sometimes I don't have points that vary enough to bother outlining with headers. This post, for example. I could have put FORMULA above the outline there, EXCEPTIONS above this paragraph, etc. But it seemed a little pointless ;) Posts like reviews and blog tours are going to look quite different.

My schedule for posting is every Saturday, with occasional posts on Tuesdays if I have extra content. Sometimes I agree to do posts for other people that require a specific date that could be any day of the week, but that's fine. Aiming for consistency is my goal. And I'm pretty sure I haven't missed a single Saturday since I began in February of 2016! Because I'm sure you want to know, I've done posts in as little as twenty minutes and taken as long as 6 hours. I'd say my average is about 1.5 hours for each blog post.

As for my process of actually drafting a post, it usually looks something like this:

• make a couple bullet points as an outline/guide
• write the post, using bold and italics as I go
• save the post as a draft to finish later (sometimes)
• create images on Canva by duplicating
• reread the post, adding links to people's names
• use Blogger's preview feature
• (hopefully) fix any weird formatting issues that came up 
• schedule post (if necessary)
• add labels
• customize permalink
• share the post on social media

And that's basically it! 

Fairly straightforward, right? (If you're not familiar with blogging, don't let this post scare you; it's not as complicated as it sounds.) How do you write your blog posts?