Writing and Blogging Tips From the Bufferchat Community

The Bufferchat community gathered to share writing and blogging tips at this week’s Bufferchat. What are your favorite tools? How do you get unstuck? and more!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, every week on Wednesdays, 9 am PT/Noon ET/4 pm GMT, for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers.

Where do you find your writing or blog post ideas?

• “When I’m traveling; trying new foods and meeting new people tends to lend itself to adventure!” @lauralawson
• “Talking to colleagues, answering customer’s questions and sharing my experience. Also here http://buff.ly/1PQU87E ;)” @etereshchenkova
• “My interactions with clients are a big inspriation – finding answers to unique challenges acts as a catalyst for blog ideas.” @SageBolden
• “My writing is a mix of what I know & what I want to know. My own questions are often inspiration for my next piece.” @meganELboe
• “I’m an artist & have learned that inspiration can come from anyone, anywhere, any moment. Just have to be open!” @CMGRmelissa

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

What apps or tools do you write in?

• “Collaborate in @googledocs, focus and edit with @Grammarly, prep and publish via @wordpressdotcom” @erinicole
• “Google Docs, @Evernote, @FinalDraft, Hemingway App, 750 Words, and a good ole fashioned @moleskine & pen.” @emilyesteck
• “I use Sublime text to write. It’s made for writing code, but adds no style elements to the text, which is AWESOME.” @lisettevdvalk
• “Can’t beat pen and paper though! I think that’s where my jotted ideas really come to life.” @TwinFin_
• “I write direct in wordpress if it’s a quick hit. TextWrangler for distraction-free writing, no wifi. G-Docs if collab-ing.” @JacobWakeUp

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

What advice do you have for staying focused while writing?

• “Set a timer for 30-40 minutes. Listen to music w/o words (Spotify has several deep focus playlists).” @CorinneL
• “Lately, we’ve been testing the #Pomodoro technique. Or, sometimes we just turn a computer’s wi-fi off temporarily.” @MediumBlueSEM
• “Get your initial draft out first. Don’t start editing every paragraph right away. Get your structure down to not lose ideas.” @MilwaukeePPC
• “Quiet environment and a clear, motivated mind do wonders. Also, airplane mode. Get started and get in your groove.” @chrisd008
• “I use @noisli to focus, and shoot for 20min bursts of solid writing.” @FelixSTL

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

What makes a really engaging piece of writing?

• “Use the thesaurus. Quirky use of words can make a piece stand out. But be sure you are using words correctly.” @dailysuitcase
• “HONESTY! Just sharing your heart/story/experience from a real + vulnerable place.” @lauralawson
• “Writing that makes a point. It makes the reader do or rethink something. The reader says, ‘I get it. He wrote it for me.'” @JeremyDBond
• “Make people feel like they are actually there, living it with you. Think visual and lots of details.” @lafitara
• “Use images and other media, use “You” > “I”, focus on font (spacing & #readability), tell a good story, solve problems, GIVE.” @AmandasAbroad

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

How do you get feedback on your writing? Any great tools for this?

• “Join (or create) a writing group where you share articles! Also, after you finish, let it sit for a few days, then review.” @izzydoesizzy
• “Also tell ppl you relish feedback & you’d be much happier if they have something to critique than if they just say it’s good.” @WeintraubL
• “You can ask your readers. There are tools like @Atomic_Reach‘s Writer, @grammarly and @HemingwayApp.” @lizdaponte
• “You’re able to share an unpublished @Medium article link to your peers- they can leave notes/comments. pure awesome.” @chrisd008
• “How my audience reacts to it. Data is a story about your writing/content. Be humble enough to read it & act accordingly.” @CarrieKintz

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

What tips do you have for writing consistently?

• “Build a habit of writing DAILY. CONSISTENTLY. 5 Minutes a Day. Start there!” @jjwongster
• “If you are the kind of person that needs External Accountability, 1st step is make sure someone knows you are writing.” @abbraga
• “Beware of burnout—if you can only write for 1 hr of quality writing, don’t write for 3 hrs. Know your strengths/weaknesses.” @emilyesteck
• “Schedule it into your day & once you get a daily posting streak going, you won’t want it to drop!” @sarahblackstock
• “Don’t make it a compulsion. Writing on something that is close to your heart brings the consistency, automatically.” @TheCoolZephyr

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Who are your favorite writers or bloggers?

• “Favourite #bloggers / #writers : @problogger@tferris@DannyBrown@kevanlee@ThisIsSethsBlog@zen_habits.” @SocialDave
• “I’ve always loved @donaldmiller‘s stuff, his @Storyline blog is pretty on point.” @lauralawson
• “I just started working with @ashleighsnotes and @sunnybonnell and I LOVE their blog posts!” @Matt_Aunger
• “Favorite blogger/writer Maria Popova @brainpicker.” @damolade

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much for everyone who joined in on this great chat!

Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern and join our Google+ community for the latest news.

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash