How to Get the Right Tone when You Write Blog Posts

You'll know that you've captured the right tone for blog posts when the posts feel comfortable to write, and they are interesting to read.

Because there are no hard-and-fast rules in blogging, you could use any tone you want. Most bloggers, though, write using an informal, conversational tone. That's a good choice because readers are more likely to keep on coming back if they feel that they "know" the blogger, on some level. You don't have to reveal all (or any!) of the details of your life, though some bloggers do. Just let your tone convey some of your personality, so that readers will care enough about you to want to know what you will post next.

Writing in an informal tone may not be as easy as it looks, especially if you are used to doing a lot of formal or academic writing. You might actually have to unlearn some long-standing habits. Don't be afraid to write in first person, use colorful slang, or ditch the topic sentence.

The easiest way to see if you are capturing a conversational tone is to write a draft and then read it out loud. Ask yourself if it sounds natural, like something that you might really say. It may help to imagine, while you write, that you are talking to someone. That "someone" can be an actual person, or you can conjure up a reader in your imagination. Just make sure that your imaginary reader is a good one - someone who is smart and lively, and inclined to enjoy the things that you write.

At least at first, you may need to do several, or many, drafts of a post in order to get the tone just right. A casual tone is like an expensive, tousled haircut - it's meant to *look* as if it was effortless, but may actually have taken a great deal of work.

Finally, you should try to enjoy your writing sessions. If you catch yourself tensing up, do a little stretching, or take a short walk, or do whatever you need to do to get into a more relaxed frame of mind. If you enjoy yourself while you are writing, that enjoyment will show in your tone, creating a shared pleasurable experience with your readers that will keep them coming back for more.