Talking to Myself

If you pull up next to me at a traffic light, you are going to see something a little unusual. It is going to appear as if I am talking to myself. I want you to know I am not really like crazy as I look. Please note, I did not say I was not crazy, just not that crazy.

So why am I talking to myself? You see my primary learning style is Auditory. That means is I process information better if I hear it out loud. So years ago I learned to work on my presentations in my car. I never write my speeches down. I simply work through sections out loud, testing phrases and pacing, till I find something that sounds exactly right.

I have often used this same technique as a foundation of my blogging strategy. Talking through my ideas helps me write better blog posts. I often write a paragraph and read it aloud. I edit the text based on the way it sounds. This is probably why I use so many extra commas. I hear the pauses and think a comma needs to be there so everyone else will hear it as well.

About six months ago, I started recording random thoughts and ideas to use as blog post starters. It worked so well, I expanded the process and now you can often find me dictating entire posts into my iPhone as I am driving in my car. (So ​​the looking slightly crazy at traffic lights.)

I often record the post two or three times. I listened to the recording and adjusting the flow, the way other people write, edit and rewrite a post. Some people think into a keyboard, I think into a voice recorder.

There is still some editing required once I type the post, but embracing my natural work style has made blogging much easier and better. I really like many of the posts I have created in the last few months because they sound like me. They are more natural, more conversational and yet still informational.

This technique may not work for everyone, but if you are struggling with writing get a voice recorder and try using it in car. Do not worry that others think you are talking to yourself, because the process of recording then writing will help you talk to lots of people through your blog in the long run.