What has my little stint with blogging taught me?

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First, accept my apologies for three days of inaction with my posts. Two days of which were consumed in the wilderness of Brahmagiri mountains of the western Ghats. The third day, I was down with viral(still am), a tiny cost I had to pay for my adventure.
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You don't need to be a good writer to be a popular blogger.

Yes, many people don't venture into blogging because they consider themselves not-so-good writers. But the truth is, visitors who want a great read, would rather pick up a good book than read you blog to get their dose of literature. In fact, it advisable to keep your Queen's English for your first novel than flaunting it in your blog. This is because by doing so, you run the risk of restricting yourself to a particular genre of readers.

My blog itself has numerous incorrect grammatical usages and sometimes typos. But if your effort and most importantly intent, is honest, your readers will forgive you for it.

So, good English is not at all necessary?

Its not an absolute necessity. But if you are gifted with good writing skills, that's a bonus and adds to your reputation.
Secondly, with blogs you can gradually grow as a writer. The best thing about writing is you pick up your skills only by writing. So make a conscious effort to improve your language gradually but you don't have to wait till you achieve that.


So what is the requisite for a good blog?

• Its the content, not the language which is of utmost importance. Content which most of the readers could relate to. Readers wouldn't be interested in knowing what you dreamt last night, or how you picked up a fight with your colleague.
• Try to write about something which they wouldn't find in regular newspapers, television. Express opinions that could be contrarian, but not just for the heck of it. They should be based on firm conviction.
• Make your posts short and crisp. Very few people have the patience to read the whole post even if the post is written by the President.
  

What is the key to survive in the blogging arena ?

Perseverance is the key. Keep posting regularly. Keep up the faith entrusted by your readers on you. If you are late with your pots, and you find visitors returning without finding anything new, humbly apologize.


What keeps me motivated?

• As the readership swells in numbers and you get to know that there are a bunch of readers who check your blog, you owe them something. Its not the total number of readers that motivate you, its the total number of repeat readers that keeps you going.
• User comments also keeps me motivated. Any blogger worth his salt would vouch for it. They survive on comments. Many readers are not aware of this, though they are your faithful readers. So make it a point to let them know, that you would appreciate their comments after they read your post.

How else has it helped me?
You become a keen observer. You start marveling at absurdities of life and see a story to post. You open up the clogged faculties of your mind. In short you become creative. FMORT is one such example of my creative outbursts.

Next post: Adventures of Brahmagiri mountains