On Sunday I preached a sermon at my local church. I used to do this weekly when I worked as a minister years ago – but it’s been a while since I had to do it (funnily enough I find it a lot more nerve wracking getting up in front of a couple of hundred people to speak than writing a post for tens of thousands!).

As I was preparing for preaching last week it struck me how similar my ‘workflow’ for it was to putting together a blog post (although a blog post is usually a lot quicker in my experience).

This video identifies some of the stages I went through last week that are similar to how I go about writing many blog posts.

Notes: See the full sized video here. Video shot on a Panasonic Lumix DMC GF1 (aff) – here’s why I use that camera.

Video Transcript

I’ve had this video transcribed below for those who prefer to get it that way. The transcription provided by The Transcription People.

Hi. This is Darren from ProBlogger. Welcome to another video post. Over the last week or two I’ve been doing something that’s a small bit out of the ordinary for me, but something that I used to do all the time. Those of you who know me and have been reading ProBlogger for a while who’ve read the book will know that I used to work in churches as a Minister and as part of being a Minister I was delivering Sermons every week or two to a few hundred people in a church. Whilst things are a small different now in that I’m speaking to a lot more and I’m writing using text rather than voice, there’s some similarities that I’ve noticed this week in preparing a Sermon, a one off Sermon, to the way that I write blog posts and so I thought I’d share some of the process that I go through in making a Sermon which I reckon transfers honestly well over to writing a blog post or preparing a video post.

Selecting a Topic

The first thing that I noticed I was doing last week was just selecting a topic. Really that was a bit simpler for me with this Sermon that I was, I was preaching in the last day or two, because I was given the topic.

The Minister of the church that I go to said, “Darren I want you to speak about work and faith and how they intersect together”.

Selecting a topic can be one of the largest problems for bloggers, just trying to work out what to write about on a day by day basis. I, what I do is have a folder on my desktop on my computer which just has lots of different text files which have, have titles or main points that I might write. Really what, what those text files are is just identifying huge problems that my reads might have. So whether it be my blogging readers on ProBlogger, how to start a blog, how to get traffic, how to monetise a blog, the huge sort of picture problems that people have.

On my photography blog it’s, it’s more about how to choose a camera, what lens you might want to add to that camera, how you might hold that camera, how to compose a picture. These are sort of huge picture topics that I write about and I identify.

Refining the Topic – Break it Down into Smaller Problems

Then it’s about refining the topic and beginning to reckon about what you can say in it, and for me this is about breaking the topic down into smaller problems that people might have, and so in the Sermon that I was writing about this week which was on the topic of work and faith, I started to identify some of the key problems that people might have in that area, you know, when their, their work and the choices that they are, are making in their work, clash with their values for instance. Thinking about those sorts of issues within the larger topic, and the same thing’s right when I write a blog post. I try and break it down and identify, you know, maybe two or three or four problems that people have when it comes to that larger problem, larger topic, and what I find is that if you can identify two or three problems, small problems that a reader might have is that you then have your points that you can then work through in the post.

Identify What People Already Know

After that what I then try and do is really try and work what does my reader already know. A lot of people skip this type of thing but I reckon it’s really vital to acknowledge what your readers already know, because then you can build upon that. They may already know it because you’ve written about it previously and then you can link back to that so that you can build a small a, extra depth into your post, but then, then you can then identify what they don’t know.

Place the ‘Bones’ into Place – Your Main Points

Then what I do in the preparation of a Sermon is start to place the bones into place, I then look at it nearly like a skeleton, I try and place some main points in place. It may not be very exciting points at this point, it may not be fascinating yet, but they’re main points that I want to make through the preaching of that Sermon or the writing of that blog post. So as I’m writing a blog post I try and break it down into four or five points that I might to communicate over that post.

Flesh it Out – Add Interest and Depth

Once I’ve got that skeleton in place, once the bones are there, you then flesh out and this where it gets fun, this is where you can add illustrations, this is where you can add metaphors or analogies or you can tell a tale, this is where you can use pictures so for me this is the part in the creation of a Sermon where I’m, I’m thinking about my PowerPoint and how I can make it visually fascinating.

This is where I’m thinking about, you know, bring in Bible verses or quotes from people, this is where you’re fleshing it out, you’re adding muscle, you’re adding depth to your sermon or your blog post. For me as I write blog posts I’m looking at what other people are writing in this area and trying to add quotes, or I’m trying to find a well-known person’s quote, or I’m trying to add a photo. This is where you’re trying to make it fascinating. Quite often bloggers just communicate their main points but they don’t really go to the distress of making it intriguing, making it enjoyable for your readers to, to read.

Refine, Focus and Cull

Once you’ve started to add that depth, what I usually find, particularly when I’m preaching a Sermon is that I usually have too much stuff. Yesterday I preached the Sermon, I had 22 minutes to speak. Once I got the bones and then added flesh to it, I had 45 minutes worth of content, so this is where I started to practice it, I started to really verbalise it and I started to refine and cull it. This is where I started to remove some of the things that I’d added to add interest because they were really distracting from the main points and they were making it too long.

So as I’m writing a blog post quite often I do a similar thing. I start to add content to it and then I get to a point where I’m about to publish and then I, I read through it with quite critical mind and look for things that I can take out, things that might be distracting from the main point, things that might be making the post too long. You want to be useful with your posts but you don’t want to really go over the top with it.

So then you’re at a point that you’re able to deliver it and hopefully if you’ve been practising it, if you’ve refined it you’re able to do that, you know, in a excellent way on your Sermon and hopefully as your blog post, you’ll have something that people not only can learn from but they also find fascinating and intriguing to read. I hope that gives you a bit of insight into how I go about it. That’s the type of blog that I write, I write how to contents so that probably applies a small bit more to that type of content than some other types, but I’d be interested to hear about the processes that you go through in, in the creation of a blog.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

How Preparing A Sermon is Similar to Writing Blog Posts

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a guest post by Larry Brooks of Storyfix.com

10.      This is a huge community.  As in, ginormous.  Literally four corners of the world, anyplace with digital cable and a Fed Ex partner. 

Which means my frequently sarcastic American humor doesn’t always play places like Klagenfurt and rural Kirgizstan.

9.        Online sarcasm is itself risky business.  One writer’s sarcasm is another’s snarky… a word which probably doesn’t play in Kirgizstan, either. 

8.        Never write a post about the need to double and triple check for typos that has a typo in it. 

One word: crucified.  Still smarting from that one.

7.        “Know Thy Audience” isn’t a cliché.  It’s the natural law – the physics – of marketing.

I’m a blogger who posts about fiction writing and sells a few writing ebooks while I’m at it.  The majority of readers here are online entrepreneurs who’d rather hear about blog-related marketing than how to write the next Salzburg Times bestseller. 

Many of whom, by the way, have a tale in them.

6.       Darren Rowse really is the nicest guy on the internet.  A total pro, too.   I’ve tested this theory with a wide breadth of technical cluelessless and naiveté, and you can add patience to those first two.

He doesn’t just let anyone onto this site, which means you not only earn your admission ticket (lest you wonder, I was invited to post here twice a month), you earn your keep, too.  And it’s all honest. 

5.        The company you keep defines you.  Choose wisely. 

In this case, being on Problogger has upped my online exposure and, merely by association, my chops in the online world.  My brand.  Which means, the pressure is on.

This, too, is natural law in the online world.

Because the same crowd that throws in on that count can slap you back to reality with one missed swing.  (That being three metaphors in one sentence… don’t try this at home.)

4.        It’s okay to get personal.  And I’m not talking about dating or social media sites (getting too personal on those venues can also get you arrested). 

A blog is usually an ancillary tool in an otherwise pointed branding and marketing strategy, which means it doesn’t need to exclusively spew bits and bytes (digi-speak for features and benefits) or self-serving bluster that doesn’t smack of commonality. 

People are attracted to commiseration, empathy and the voyeuristic joy that comes from reading about the sheer misery of others in like-minded situations.

3.        There’s one in every crowd.   Try not to be that guy.

You could blog about the reliability of death, taxes and gravity and somebody will post a comment endeavoring to make you incorrect (one self-proclaimed “blogging superstar” tried to refute my theories about writing and publishing contemporary fiction by quoting Cervantes, who published his last book in the year 1615 … but that’s another site). 

That which doesn’t kill us either makes us stronger or simply pisses us off. 

2.        You, the blogger and the commenter, place the UNITY into community.   That’s why this venue is unique in all of the history of human communications.

And the most valuable thing I’ve learned here on Problogger is…

1.        I have a lot to learn.  That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it? 

One of the best ways to learn – albeit with a resource like Problogger on your daily to-do list – is to just keep writing.  On your own site, and on others if they’ll have you.

And if that’s not common ground, perhaps we’re all in the incorrect place.

Larry Brooks is the creator of Storyfix.com, an instructional site for fiction writers and those who proof them.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

10 Things I’ve Learned From Posting on Problogger

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A Guest post by Cori Padgett from Huge Girl Branding.

Perfection is for losers.

There, I said it.

And I can say that because I used to be a bit of a perfectionist. I’m pot, you’re kettle, and we’re both freakin’ black. Feel better?

And frankly, I still am if I’m honest about it. You could say I’m a “recovering perfectionist”.

Seriously, I reckon it stems from my slightly O.C.D. tendencies. Tendencies like the insane urge to eat the same amount of M&M’s on each side of my mouth. Only green on the left, only blue on the right.

Or the ridiculous compulsion to leap out of bed at midnight, knowing I already locked the front door… but feeling compelled to check it one more time, “just in case”.

Or my friend who literally will follow the cord from the iron all the way to the wall, KNOWING it’s not plugged in, but making extra sure it isn’t anyway…

Yep…

We’re nuts. Isn’t everyone?

At least a small?

OK, fine, maybe that’s just me… sheesh.

Honestly, striving for perfect is a losing battle. The only perfect being in this world is the Excellent Lord Himself, and last I checked… I’m not God, how about you?

No one is perfect. And when you’re constantly seeking perfection in everything you do, you’re doomed to a life of dissatisfaction, discontent, and stagnation because you are unable to go forward on any of your goals.

And if you’re a writer and a blogger like me… well let’s just say that if I tried to reach perfection in everything I did… I’d likely still be cleaning vacation homes for a living and praying all of my bills got paid.

So hold on a sec while I give imperfection a huge juicy kiss on the lips in monumental gratitude for saving me.

Muah! Now seriously, let’s talk more about you.

• If you’re struggling each day within the chokehold of perfection…
• If you’re wasting time and valuable resources trying to get something “just right” before you do anything with it…
• Or if you find yourself deleting pages and pages of work because you suddenly chose it “wasn’t any excellent”… Nay, scratch that… let’s call it like it is shall we? Because it “wasn’t perfect”…

Then I’m sorry friend, but it’s time.

Time that is, to don your steel-toed boots (“sh%# kickers” we call ‘em in the Dirty South) and kick perfection’s rosy small ass to the curb! Preferably with a resounding splat for excellent measure.

You with me? Excellent, let’s get started.

The First Swift Kick- Set Attainable Goals

I’m talking about blogging and writing here, but really this can be applied to just about anything. Perfectionists tend to make a habit of setting unrealistic goals for themselves. And then when they don’t measure up or reach those goals, they’re ashamed of themselves.

They call themselves quitters, or “stupid”.

They place themselves down, and engage in some pretty negative self-talk… telling themselves they just aren’t excellent enough to get where they want to go… if only they could do “this” they’d be so much better at “that”.

I mean really… would you talk to someone else like that?

Not likely.

Would you call someone stupid because they couldn’t do something perfectly?

Probably not.

So why in the ever-lovin’ world would you talk to yourself that way? Just sayin’.

Stop setting goals for yourself that you don’t believe in. Strive for excellence in all you do, not perfection. Yes, you should always stretch yourself. And yes goals you set for yourself should feel slightly scary… slightly out of reach even.

But they shouldn’t feel impossible.

For instance, I have a goal to reach 2,000 new subscribers to Huge Girl Branding in the next 6 months. (Feel free to help a girl out btw!)

Is that goal attainable? I believe it is.

Is it slightly out of reach for me right now? I’d say so, as right now between RSS, Email, and my newsletter, I’ve only got about 250 subscribers. (Thanks to ALL of you, HUGE hugs!)

That means I’ve got about 1750 more to go before I’ll reach that goal. And you can bet that if I got hung up on making “perfect” blog posts, and having a “perfect” design, and making my newsletter a “perfect” mix of humor, smarts, and useful info… I probably wouldn’t even have any readers, much less a subscriber!

I’d be really stuck.

Really immobilized.

Living in dread of being judged.

Living in dread of being seen as “imperfect”.

And if I set that goal even higher, say 10,000 subscribers in 6 months… I’d likely be completely stalled because the goal I set for myself wasn’t believable to me and I’d be so hung up on being perfect that my inner mantra would end up being something along the lines of “I’ll never get there” or “It’s too hard” or “I’m not ready”.

Bull.

It will be hard. I’ll probably never be 100% ready. But I will get there.

And so will you, wherever “there” is.

But I know that you’re smart enough to know that you won’t get there overnight, and you won’t get there by getting stuck under the thumb of perfection. So set incremental, attainable goals for yourself that feel just mildly out of your comfort zone, and then get rockin’ with the action taking.

Set about making them a reality.

As you do that, repeat after me… “Action will get you everywhere, perfection will get you nowhere.” “Strive for brilliant, not perfect.” Now say that three times quick! (Kidding.)

Then get busy making excellence in all you do, and let go of that ridiculous notion of perfection.

Capisce?

The Second Swift Kick- Delight in the Process of Achievement

Really!

When is the last time you (speaking to you perfectionists here) stopped long enough to appreciate where you are right now?

To appreciate what you’ve accomplished already? As a perfectionist there is a tendency to be constantly looking for new and better ways of doing something. A bit like the “grass is always greener” syndrome. You’re never quite satisfied with anything “as-is”.

So you need to make it a habit to pat yourself on the back for every milestone that moves you a step closer to your goals, whatever they may be and appreciate the moment you’re in.

For me, that means appreciating the fact that I have 250 subscribers that read my blog already! That’s no small feat, especially when you’re starting out.

And people these days are stingy with their time and their emails… so if they are taking the time to keep up with you and your blog… that’s a huge compliment! Treat it as such and call yourself a winner, because even when you don’t feel “perfect” you’re still pretty freakin’ awesome.

Just tell yourself “Cori said so!” if ever you’re feeling doubtful.

The Third Swift Kick- Connect With Other People

Preferably other imperfect ones. (And in case you forgot… that means everyone is honest game!)

Honestly, sometimes when you’re feeling stuck in the spinning abyss of an “I can’t do this, it’s not perfect, everyone will despise it!” moment…

Slow your roll man!

Stop what you’re doing (or trying to do) get up and walk away. Get out of your house, go have coffee with a friend or three, and cop a squat in a park somewhere to see how the rest of the world lives. It’s a sure bet that things aren’t perfect for the rest of the world either!

(I know, I know! You… meet sledgehammer wrapped up neatly in “no one’s perfect” stickers!)

You’ll even be singing the “No One’s Perfect” theme song before I’m done with you.

Really though, connecting with other people can help you see that you’re not the only one that struggles with the insane urge to be perfect all the time. Trust me there are a ton of us out there!

You can probably safely bet that Darren, despite his pretty massive successes in the blogosphere has never been perfect. (Sorry Darren!)

And heck, Bill Gates went after what he wanted with barely a plot in place! That’s so far from perfect it’s laughable, but just look where he is today.

And sitting down with friends who are equally crazy but imperfect can help you see that perfect isn’t necessary for success. The only thing necessary for success is the ability and willingness to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done in the absolute best way that you can right then.

No more, no less.

The Fourth and Final Swift Kick- Accept Mistakes for What They Are

A somewhat painful learning experience. As a recovering perfectionist, I know there is often a tendency to view mistakes and screw-ups as failures.

It’s now time to change your point of view.

Mistakes are not failures they are lessons learned.

The only time a mistake is a failure is when you don’t walk away with new knowledge about yourself and your goals. When you don’t walk away with new self-awareness, I’m worried that means you’re doomed to repeat those mistakes, sometimes over and over again until you get it.

And guess what it means when you repeat a behavior but expect a different outcome?

C’mon!

It means you’re insane, so stop that!

Mistakes are a part of life, a part of learning and growing. I’ve made more than my honest share over time and it’s a sure bet you will too. I can state this with absolute assurance because I already know that perfection is never attainable for mere mortals like you and me, despite our best efforts.

But it’s time to realize that you don’t have to be perfect. Loosen the chokehold a bit. You don’t have to be a perfect blogger, or a perfect writer, or a perfect mother or father. You don’t have to run a perfect business, or have a perfect home.

Just make it your goal to always give your best; to strive for “brilliant” in everything you do… and you’ll get as pretty darn close to perfect as you’ll likely ever be.

And on that note…

“Brilliant” is pretty damn excellent in my book, so let me know if you need to borrow it.

Cori is a wildly hire-able freelance ‘ghost’ as well as the creative brains and dubious brawn behind her blog Huge Girl Branding. If you’d like to harness her creative brains and dubious brawn to guest post on your blog, just stalk her on Twitter and question her. I’m “nearly” sure she doesn’t bite. Well… like 95% sure.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogging, Steel-Toes, And Kicking Perfections A$$

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This column is written by Kimberly Turner from Regator (a fantastic tool that gathers and organizes the world’s best blog posts). – Darren

Thanks, as always, for stopping in for our weekly list of the ten most blogged-about tales, provided by Regator. This week, we’ll use posts about these hot topics to discuss thoroughness in blogging. “Thoroughness” can be a vague term, so I’ll define a thorough post as a post that tells the reader what they would want to know about a given topic and does not leave them with unanswered questions. Let’s take a look at some fantastic examples:

1. World Cup – Flavorwire’s “First Person: Scenes from England’s World Cup Fever” uses thirteen photos and accompanying text to paint a vivid and complete portrait of England’s World Cup fever.
2. iPhone 4 ­– In “Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn’t buy an iPhone 4,” TUAW does a point-by-point rebuttal of a post from TheStreet.com. Posts or articles you disagree with can be a rich source of inspiration, just be sure to adequately address the points made in the original during the course of your rebuttal post.
3. Stanley McChrystal – In “What Gen. McChrystal should have known about Rolling Stone’s reporter going in,” Slate’s Press Box blog spends more than 1,000 words elaborating on why McChrystal should not have agreed to take part in the Rolling Stone profile then adds a level of completeness by providing a dissenting opinion and questions readers to discuss the issue.
4. Father’s Day – You need not be reporting on news to provide a thorough post. Miche G. Hill’s “My Dad: A Father’s Day Tale” uses personal anecdotes and experiences to build a connection between her readers and her late father.
5. Gulf of Mexico – Many blogs were quick to place up posts indicating that a federal judge had blocked Obama’s proposed drilling moratorium, but “Judge Strikes Down Obama’s Offshore Drilling Ban” from Treehugger went a step further by providing quotes from the judicial opinion and the White House press secretary, speculation on why the judgment was made, and a link to supporting documents. Providing these extra elements requires research, but the time spent is likely to strengthen your post and increase your credibility.
6. Toy Tale 3 – While many other posts on Toy Tale 3 mentioned the tear-inducing nature of the film as part of a broader review, Cinematical’s “Why Does Pixar Make Growing Up Feel So Terrible?” focuses in on that particular aspect of the blockbuster. If a topic seems too large to cover in a thorough manner, consider honing in on one particular aspect and covering that aspect well.
7. Supreme Court – Like number 5 above, SLOG’s “R-71 Case: Supreme Court Rules Petitions Can Be Released” demonstrates that it is built upon solid research and was not just dashed off in haste.
8. Miley Cyrus – Speakeasy’s “Miley Cyrus’ ‘Can’t Be Tamed’: Review Revue” combines reviews from various sources to make a one-stop post for those interested in how this pop star’s latest album is being received. Pulling together information from various sources can be helpful to your readers—so long as you also provide them with ample original content.
9. Wimbledon – The Guardian’s “Wimbledon 2010 Live Blog: 23 June” may be one of the best examples of thoroughness ever to grace the Blogosphere. When Xan Brooks was assigned to the seemingly enjoyable task of live blogging Wimbledon, he nearly certainly never expected the longest match in the history of tennis. Although he was, by the end of the 11+ hour match, rambling about zombie players and hearses, the champion never gave up.
10. Kevin Rudd – Rather than simply linking to Kevin Rudd’s farewell speech video, Jack Marx’s “Kevin – too human, too late” analysed it, commenting on everything from the former Prime Minister’s eye contact and body language to the reaction of his son during the video.

Do you reckon about the thoroughness of the posts you write? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Kimberly Turner is a cofounder of Regator.com and Regator for iPhone as well as an award-winning print journalist. You can find her on Twitter @kimber_regator.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Blogosphere Trends + Thoroughness in Blogging

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Last month I produced a video in which I walked readers through the split of my income over the month of April to show what different income streams brought in different percentages of my income.

In the video I shared how the split between income streams can vary a lot from month to month.

The feedback from the video was so positive that I’ve chose to keep producing monthly breakdowns. I’m not interested in getting into totals of income for the different areas but want to share the breakdown as a way of showing the variety of ways that a blogger can make money.

Here’s the breakdown for May 2010:

In comparing the previous month (April) with May you’ll notice that there were not that many differences. The two months were remarkably similar in the order of the top 4 earners and then a bit different in the lower ones.

Next month you’ll notice a huge difference in the eBook sales. I’m yet to do the calculations but I expect it to hit #1 as a result of the release of the Travel Photography eBook that we launched.

The only other main difference in May was the decrease in Direct Ad Sales as I had a couple of campaigns end and I’m transitioning my sales approach. It’s not a major area of income but I’ll be working to see that segment increase in the month or two ahead.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

How I Make Money Blogging: Income Split for May 2010

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