Tag: creativity

The Art of Blogging: The E-Book

~ Cristian Mihai ~ Leave a comment

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Sometimes even downright discouraging.

You have so many ideas you want to share with the world. So many things you want to say. So much you want to try.

But your job is demanding. You’re constantly juggling family schedules and obligations. You’re always heading off annoying interruptions.

You wonder if you’ll ever be able to make blogging a permanent part of your life.

You want to get your work out there, but at the same time you’re not an idealist.

You love writing, but it’s not just about self-expression for you.

You don’t need to be a unique snowflake who makes every word trumpet from the heavens so that unicorns prance down on Earth.

You just want to create something you can be proud of.

To finish something you start.

To see some results for a change.

You want to live life on your own terms and change the lives of others — and you know you could do it… if only you knew how.

There’s got to be an art to it, right? There’s got to be some secrets that few are willing to share with the world, some sort of trick that allows you to turn off your phone, sit down at your desk, and produce thousands upon thousands of words. Continue reading “The Art of Blogging: The E-Book” →

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Great Blogging is a Conversation

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 9 Comments

Have you ever been on a date with someone who can’t stop talking about themselves?

You know the type. They go on and on about their plans for renovating the guest bedroom, battles with back spasms last weekend, or their latest accomplishments.

The topics are seemingly endless.

Along the way, you might pick up an interesting fact or two, but when you finally extract yourself from them, you feel annoyed (“That’s 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back”) and maybe even angry (“The jerk never asked me about my family”).

And, yes, there is a blogging equivalent of that guy. That is, they breathlessly expound about themselves without actually addressing what’s in it for the reader.

So, how do you avoid being that guy? Continue reading “Great Blogging is a Conversation” →

The “Write What You Want” Paradox

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 23 Comments

Write what you want.

The advice that all successful writers/bloggers so generously offer.

The most important rule of content writing.

Write what you want. What sets your soul on fire. Write your heart out. When you want, how you want. Ignore the critic within, the haters, the naysayers.

Write with passion.

Punch the damn keys.

The rules are more like guidelines. Write what makes you happy. Write as if these were the last words you’d ever write.

To tell you a little secret: if you were to go on my blog, you’d stumble upon about 1000 or so blog posts that ignore most of the rules I teach here. Bad headlines, a quote for an intro, and just me writing with passion about life, death, and everything else in between.

And the newbie goes on and writes with passion and conviction until they stumble upon a new rule:

Write what your reader wants to read

Now, the newbie wants to be read.

Who doesn’t? But how do you balance these two rules, how to write what the reader wants to read without feeling like selling your soul? Continue reading “The “Write What You Want” Paradox” →

[Blogging Mindset] If You Stand for Nothing, You’ll Fall for Anything

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 16 Comments

Truth be told, I could sum up this post with a simple sentence: Fight for your ideas!

We can get technical, we can list dozens of rules of writing, blogging, curating online content, sharing it on social media, we can talk about properly formatting your blog posts, or writing captivating introductions, but the truth is that if you do not believe in what you are writing, if you are not in this with all your heart, then it’s all for nothing.

Like those books on body language that teach you various trick on how to feel confident… well, it’s more like how to display confidence. The truth that they cannot admit because no one would buy such books is that if you are confident, truly feel at ease with yourself, then it does not matter how you stand, how you hold your hands, and all that. Continue reading “[Blogging Mindset] If You Stand for Nothing, You’ll Fall for Anything” →

Are You New to The Art of Blogging?

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 11 Comments

 

How to be a Rockstar (of Blogging)

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 15 Comments

Want to be a rock star of the blogging world?

You can be.

You can be the go-to individual for your particular niche, especially when a citation, quote, or interview is necessary for the media (social and traditional).

Having a strong Internet presence goes a very long way thanks to the ever-increasing use of search engines and the power of social media, but to truly become a rockstar of blogging, you need to do a few more things. Continue reading “How to be a Rockstar (of Blogging)” →

Blogging is All About Adding Value to People’s Lives

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 9 Comments

Why do you blog?

Simple question, right?

But…

What you choose to answer determines how successful a blogger you’ll be. And rather than reporting news, or covering a certain topic or two, or attempting to make money, sell products, I am going to tell you that you should focus on making your readers better at what they do, whether that skill is blogging, marketing, or gardening.

Believe it or not, blogging is all about adding value to other people’s lives, and in this post I am going to explain how powerful this model truly is. Continue reading “Blogging is All About Adding Value to People’s Lives” →

Did You Choose the Wrong Topic for Your Blog?

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 10 Comments

Admit it. You’ve asked yourself this question at least once since you started to blog. Maybe even twice.

Perhaps you ask yourself this question every single time you write your heart out, only to get little to no traffic. No comments. You’re not getting the kind of feedback you were hoping for when you decided to blog about your topic.

To make matters worse, you’ve done all the things popular bloggers say to do, like publishing great content and commenting on other popular blogs and getting accounts on Twitter and Facebook, but no matter how hard you work, no matter how many different techniques you try, nothing is working.

So you ask yourself…

Where did I go wrong?

Is it possible that you have chosen a topic for your blog that no one gives a damn about?

Are you simply wasting your time trying to keep your blog alive?

Well… let’s find out. Continue reading “Did You Choose the Wrong Topic for Your Blog?” →

[Blogging Mindset] Every. Single. Day

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 26 Comments

It’s human nature to look for an easy way out. A shortcut.

We waste an awful lot of time dreaming of the “big break” that will forever change our lives.

Yeah, keep dreaming about becoming an overnight success someday…

Or simply do the work. Show up. Every single day.

Because in your quest to becoming an overnight success, every single day matters.

Continue reading “[Blogging Mindset] Every. Single. Day” →

The Secret Traits of Successful Bloggers

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 32 Comments

We all know the “rules” of blogging. Produce consistently high-quality content, position yourself as an authority, cultivate relationships with your readers and other bloggers…

But some of the best and most popular blogs have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how being negative, angry, and stupid (in the right ways and at the right time) can create breakthrough success on your blog.

Continue reading “The Secret Traits of Successful Bloggers” →