Author: Cristian Mihai

Cristian Mihai (born 25 December 1990) grew up in Constanta, Romania. And he’s still growing up, or at least trying to. Sometimes he writes. Sometimes he gets lucky and writes something good. His favorite painting is “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” by Caspar David Friedrich. He can’t, however, draw a straight line. No matter how much he tries. Not even with a ruler. And, please, don’t ever ask him to sing.

How to Blog like an Artist

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 9 Comments

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about blogging like an artist.

But what does that mean? When you think about it, what does “art” mean?

Is it that inner fire, the creative spark, the connection between seemingly unrelated dots, the unapologetic expression of one’s personality, the moment of real human empathy and connection?

What does art even have to do with blogging?

I’d say that art is everything around us. Art and life are so, so close to one another that at times they even touch.

And I believe that a blogger could aspire to the kind of sensibility required to be an artist.

After all, this site is called The Art of Blogging for a reason, right? Continue reading “How to Blog like an Artist” →

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5 Super Simple Steps to Building an Unforgettable Blog Post

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 11 Comments

Once upon a time, one could could simply sit down and write a blog post in 15 minutes or so. Well, sorry to disappoint, but those good ol’ days are over.

Today, there are hundreds of millions of blogs and other types of content that are competing for your readers’ attention. To stand out, you need to take your blogging game to a new level.

And the best way to do that is to focus relentlessly on the fundamental mechanics of writing a great blog post.
Don’t just hope you’re writing something that maybe somehow it’s going to go viral. Learn to consciously build great content, brick-by-brick, and watch your posts gain the attention they deserve.

Ready to get started?

Here are the building blocks of any great blog posts.

Continue reading “5 Super Simple Steps to Building an Unforgettable Blog Post” →

8 Best Ways To Gain Followers For Your Blog

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 65 Comments

Traffic! It’s one of those words that I do not like much, for it almost begs us to forget that those stats represent actual people.

But… but… I know that one of the main reasons we blog is to be read by other people, so this makes it important to gain more followers, to receive feedback, to feel as if what you blog about truly matters to other people.

That’s why I compiled a list of the eight best ways to increase traffic and gain more followers for your blog. Continue reading “8 Best Ways To Gain Followers For Your Blog” →

10 Rules to Help You Punch Those Damn Keys

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 11 Comments

The blank page tends to scare people into a state of inactivity. The possibilities are endless, the desire to create perfection so intense that it is easier to do anything else.

Perfectionism and procrastination have an awful lot in common, and the truth is that most bloggers waste an insane amount of time thinking about writing. Weeks go by like this, and then they start wishing they have written when they had the chance, but now… they’ll just write a short post apologizing to their readers for not posting anything.

And then the cycle resumes.

The essential part of writing is to punch those damn keys. Don’t think, just write. You’ll be able to rewrite, one, twice, as many times as it’s necessary.

Today you focus on writing like a lunatic.

Today, you’re going to punch those damn keys…

And the best way to do that is to follow a few simple rules. Ten, in fact … Continue reading “10 Rules to Help You Punch Those Damn Keys” →

[Blogging Mindset] A Balancing Act

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 12 Comments

The first rule of writing anything worth reading?

Write what you want.

Write what you know.

Write about stuff that sets your soul on fire.

No matter how you word it, the truth is that one should write about the stuff they’re passionate about.

But…

There are at least a dozen articles on this blog alone that urge you to always think of the reader, and what such person might want to read from you.

So, what is one supposed to do?

Read on to find out. Continue reading “[Blogging Mindset] A Balancing Act” →

Don’t Know What to Blog About? Try These Ideas Out.

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 26 Comments

Let’s be honest, okay? This happens to all of us. We might not call it writer’s block, but the truth is that we all have our off days.

But what if I were to tell you that there are certain strategies that you can use whenever you have no idea what to write about.

Interested?

Read on.

Great artists’ steal…

I’m just going to be extremely honest: the novice wants to be original and brilliant so bad that he often fails to realize that he only got kind of good by imitating others.

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

I am not advising you to plagiarize other bloggers, I am simply telling you to see the information to acquire differently. Like Jordan so nicely put it, everything you read, see, or hear is food for your creativity.

Now, here’s what you can do with someone else’s content:

  1. Curate content. Go to your ten favorite blogs, and then find your favorite post on each of them. Publish a post listing these top ten posts, and explain why you like them. You don’t even have to think about being creative, and everyone you feature there will appreciate it.
  2. Ask friends for ideas. Reach out to your friends, and ask them what they’d like you to write about. Do a bit of brainstorming with online friends as well.
  3. Ask your readers. Yup. When you have no idea what to write about on your blog you can write a “what would you like me to write about” post
  4. Do an interview. It’s a lot easier to write a few interview questions than it is to write an entire post! Plus, it can be a great way to connect with really interesting people.
  5. Ask for a few guest posts. This is a great source of content, and it’s easier than most people think – find a few blogs that are your size or smaller, whose content you really like, and invite them to write a guest post for you. That’s about it.
  6. Write a review. A movie, a book, a TV show, or a product that you’d be happy to endorse. No need to get too creative, just explain what you like about it, and why. And then write what you don’t like about it, and why.
  7. Link to old posts. Write a short list of your old favorite posts that newer readers probably haven’t read. You can even do a quick deconstruction, and explain what you were thinking when you wrote the posts, what worked, and what didn’t, what would you do differently.

Use two unrelated dots and force yourself to connect them

Okay, so maybe you do want to come up with a great original idea to write about, but it just isn’t happening.

In that case, try to take two unrelated things and force them together into a really interesting post.

Connect dots that are far apart from each other. Yes, one of them has to be about something your readers would like to read about, and the other one can be something unrelated, but still familiar to your audience.

What you end up with are posts that kind of go like this:

Are you starting to see the pattern?

Sometimes inspiration does not have to find your working

Stop trying to work. Just stop. Don’t force your brain to come up with words and ideas. Do the following instead:

  • Go for a walk. Or a run. Getting your heart rate up is a great way to grow your brain. And meditate. And, yeah, exercise actually does make your brain bigger.
  • Take a shower. Relax your body, and your mind will follow. Cliche? Perhaps. But if it works, who cares?
  • Watch a movie/read a book/listen to music. Just going to say it again: feed your brain. I use the three mediums daily (read information, listen to it, and watch it) in order to stay inspired and come up with ideas to blog on.

When you do have ideas… write like crazy

When you feel inspired, write as much as you can. Write blog posts and save them as drafts to be used specifically when you have no idea what to blog about.

Which of these methods have you tried? Which one would you try?

Let me know in the comments section below.

See, Read, Think, Feel

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 12 Comments

You can tell. Just after reading the first few sentences, you know. Reading that blog post is going to change you.

In fact, you are so affected by its message you can’t help but share it.

We’ve all experienced content like this. But the question remains: how to create it?

If you’re serious about blogging, your goal is to create content that makes people pay attention, think, and feel.

And I believe that we should keep in mind these very elements as we do our best to craft an experience that will have a profound effect on our readers. Continue reading “See, Read, Think, Feel” →

This Four Letter Word Keeps You from Writing

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 17 Comments

Writer’s block.

The most hated words by those who love them more than anything else in the world.

Also known as creative bankruptcy.

Truth be told, writer’s block is all about one four-letter word. One that we rarely even want to mention.

It’s an “F word” that is frowned upon by people from all areas of life. And this word is keeping you from writing.

Fear.

Fear affects us all more than we care to admit, and it’s especially insidious for writers. Writing online is one of those activities where you’re really putting yourself out there, and the critics seems to be all too eager to tear you apart. But as we’ll see below, failure and mediocrity are not the only things we fear.

Most fear works at the subconscious level and manifests itself in the form of procrastination and writer’s block. We want to write that novel or business book, start that killer blog, release that article that will boost our authority… and yet we keep putting it off.

I don’t like to waste time on regret, because, well, it’s a waste of time. But looking back, I see I’ve wasted so much time in my writing life because I let fear hold me back.

And the truth is, every time I push myself in a new direction, I’m still afraid. I don’t think that ever changes—it’s just part of the game.

The key is to not let it stop you.

Here are the main ways fear holds us back as writers, with a few tips for looking fear in the face and sitting down to work. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, it’s doing what needs to be done despite fear. Continue reading “This Four Letter Word Keeps You from Writing” →

[Blogging Mindset] Never, Ever, Ever Give Up

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 58 Comments

“What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.”  —  C.S. Lewis

When asked how he writes so fast, Stephen King answered, “One word at a time.”

This is the kind of answer that no one believes in. And the fact that there’s an abundance of related cliches doesn’t help either.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or something like that. The Great Wall of China was built by laying one brick after another.

It is not the mountains to conquer that make you give up, but rather the pebble in your shoe.

All cliches. Terrible, terrible cliches that we can’t help but fear and loathe at the same time.

Want to know why?

Because they are so damn true. Continue reading “[Blogging Mindset] Never, Ever, Ever Give Up” →