Focus On: Humor Blogs

“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard,” says Peter O’Toole in My Favorite Year. If you’ve ever tried your hand at humor blogging, you will likely agree. In fact, with the possible exception of the sestina, I’d say humor writing is the most difficult form of writing. To be good, it must be surprising, concise, sharp, timely, and consistent all at once. And humor bloggers turn out such polished gems every week or so. How do they do it? Here are some tips from the pros:

• Learn the rules. All forms of writing – the essay, the play, the short story – have some well-defined basic parameters and comedy writing is no exception. For example, specifics are funnier than generalizations and repeating something three times is funnier than repeating it two or four times. By mastering the fundamentals, you let those who have come before do some of the work for you.

Focus On: Grammar Blogs

You might have noticed that we’re grammar nerds here at the Daily Post. While we’re healthily obsessed with the topic, we don’t post about it exclusively, but there are some bloggers who do. If you’d like to try your hand at posting about grammar or linguistics, here are some ideas inspired by WordPress.com grammar bloggers:

• Rant about your pet peeve. Does a particular mistake really make your blood boil? Do you grit your teeth every time someone says “for all intensive purposes”? Does it make you scream whenever someone verbs a noun? Blog (forgive the verbed noun) about it. The outlet will do you good.

Focus On: Craft Beer Blogs

Each day, we discover bloggers on WordPress.com exploring different passions and interests, immersed in unique industries, fields, and worlds. At The Daily Post, we’ll highlight more of these niche blogs and the various communities within WordPress.com. We hope these spotlights introduce you to new communities and ideas, and inspire you to find—and create—your own cozy corner in the blogging world.

First up? Craft beer.

Focus On: Fiction and Poetry Blogs

Did you know literature was an Olympic event until 1948? Of course, all creative submissions had to reference athletics in some way, and many think the quality of the work suffered as a result. That’s why blogging is such a great way to develop and showcase your creative writing – there are no restrictions or limitations beyond your own imagination!

If you primarily write fiction or poetry, or if you’d just like to try your hand at a poem or story, here are some ideas to get you started:

Focus On: Parenting Blogs

Photo by Nicola Baird.

“Do you remember long lie-ins and then going out for brunch?” asked Pete, my husband. He started laughing when he saw me struggling to remember that child-free world of lazy Sundays.

“But it’s at least 14 years ago… it’s all a bit vague,” I said. “And it sounds rather expensive too!” At 11 and 14 years old, our daughters are big enough to brew up a cuppa and make us breakfast-in-bed, but it’s not that long ago when we had to do everything for them.

Focus On: Health & Fitness Blogs

Image via Flickr user The Library of Congress

Most of us could stand to exercise more (or at all) and health and fitness blogs are beloved by those who are seeking to make a lifestyle change. It’s easier to stick to a new routine if you’re not doing it alone, and fitness blogs are great sources of inspiration and information. If you’re going to blog about fitness, here are some tips for how to do it well:

• Set a goal. Tangible goals make sticking to a new routine easier – and they also make blogging about it more interesting. If you have a wedding on the horizon or you’ve signed up for a 5k, that sense of immediacy will give direction to your workouts and your posts. (Try using the milestone widget to highlight the countdown in your sidebar.)
• Identify a personal challenge. What lifestyle change would you like to make that’s really difficult for you? Giving up meat? Quitting smoking? Getting up early to exercise? If you write honestly about your struggle, others will relate and will be inspired by your progress.
• Find a new approach. Has getting a new puppy made staying in shape easier? Did a midnight run get you over your plateau? If you’ve discovered a fun and unexpected way to get in shape, let us know!
• Read up and inform. There’s a ton of contradictory health information out there. Should we eat lots of whole grains, or avoid all carbs? Is too much salt killing us, or is it fine? Stretch before a work out, or after? Help your readers make sense of all this at the same time as you’re figuring it out yourself.
• Provide practical advice. If you bike to work, how do you manage business attire in the bike lane? If you go to the gym every night, do you take your kids with you? How do you also fit in making dinner? If you have helpful tips or strategies for how to fit working out and eating right into a busy lifestyle, let’s hear them!
• Admit your lapses. Did you spend two weeks watching Mad Men on Netflix instead of taking evening walks? Did you eat an entire cake on your birthday? Did you injure yourself when you knew better? We’re all human, and revealing your own missteps can remind you and your readers that being healthier is an ongoing process.

Are you an active and healthy person, or are you trying to be? Would you ever blog about your fitness routine?