How to create a blog: Why do you want it?

Goal of the day: 399 words. Written: 589.

So you want to start your own blog.
...isn't it? Is that why you're listening to what I'm telling you now?

If so, that's good, you don't have schizophrenia.
If not, I have unpleasant news.

But no matter. Here, you're eager to start your own blog. Beautiful, robust, funny, full of knowledge and in every way better than the few blogs you've seen on the internet.

Where to start?

• Will programming be required?
• Will you need to be a marketer?
• Do I need a degree in journalism?
• Do you need dating on TV?
• Do you need to have experienced something incredible?
• Do I need to know how to write correctly?
• Do I need to be able to create illustrations?
• Do you need to know what SEO is?
• Do you need to be funny?
• Do you need to be smart?
• Is it necessary to ask a lot of questions the way you, Daniel, are asking them now?

No, let's not start with these questions. And, in fact, what a coincidence! The answers to all these questions are also "no". The first question you should ask yourself is:

"Why?"

Unless you want to be asked "I've created a blog, now what do I write?" when you've done all the technical side of the job.

This is not an exceptional case, by the way. It happened to me once, when I created my first blogs. Several times. I was preparing, thinking of a theme, a title and looking for ideas to present, and after all this work was done, I just didn't know what to do next.

I also get letters and messages from all kinds of people who want to write books or do other creative work. And here again, a similar scenario is repeating itself:

1. It starts with;
2. Some wear and tear;
3. He no longer knows why he should continue working;
4. Not working;
5. Their work is forgotten and Daniel is very disappointed with this progress, especially after the first cheerful and "I'll do it!" letters.

Eh.

So, the first question you should ask is: Why?

Why do you want to devote your time to creativity? Why do you want to spend your time on a blog and not on a book? Why do you want to leave your mark on the annals of the internet?

Some good answers:

• I want to create because I have fun creating - it's my relaxation!
• I want to create a community of people just like me!
• I want to help those who don't know and teach them new things!
• I want to create something that is funny!
• I want to leave letters for my daughter.
• I want to build a business case for you - to show you how cool I am and sell my stuff!
• I want to learn how to write, draw, sing, make videos or something. I just want to get ready for the REAL thing!

And some not so good answers:

• Ai, what do I know, I don't have much else to do.
• I want to share various files and e-books, like I'm going to be a very hardcore pirate now.
• I want to be an article portal where I steal other bloggers' texts and reprint them.

How do these answers differ?

In that the first ones, I hope, are clear about their mission. If your goal is similar, you'll know what you're aiming for, and it will be fun. It's a pleasure. And fun is important!

Blogging is not entertainment. It is a job.
And it will take time, just like any other creation.

I, for example, spent three years building a blog Debesyla and I learned to write, to put ideas together, without getting paid a cent and making a loss of around €100 every year. I only started earning an income after 3 years of work. 🙂

Of course, if you're not just a student trying to start a blog for the second time (and you're, say, 40 years old or more), then it's easier. It's always easier to create when you have life experience.

So what is your reason? Why do you want your own blog?

Take a look at other blogs you like. How I keep looking at Boatman, Rokiškis, Wait But Why, Brain Pickings, Four Hour Week, Seth Godin…

...And what would your mission be?

You don't have to be one of these heroes! Don't even try. You don't have anything yet - admit it. So, if you were a smaller version of these heroes, what would be your tiny little mission?

("Misijėlė" - does such a diminutive version of the word "mission" even exist? That's the joy of blogging - I can create my own words!)

Now take a blank sheet of paper, open a new page in your idea book and write down the answer. Try to define the reason in one sentence.

More exercises coming soon!

When making tea,
Daniel