How To: Write To Inspire Your Readers

As writers, we are always looking for inspiration.  Whether it is a walk in nature, a smile on a child’s face or a beautiful piece of artwork, it is always fun to feel that inspiration swell inside of us.  There are a ton of great articles on the internet about how a blogger can become inspired.  However, what about becoming one of those sources of inspiration for your readers?  Have you ever thought about that?  Have you ever read a post that was so inspiring that it made you get up and take action or maybe it affected you in a different way, maybe it made you cry.  Either way, it evoked emotion, passion and inspiration inside of you.

What makes those posts different from every other post? It must be an elusive topic because there is very little information out there about this. Writing to inspire is an art form for sure. I’ve been trying to learn how to do it for years. A few times I’ve had someone leave a comment on one of my articles on Bit Rebels that said it inspired them and seeing that comment is always like Christmas morning to me. That is my goal, to inspire others, and I feel humbled every time I say it. When I can inspire other people, in return, it inspires me. It’s one of the great circles of life.

I instantly know what inspires me when I read it. To me, those posts stand out from all the others. They are without a doubt a cut above the rest. I have dissected some of those posts and put together a list below of things to remember when trying to inspire others with your own writing.

To Inspire Others, First We Have to Get Back to Basics…

If your readers are going to be inspired by your post, first they have to read it. Don’t forget the basics which include: a strong title/headline, stunning graphics, making yourself scannable, making yourself not be boring to read. All of these things are very important. Here are some resources to make sure you’ve got all those basics covered:

1. To learn how to create strong titles and headlines check out: 8 Secrets To Writing Killer Post Titles.

2. To learn how to find stunning graphics and images check out: http://www.flickr.com Remember to give proper credit. By the way, using stunning graphics will always give new life to words that do not inspire because your reader’s brain will “feel” the graphics. There is a whole right brain/left brain process that happens here. Stephen King calls this “writing with the third eye, the eye of imagination and memory.” According to http://copywriter.typepad.com, if you use strong graphics, “You’ll be able to make your readers see and feel your scenes. If your writing is flat and uninspired, imaging is an instant cure.”

3. Make yourself scannable! This is a huge! You’ll lose all those readers that scan, which is a lot, if you forget this. Here is a great post that teaches how to do that: How to Write Scannable Content: A 6-Step Approach.

4. Last but not least, you don’t want to be boring! This is a tough one because nobody wants to think they are boring. I’m sure you are not boring. Of course not. But.. if you want to double check, just to be sure, here is a great post about that topic: How to Be Interesting.

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to add the secret ingredients to our writing to make it inspire people. What does it take to do that? I’ve learned from reading authors that inspire me that it’s not just one element to add to your post, but rather, a combination of several different things that together, make the magic formula.

Write as if you are talking to your best friend…

I’ve done a lot of public speaking and sometimes a client has put a television camera in my face and said, “Now speak to the camera like it was your best friend.” You’ve probably heard people talk about this before. If you are on television, you have to forget how many people are watching you and just talk naturally.

It’s the same if you are a writer, you have to forget how many people will be reading your post because then you’ll get self conscious and hold back. It’s like a mental screen appears in your mind (mental static) which filters what gets through and suddenly you aren’t as genuine as you could be. This all happens without your even realizing it.

Instead, pretend you are just writing to your best friend. Be free and childlike, without a worry in the world. Speak to one person, from your heart. Everyone will be able to feel the sincerity in heart and it will come through in you writing.

These links I have included below are no longer available to the public, these are a very rare treasure that took me a long time to find for you, but if you listen to these recordings entitled “Releasing Mental Static” and “Does Mind Chatter Get in Your Way?” I guarantee you; it will make a huge difference in your writing. They are advanced trainings by Dr. Ellie Drake.

Get to know and engage your readers…

Unfortunately, many bloggers do not take the time to respond to comments left on their posts. I think that is so sad; we work so hard to create an amazing post, why drop the ball at the very end by not engaging our readers that take the time to leave a comment? If you do engage your readers, they will notice and be more excited about leaving comments in the future. Suddenly you are a real person that appreciates and cares about their opinions. It’s fun and conversational. Many times, the best part of the post is in the comments. There can be some real magic there if you cultivate and nurture it.

I don’t have the time to respond to every comment on every article that I write on Bit Rebels because I get a ton of them, but I do dedicate time every single day to respond to as many as I possibly can. I have built entire relationships with readers, all through the comments. My readers are very special to me and close to my heart. I want to encourage you to explore that on your own posts. If you don’t get many comments, this is how you start the process…

Each time you get a comment, respond as quickly as you can and in addition to thanking the person for leaving the comment, ask a question which invites them to leave another comment. Once there is a little back and forth writing going on, many times, others will jump in and join the conversation. Those readers will always remember that you respond to them and that you care. They will leave more comments in the future. You will slowly build your loyal base of readers by doing this. It takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen for sure. You will see.

Tell your personal stories…

I dislike the phrase “be transparent” because I feel like the moment someone says that, they aren’t being transparent. However, it is important to tell personal stories. Yes, I know, it is embarrassing at times and every now and then you write something and then cringe, but it makes you human and relatable to your readers. Write from your heart and speak to their heart. Make sure your stories are not too long, and make sure they are true. It’s okay to change a few names, but be honest with the story. If you write a personal story that is untrue just to play on the emotions of your readers, that is bad karma, you don’t want to do that!

In order to be inspiring in your writing, ironically, you have to be a little selfish. In some cases, writing about yourself could be considered being me me me. However, when trying to inspire others, you have to open up yourself and share some of what matters most to you with your readers. I write about things that happen in my daily life almost every day on Bit Rebels. My own life experiences are what inspire me to write, and it seems to be working so far.

This is an example of a post I wrote that was very personal to me. It was an embarrassing story to share, but looking back, I’m so glad I wrote about it: 4 Tips For Handling A Spat With An Internet Friend. It was a therapeutic post for me to write, and if you read the comments, you’ll see our readers enjoyed it as well, which made me so happy because I was so nervous about it. This website has many posts about inspiration, and there are always a lot of effective personal stories, you might want to check it out for more information on this: Fuel Your Writing. My very good friend, @giselle2323, is a writer for that site, and if you are on Twitter, she is a wonderful person to follow. Share your stories, it is so important!

Choose your words wisely…

Use powerful words that evoke an emotion and take the time to learn about the influence of your words. Strong copywriting is imperative. Drip some juices of descriptive, short strong words into your writing and you’ll notice a big difference. If you find yourself using a word like “amazing” or “great” over and over, take the time to go to the online thesaurus and search for a more intoxicating word.

Nobody expects you to do verbal gymnastics; I’m absolutely not suggesting that you use big words to show off your vocabulary, that can actually have the opposite effect of what you want. I’m just saying to play with your words and choose emotional words when you can, instead of the same-old-same-old words that everyone uses. There are tons of resources online that can help you with these words. Here is one site that has a huge list of emotional words. Check out this list and feel the difference: List of Emotional Words.

Learn from others that inspire you…

Read posts written by authors that inspire you and that you learn from. I am very inspired by my fellow Bit Rebels writers. They inspire me very much. I am also inspired by Staci Shelton’s blog “Love, Staci.” Find authors that inspire you and then figure out what it is about their writing that strikes that nerve within you.

I got in touch with @StaciJShelton and asked her if she had some tips for how she is able to inspire her readers. She gives us this insight:

“In short for me my inspiration comes from a genuine love for people and my belief that we are all connected. I start with gratitude and do some quiet reflection daily. I keep myself surrounded by positive loving people. And when an inspired thought comes, I capture it in my journal to share now or later. One more thing… I get into tunnel vision. I have to speak in my own voice.”

In conclusion…

I’ve learned some very important things after writing this post. I’ve learned that our writing and ourselves are not separate, they are connected. To inspire others with your writing, you have to become one with your own writing. You have to allow your writing to breathe and express itself just as you do. You have to let it evolve into being an extension of yourself.

Let the love you receive from your readers be your guide. It’s a process, but once you start doing it, you will build more confidence and the feedback you get will inspire you to keep going. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you share the links to your own posts in the comment section below!

Thank you to you all for the great pictures:
http://notyellowchicken.com
http://th06.deviantart.net
http://media.picfor.me
http://www.nowherehere.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos