Kana's Chronicles

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By

Kana Smith

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‘Mythbusters’ Edition: How NOT to Blog

Just recently I came across a post listing Rules for writing a good blog–and I discovered I’ve been doing everything wrong!  Without laying out the whole rulebook, here’s the CliffsNotes edition of Somebody Else’s Rules: Pick one topic and only blog about that. People want to know what to expect from your blog. Don’t post…

Just recently I came across a post listing Rules for writing a good blog–and I discovered I’ve been doing everything wrong!  Without laying out the whole rulebook, here’s the CliffsNotes edition of Somebody Else’s Rules:

  1. Pick one topic and only blog about that. People want to know what to expect from your blog.
  2. Don’t post more than twice a week. People don’t want to hear from you more than that.
  3. Don’t blog about your home life or pets or your kids. Your kids are NOT interesting.
  4. Don’t blog about the personal stuff from your past.
  5. Blog while drunk occasionally.
photo "pirated" from socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com

Clearly I’m a writing-rules scofflaw.  I post nearly every day, and I write about the cat and the kids (and the Dragon) and the husband and the alcoholism (which precludes the drunk-blogging)…  I might as well just run up the pirate flag now and declare this blog a rebel ship.

But since I’m nothing if not thorough, I’m breaking rules of my own today too…  I believe I mentioned (jinxed myself?) in comments the other day that I don’t commit to more than ten thousand words in a day, but my job-source-guy messaged me this morning to say he had an overload of work and could I handle 16K (six question marks)… Ooh, a challenge! (And a fatter paycheck…)  I said yes.  So please forgive the brevity of this ramble (can a “ramble” be brief?)–I have to go write about vehicle wraps and online casinos now.

 

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Responses to “‘Mythbusters’ Edition: How NOT to Blog”

  1. Miss Edee

    Uh oh! I’ve broken all of the rules, too! Well, except the drunk one – only takes one drink for my heart to start pounding like it’s tunneling it’s way out. And the personal stuff from past thing – I’ve learned a lot reading people’s blogs about their pasts. I wrote one (a rant, really) about my past that I sent to a nationally known feminist blog, who then asked to repost, and now I’m writing articles for them. So HA!! Besides, what fun is life if you don’t bend/break rules and then create your own? Is this attitude an “over 40” thing? Haha!

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  2. Rob Kotaska

    Nice to know that I am not the only one flagrantly breaking the rules. I thought free range writing was what blogs were all about.

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    1. Kana Tyler

      Hence the ‘Mythbusters’ mention in the title… The kinds of blogs that follow those rules AREN’T the kinds of blogs I want to read. And if the pedantic rule-writer doesn’t want to read mine, I’m good with that. ;)

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  3. Keoni da Kook

    Oh My Goodness! I am married to a Literary Scofflaw…Thank You Bruddah, Ko’u ‘Ele Makule

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  4. takingcandyfromababy

    I’m a rule-breaker, too! Who knew?! Where did you find that list? I’ve always heard (don’t ask where, I have no idea) that you should write everyday…or at least a lot. Hmm. I write about a lot of crap, too…some of it in the past…but the recent as in “yesterday” – is that too recent? I wrote awhile ago about a bloggers code…I need to revisit that…maybe I need to write some new rules…..

    This was all quite disconcerting. I’m not sure if I should thank you or not ;-)

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  5. thriveoutdoors

    Haha. That’s awesome. Nice blog/wallpaper combo, too =).

    This is a good reminder to always question the source. Especially in today’s media world, where everyone can have an opinion…. And will voice it whether it is valid or not.

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  6. magsx2

    Hi,
    I well and truly break all the rules. It makes you wonder who comes up with some of these so called “rules”. But I must say I do enjoy breaking those rules. :)

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  7. Widdershins

    I have snortled into my tea yet again at a Kana post! … first impression of above list … What a load of codswollop!

    The whole point of blogging is to make up your own rules and find out what works and what doesn’t.

    Final impression of above list … still codswollop!

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  8. Rosewynde

    It depends on the point of the blog in the first place. If it’s just to tell stories and share stuff your interested in then you can break all those rules and still be a success. If it’s to pass along info about a particular subject to those that are ONLY interested in that subject . .well then all but the last rule applies. After all, there are millions of readers out there and we all love different things, so what works for one will not work for all. As for the last rule . . .getting drunk? Really? I’m seriously questioning the sanity of that rule maker. I doubt getting drunk has ever improved on anything, at least in the long run ; )

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  9. Ileandra Young

    Oh well, this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve broken a load of rules. ;-) I must admit my blog started that way, but since I’ve started talking about other aspects of what/who I am rather than just my writing the blog actually gets hits! Which is nice…

    Though I may try the drunk one some day. Not for a long while mind you – pregnancy puts a damper on getting drunk – but maybe later when I’ve run out of stuff to say because the new babbas have drained the very life from my poor battered body.

    Heh, sure it won’t be that bad… even if there IS two of them.

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  10. judithatwood

    I’m with you, matey — if I was writing only for other people, those might be good rules to follow. But I’m writing for me as well, and I write when I have something to write, not on any schedule. So my pirate flag is right next to yours. Thanks for being the one to post about it.

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  11. caridwen

    People didn’t actually start reading my blog until I broke those rules…! Great post. :o)

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  12. Miranda Gargasz

    Wow. Who blogs drunk? Let me rephrase that: Who reads blogs written by those who are drunk?

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  13. Sharon

    Rule breakers are what keeps life interesting, and your blog too. No, really, those blogs that you know what they’re about, like What I Ate Today blogs, they get really boring.

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  14. Ship’s Cook

    Don’t blog about personal stuff from your past? isn’t it people’s past experience that makes them interesting? Rules are made people who want to control other people, best to treat them withe the contempt that they so clearly deserve,

    right I’m off to write about my personal experiences from last weekend!

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  15. SusanWritesPrecise

    What’s left to blog about then? All the fun stuff is gone.

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  16. Caroline

    I feel honoured and priviledged to count myself one amongst other brilliant bloggers who have failed so ‘miserably’ to follow the blogging rules.

    I am pleased to announce I’ve broken all of them (except I don’t have a cat, dog or children ).

    Must dash I haven’t written anything today…..
    .
    .
    .
    .
    . Yet!

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  17. John

    Well, I always break rules 1, 2, 4, 5 and occasionally 3. I must be a terrible blogger.

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    1. Kana Tyler

      Let’s hear it for “terrible” bloggers, then! ;)

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  18. matthewhyde

    I break all the rules too, but then I guess they’re useful if you consider your blog as a product. However, how many of us think of our blogs as product?!

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  19. macrush53

    It depends on why you blog. Are you blogging for yourself to capture your life thoughts or are you trying to build an audience or as the previous comment stated build a product. Were rules meant to be broken?

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  20. Pat

    There are rules?

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  21. Karen Syed

    Faithful crew member, Karen reporting for Blog duty on the rebel blog ship.

    I almost peed myself when I read those…can I say peed on your blog?

    Now, I have to go and Blog on my Blog, and then will have to Blog again tomorrow so it is more than once in a week. I think today I will Blog about my cat…dammit, I don’t have a cat…can I say dammit on your Blog? It’s not in the rules that I can’t…

    Anyone got a cat I can borrow?

    Karen
    http://klsyed.com

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    1. The Bus Driver

      You can have mine. He’s a pain in the ass though … can I say ass on your blog?

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  22. Peggy Isaacs

    Uh oh. I seem to have broken all the rules, too. I always wanted to be a rebel and go against the grain in some aspect of my life. Now I know that I do! Score.

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  23. Mickey Mills

    Rebellion dogs my every step.

    Blog rules? BLOG RULES??? We dun need no stinkin’ blog rules.

    I feel a blog should be an accurate representation of its author. In that sense mine is damn near perfect. It’s all over the topic board with a ton of laughter, a pinch of tears, the occasional resentment, fast cars, motorcycles, dogs, tattoos, and a partridge in a pear tree.

    My sponsor once said… “If you like everyone in AA you are not going to enough meetings.”

    My response… “I don’t like you.”

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  24. Mickey Mills

    Oh when I first saw the title, “Mythbusters” I thought you were going to bring up the cannonball through the house trick.

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  25. Karen Syed

    LOL, I was so flumoxed I went and made a logo for Proud Rebel Bloggers. LOL

    I probably should have been editing, but hey…a logo is a logo.

    Karen
    http://klsyed.com

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    1. Kana Tyler

      Oh, I hope you’ll share! ;)

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  26. Vivian Kirkfield

    Kana…I’m so glad I’m following your posts…you are funny and smart and this post is just a small example. I follow another great blogger, Nancy of Spirit Lights the Way…her tagline is “No Rules, Just Write!” Sounds like what you are saying…and I totally agree. I tried writing every day…and was able to keep it up for 3 months. My hat is off to anyone who has the discipline and determination to keep on. Kudos to you!

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  27. granbee

    Kana, you and many of my favoriate bloggers (not to mention MOI) prove how silly those blogging rules are! Glad you got a well-paying assignment! Good luck!

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  28. Talk to me…I’m your Mother

    I’m so happy that you don follow the rules. I love seeing you pop up in my inbox. And I’m glad I didn’t know the rules…I’m erasing them from my mind. I can plead ignorance.

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  29. Kristina

    Ha ha I’ve been breaking the rules, oh well :D Rules are there to break them! :)

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  30. Sandy Sue

    I saw this Rule Book, too, and laughed my blog off. It’s so good to be bad!

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  31. Let’s CUT the Crap!

    Why must there ALWAYS be rules? When does a person get to do something he / she likes?

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  32. Charley McKelvy

    I break those stupid blog rules every day too! You keep that pirate blog of yours sailing ahead the way you want. We’ll all salute! Charley McKelvy

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  33. Southern Sea Muse

    Rules, schmules! All the great works of music, art, literature, science, dance and any other admired and respected pursuits – wouldn’t exist were it not for breaking conventional rules. We’d still be a bunch of Cavemen (sorry, Geico, but I know they understand…they broke a few marketing rules of their own to create their catchy advertising).

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  34. pamjam

    I have read these rules and have tried to abide, except the once a week thing. Instead, I have read to blog “regularly” so readers know what to expect. The one topic thing? Pish posh. Ironically, my biggest day of blogging had nothing to do with travel, but fly fishing . My second had to do with marriage. As a writer, the world is your topic, your tableau. Hoist the colors!

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  35. emmiemears

    Whoever wrote those rules must write a pretty boring blog. Either that or they’ve never had a cat go flying through the air only to crash into a wall and hide for the rest of the day out of embarrassment. That right there is a study in many subjects — perhaps even a week’s worth of blogs. :)

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  36. Angelika Devlyn

    Haha! So it seems I’ve been doing everything right! :D

    Great post!

    Angel
    X

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  37. writingfeemail

    You don’t strike me as the rules-following type anyway! LOL! And who knows what people are going to respond to? I think we like to hear about those things and many of the most popular blogs break the rules as well. You just keep writing and we’ll keep reading.

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  38. blackalchemy

    You are a blogger after my own heart – great blog, excellent posts, but I particularly enjoyed these guidelines on how not to blog – so true! :-)

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  39. Eryn Wong

    I love your style!! You can write on any topic and make them so nice to read about :)

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  40. Eboni Dunbar

    Those rules are hard not to break! The human mind is a hundred places all at once it feels almost impossible to not write about whatever is in the present mind at the time. Also, personal life…maybe not all the time but I occasionally indulge in this too. Sometimes there are things you want the universe to hear even if it doesn’t care.

    The rules depend on who you are writing for. And I think you should always write for yourself. Always!

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  41. LookingfortheSweetSpot

    oh man – so funny! I follow one – I only post twice a week. But it is because, I guess that is all I have to say…oh well

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  42. Michael Graeme

    Hi Kana,

    Loved this. I’ve broken quite a few of these rules myself. Rule number six though is there are no rules. You’re doing something right, dragon lady.

    All the best

    Michael

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  43. lolabees

    I think we are all breaking these rules! Don’t blog about the personal stuff from your past? I actually think that when I started getting personal and real, more people became interested. No one wants to read a blog from a robot!

    Blog while drunk occasionally? Ooh, that could get ugly, like a bad drunk dial! No thanks!

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  44. Hermionejh

    Gah! I not only broke the rules, I freaking ground them into dust!! I suck as a blogger – and will keep on flouting the rules (which is why I’ll probably never be ‘Freshly Pressed’! (oh, well…) Cheers!

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  45. itsallmanana

    Oh dear. Seems I’m a rule breaker too and I’m usually such a good girl!! Ha ha. Oh well……

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  46. Amanda Harper

    Ah what a load of bollocks. I don’t read blogs that are about just one thing, with the exception of ukulelehunt. Simply because they get really boring, really quickly.

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  47. Melissa Crandall

    I got told the same thing, Kana, and my response was twofold:
    1) How boring (for me as well as my readers)
    2) I don’t know enough about any particular thing to write only about that.

    Then again, you could say that we DO write about only one thing — we write about LIFE. Is it our fault that it’s multicolored?

    I’m proud to be a card-carrying pirate. Let’s hoist that flag and repel all boarders!

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  48. Sunshine

    With rules like that, one may as well stay in bed and forget about blogging. :)

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  49. Cardinal Guzman

    Rules are meant to be broken. Who gives a shit about what rules other might have on blogging… I sure don’t.

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