I didn’t see this coming.
I turned on my Twitter feed a few days ago to some incredible news.
In Search of a Life Less Ordinary had been selected as a finalist in the personal/lifestyle category of the Best Australian Blogs 2012 competition organised by the Sydney Writers’ Centre.
As one of only eight finalists in this category and chosen from 1,100 submitted blogs, it was the kind of news that made me stare at the screen of my laptop, mouth agape and eyes agog.
I’d completed the online application with no serious aspirations of any kind. This was a national competition that attracts vast numbers of highly talented bloggers from across Australia’s blogosphere and my little website about my small journey was a far cry from the power bloggers attracting hundreds of comments and gazillions of page hits on any given day.
When the finalists were announced and my name was included, I sat and stared, maybe even dribbled slightly. The realisation kicked in that I was now a finalist in a major blogging competition run by writers and focused almost entirely on writing.
This therefore makes me good at writing what I write… right?
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| Photo credit: Steven Depolo (Creative Commons) |
There are great writers out there
I’d like to believe I’m a strong writer but there’s a lot of competition out there. A vast group of talented writers producing fantastic content on a regular basis.
Some make unbelievable noise, generate massive followings, receive comments by the bucket load, and gain enough page hits to make you gaze at their sites in awe.
Others won’t ever be discovered. There are hugely exciting blogs down under that will never make it beyond their own small communities and many great writers that may never make it out from amongst the ever-increasing Internet chatter.
My own writing is just one small voice amongst this blogging cacophony and, judging by the calibre of the writing in this popular competition, I am up against some pretty competent scribes.
So how can I ever really know if what I write on this page is worthy of my readers’ loyalty?
Feedback is king
As bloggers and writers, the most pressing dilemma is whether we write the kinds of things our readers want to hear about and whether we write this well.
One solution and a veritable golden nugget is constructive feedback.
We can search for this through our blog post comments, but comments are generally positive in nature. I’ll occasionally receive a useful critique of my work or a positive suggestion to take a different direction. In most cases, blog readers may be less likely to be negative if there’s a chance it could impact upon their perceived standing across the wider blogging community.
I get that, I do.
We can gauge our writing quality by page views and hits, but does this honestly tell us what we’re doing right and where our strengths can be found? If I avoid posting for a week or two, I’ll watch the page views rise. If I post 3 or 4 times in a week, I’ll see the numbers drop.
I recently wrote about blogging frequency and, judging by the reaction, most of you agree that blogging more often doesn’t make for better reading.
Maybe at the heart of good writing and blogging, alongside raw ability, is reliable gut instinct and a knack for knowing what works well with a commitment to writing the very best you can.
Writing recognition rules
The truth is that it’s impossible to ever fully know whether what we write is… well… right.
But the greatest feedback. The most inspirational feedback. Surely that comes from making the finals of #BestBlogs2012 and getting affirmation that your work is heading in the right direction (even if I do say so myself).
In a few day’s time, the esteemed judges of the Best Australian Blogs 2012 will decide whether my writing stacks up and if In Search of a Life Less Ordinary should be more than a finalist.
Whatever the outcome, it’s reward enough to know that a major city’s writing centre running a national blogging competition with a 70% focus on writing ability has chosen my work to be in its select list of finalists. It confirms that I’m on the right track and gives me growing confidence in my craft.
I’m forever grateful for this blog and the platform it’s provided. I’m entirely appreciative of my loyal audience – expats, travellers, nomads, wanderlusts, the plain curious, and of course Sydneysiders and Australians alike – and the opportunity I’ve been given to share my search for that path less ordinary, this life lived abroad.
My aim has always been to write well and seek a positive reaction to that writing. Becoming a finalist in the #BestBlogs2012 proves that I must be doing something right… right?
So how do you know if you’re any good at writing what you write? What do you rely on to improve your craft?
Share with me in the comments below.
PS. You can also vote for In Search of a Life Less Ordinary in the People’s Choice Awards. Simply follow this link and search for the blog to cast your vote: Vote here
PPS. A big congrats to the other finalists in the personal/lifestyle category who are: All Consuming, Edenland, Interiors Addict, Magento Bold too!, Not Quite Nigella, Taste Explorer and Tune Into Radio Carly.
I think your formula (gut instinct + knack for knowing what works + commitment) is almost there, but imho it’s missing something important: the actual ability to create engaging, entertaining, informative, educational and/or uplifting content. Weaving words in such a way as to build and maintain bonds is a magical thing indeed, and you’ve got it. Congratulations on gaining the recognition you richly deserve. And no, I would not write that if I didn’t sincerely mean it.
As for ‘how do we know…?’ I think it’s the little snippets of recognition that flutter up from different people, places and situations that encourage me and keep me writing. And most of all, the emails I receive from people reaching out.
You’re spot on, Linda. Without basic ability, it’s nothing. And thank you for your honesty and downright positivity towards my work 🙂
Save those little snippets of recognition somewhere special and come back to them time and again. It’s amazing how much they can motivate and guide you. I look forward to hearing of more of your own writing success shortly.
Something that I find is a sign of a “good” writer is honesty and not taking oneself too seriously. Writing about my adventures out here in Oz-land, my sister who is back in Europe (and home) wrote to me telling me that whenever I am authentic vs “trying” to write well, I sound real and therefore it’s more enjoyable to read. As a reader of your blog, I enjoy and can relate to many aspects on life here in Oz as an Expat – and at the same time learned lots. No matter who gets voted, in the end I, like many others, will read your blog.
Congratulations. Richly deserved. Time to pop our corks!
Well done Russel, seriously proud of you mate. I have no idea how to evaluate whether I’m making a hash of this blogging lark or not. Can’t judge it from number of comments – because some posts I thought were brilliant just don’t ‘fly’ and can’t judge from pageviews or Facebook likes…not entirely certain what to judge it on. All I know is that runners, run, swimmers, swim and writers…blog. Vix x
For me, if I touch on specific topics I know I am going to get a good response – but sometimes I just have to express myself on those issues I really care about. I also think humor is important, and I like to make people laugh a little. I have never applied for a blog award but we do have a Jamaican one (in its third year, only). I know I have some faithful followers who don’t always comment ON my blog but on Facebook etc. instead, as I have them all linked to my blog (FB, Twitter and LinkedIn, specifically)…
You’re doing so many things right — keep on doing them. You’re dropping the ball when it comes to Milo coverage, though. A few more doggie pics and you could rule the world.
Thanks Maria. I’m glad you think so. I realise I’ve dropped the ball in terms of Milo coverage and will endeavour to make amends as soon as possible. Watch this space!
Thanks Jack. Appreciate it. Time to pop them indeed!
Thanks Vix. Means a lot to me.
It is very frustrating when you put out a great post and you get almost zero reaction to it but your hits are through the roof so you must be doing something right… yet there’s none of that golden feedback.
I believe there’s a lot to be said about understanding your audience and what they want from you. My most popular posts are about my experiences (the positives, the struggles, etc.) in this life, but when I post about ‘things’ happening locally or nationally, folks aren’t so interested. It’s a case of discovering that formula and sticking with it… in theory…
I’m actually a shocker at commenting on blogs. I’ll regularly visit all of my favourites, love reading the posts, then walk away. I’m training myself to actually provide feedback or add to the conversation – and I think there’s a lot of people like me who like to read but aren’t so familiar or comfortable with joining in.
Humour is a great addition to a blog – you’ve reminded me to add a little more this year; sometimes expat life can seem very serious with its ups and downs.
Why not enter the Jamaican comp then? I entered this one by chance and am still shaking my head so who knows what you’ll achieve 😉
Thanks Peteriina. And I really appreciate that you always make the effort to comment after reading my posts. The writing of the post is only half the fun. Chatting to fellow expats, especially here in Sydney, is just as good.
I have also been told that when I write from the heart, it makes for a more enjoyable read. Sometimes I’m too honest about life here but I want people to see the real side of a different way of life, not just the best parts you usually hear about.
I hope you’re enjoying these last few days of autumn here 🙂
By the way, do you write a blog Peteriina? Let me know if you do…
Congrats, it’s always nice to see your work appreciated 🙂
Congrats, Russell! Becoming a finalist definitely offers proof you’ve got a fantastic blog with great writing!!
Thanks Heather! Really appreciate your comments 🙂
I agree, Angela, it’s so nice to get recognition like this. Thanks for your comment!
Congratulations on being a finalist, it’s such a huge nod from a major writing centre and the blogging community at large.
I agree, to begin with on a blog it’s always so difficult to know if you’re writing about things people want to read and will connect to. Getting people to write comments is hard, despite the number of people we might note are viewing pages from our stats results, and it’s easy to believe we’re not writing well or we’re not writing about the right things. And if people don’t comment, it’s hard to gauge who our audience really is and what resonates with readers. Catch 22. Only when the ball starts rolling is it possible to start tweaking content to suit the needs of readers.
Find a hungry pool of fish, or build it and they will come, are strategies which can be a little confusing when it’s hard to find the fish in the first place, and building something with your own needs and desires in mind may not suit the building others would like to live in. I think as bloggers we have to build the structure, and keep trying out different ways of decorating that structure. The right content (decoration) is vital.
I’m still tweaking, learning from comments and watching blogs like yours.
You’ve obviously got it right – well done Russell.
Thanks Johanna. It’s been an enjoyable pat on the back for sure!
I’d agree with your take on tweaking the content once the basic structure is in place. I don’t believe you should write purely for yourself without any regard for your audience. On the other hand, I don’t think you should exclusively write and rewrite content based on spikes in comments and page view increases – you’re simply not being true to your personal writing. A combination of both works for me and I do like your analogy – build the structure then revisit the interior as time goes on.
Do you feel that you’ve found a hungry pool of fish for your own blog? How long did it take you to get to that point, if so?
Thanks for sharing your insights 🙂
Hi Russell, Totally agree between keeping a balance between being true to our personal writing and what we think our audience wants to hear. And you do it well. I often think that because bloggers write in the first person we walk a tightrope between maintaining our individuality and being overly indulgent. We need to be personal, and yet also professional.
Have I found a hungry pool of fish? I’d say I’ve found some fish but they’re interested rather than hungry! I love them. And I can name most of them. Which kind of tells you that it’s not a huge pool yet 🙂 Joking apart, it’s growing, especially now I’ve created an eBook, How to Be a Well Fed Blogger, which I’ve had great feedback about. It’s taken me two years to get to where I am. Lots of social networking, real life networking, finding my blogging confidence and just keeping on with it. I’m just beginning to see financial fruits for my labour too.
That sounds all good to me. They say that eBooks allow you to take that next step and it sounds like it’s definitely working for you. Look forward to seeing how it pans out for you. And financial fruits too? Can’t be bad 😉
Congratulations, you thoroughly deserve to be a finalist! Well done.
In my experience, whenever I doubt my writing ability, I seem to receive some kind of message that ‘overrides’ my doubt – whether it’s an email or a passing comment from a friend, the message is clear: that person loves what I write and always looks forward to my next post/piece. I take note when these things happen, it’s as if the universe is nudging me and saying “you see, you are on the right path. Keep doing what you’re doing. All is fine”.
As for competition I try not to compare myself with anyone else (though my little ego loves doing that!). I believe we all have a voice and a place, and I am currently learning to make my place.
Looking forward to hearing how you get on!
Hey Carrie, thanks for the comment and the congrats. Should find out in the next week – who knows how I’ll get on but happy to be where I’ve got to so far.
I’m constantly learning to make my own place but, after a year or so, I’m starting to better understand my voice and where it best fits. Thanks again.
Congrats Russell, I have to say I wanted to vote but the nomination process seemed so complex I gave up, can’t remember now. So please tell us where to vote for the finals. Or is that done by a committee? Anyway, good luck. I’m pulling for you (and, just a teensy bit, for 4 kids 20 suitcases and a beagle:-)
Thanks Sine. There are two processes with this competition. ISOALLO was selected as a finalist for the personal/lifestyle category which is judged and is for the Best Australian Blog Award. The judges make their decision this week – and there is some seriously good competition out there!
Then there’s a separate People’s Choice Award that any blog can enter and the public can vote on (I think almost 20,000 votes have been cast in total for this award and I think I saw 4 Kids on the list for this one). If you want to vote in the People’s Choice Award, you can click here – http://www.sydneywriterscentre.com.au/bloggingcomp/peopleschoice.html 🙂
congratulations!!! 🙂
Noch Noch
Thanks a lot, Noch Noch 🙂