How concise is "concise"

First you write a book, then a paper, then an article, then a blog, and now a tweet. Your story is getting short but are getting more concise?

It really does not matter if you are writing a book or a tweet - concise is the same. Keep the topic central; edit out the waffle and get to  the point. It is the same rule for a 400 page book all the way down to 140 characters in a tweet. Readers see write through the padding and only want the real story.

In other words, be concise.

Seeking inspiration

There is a myth called inspiration. Is it real? I don't know. What I do know is that writing comes from a frame of mind special to you. Everyone is different. For JK Rowling, she hides in coffee shops and writes in the back room. For me, I drown myself in music, preferably with ear buds on.

And I write every day. Every one. Writing is like any skill. The more your practice the better you become. Stop for a week and it will take another week to get back into the swing.

so, you need to be honest with yourself and discover what allows you to be a great writer. Turn on the fan, write in your car or go hide in the local park. It doesn't matter. Just do it and do it every day.

Oh, I am sitting in a Starbucks and listening to U2 and, man, I am digging it.

Going beyond 55 words

Blogs, in today's world, need to be tight and to the point. Hence, the 55 word challenge: keep it to the point; get in, get out and nobody gets hurt.

But what if the 55 word challenge hurts your message?

There are times when you need to step out of the Twitter driven world of character counting news. There are times when you need a full story. There are times when I want to know all the details, damn it!

When do you know when that time has come for a longer blog post? There are no hard and fast rules. It will likely come down to a simple gut instinct. At 55 words you can re-read your post and know if the details are missing. Does this mean you now have free reign to write a book online? No. I still feel strongly that a longer blog post should first focus on one single message and deliver it completely. Have two messages? Then create a second blog post.

That's my message: end of blog post.

SEO Optimization Tips and Tricks

1. First SEO tip and trick: The first trick is keyword density in your article. Which means you need to write about SEO tips and tricks over and over.
2. second SEO tip and trick: use HTML
3. third SEO tip and trick: format with HTML
4. Add ALT to your images

Sending a message with video and pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words; video is worth 10,000. Take your blog and add images and video to extend the story you are telling while keeping the written word count under 55. Pictures sell - your words inform.

Take the 55 words or less challenge

Each style of writing comes with its own techniques: blogging is no different. The challenge you face as a blogger is keeping your content tight and to the point. To test yourself, take the 55 word challenge. Write an article that is meaningful in 55 words or less. Are you up to it?

Welecom to Online Publishing 451

Wow! Our first blog.