For the course INTRODUCTION TO COPYWRITING & DEVELOPMENT, Pasali Philippine Foundation May 24, 2010
Personal Blogs Kristin Vaaler blogs about her trip to America on kristinvaalersadventures.blogspot.com. Shane Pulmano blogs about her family's tears and joys on spulmano.wordpress.com. Personal turned Professional thats still personal
Blogging 101 How to write a blog post by Shane Pulmano
01. What's a blog? A blog is a website in a simple format on which bloggers write about their ideas, experiences, skills, interests, etc, in a weekly or daily basis. A single piece of writing, a post, could be one sentence, or several paragraphs, a picture, slideshow, graphs, videos, or anything else found online. A blog could have one writer or several. Usually, the blogger blogs about their private life: work, job, family, interests; a very particular interest, hobby, or skill: travel, photography, fashion, food/cooking, movies, etc. Companies and institutions, organizations many also blog.
01. Examples of blogs Professional Blogs Marketeer Seth Grodin on sethgrodin.typepad.com blogs about his ideas on trends, identity, and thought processes. Photographer Shane Prescott showcases his work on kalaiphoto.com. The Dutch blog Geenstijl.nl is a opinion blog whose influence has grown over the years. Its writers bluntly comment pretty much EVERYTHING happening in the country and some things abroad. Professional blogs is a platform for the blogger to show their work and their skills. Some professionals use their blog as a portfolio to they show to employers or companies. Politicians use them for promotion (but not all politicians do their own writing).
The lady behind www.thepioneerwoman.com started blogging about her life on a ranch and added her own beautiful photography of her children (their homeschooling), horses, cattle, dogs, and her cooking. A New York housewife posts her recipes with beautiful pictures on smittenkitchen.com. Both blogs are considered two of the best blogs online. Both have received prizes and regularly travel on account of their blog. The variety See the variety of blogs on Time Magazine's 25 best blogs in 2010: www.time.com/time/specials/packages/complet elist/0,29569,1879276,00.html
03. The easiest way to write a simple post I want you to write around 400 words per post and pictures are optional. Describe a picture The easiest way to write a post is to upload a picture (or more) and describe it: what happened there who are on that picture why there are there what they are doing the context in which it happened (history) what your thoughts are about that. Imagine you're talking to me Another way is to imagine that I'm sitting in front of you, and you're telling me the latest news. Read the transcript of an imaginary conversation with me: IF turned into a post it might look like this:
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Farmers enlarge their SRI plot "Thirty-three farmers now use SRI on a portion of their rice fields," says SRI trainer Roy Pandian. "Those started with an experimental quarter or half plot will extend it to a whole hectare of SRI next cropping!" The farmers in Palimbang are hesitant to try SRI because SRI rice is grown in the opposite way of the way they are used to. They didn't believe that rice grows with so less water. Or that 100 or so tillers grows out of one single seedling. They also didn't believe the 25x25cm spacing could help a single plant expand. Or the plant grows better if only after 10-15 days in the nursery they are transferred directly into the field. The current method says rice should be under water most of the time. And farmers need to put several seedlings in one planting and they need to be close to each other. And seedlings are uprooted from the nursery after 22 days and dried for a full day before field transfer. In our visit there in May, we interviewed happy farmers. Their SRI had high yields and with lesser costs than the old method. So they'll extend their quarter, half hectare to one. "We in Pasali are extremely happy with these results. SRI could really make a difference in their families' lives," said Pasali staff Anabel. After our visit we realized: Why just one hectare? Why not ALL of their fields? 04. Step-by-Step Guide to writing a post Step 1 - Choose a subject from readings, field or anything in Pasali. Step 2: Write down several main thoughts Choose one main statement or question, and think of several sub-statements that are aspects of, that enforce or explain this statement. Step 3: Write down the 6 Ws Who are involved What is the main activity When this is happening Where is this happening
Why this is happening How its happening/they are reacting to it Step 4 - Then think it further: What are the consequences Why these consequences How this will take place Who will benefit or be harmed from it When the consequences will be Where will be consequences be Step 5 - Find quotes Look through your interview notes. Highlight usable quotes. Step 6 - Think of a title A blog title announces what you're going to say in your post. It can't be anything. It has to be specific, informative, and amusing. Step 7 - Write the outline Using your writings on the previous steps, write the outline. The outline is also called the argumentation line or draft concept. A post outline looks like this: Title: Introduce main thought: Argument 1 for/Aspect 1 of main thought: Example for Argument 1 for/Aspect 1: Argument2 for/Aspect 2 of main thought: Example for Argument2 for/Aspect 2: Argument 3 for/Aspect 3 of main thought: Example for Argument 3 for/Aspect 3 Opening sentence, ending, pictures: Write 1-2 sentences on each. Step 8 - Fill in your outline with material from the steps above. Add the quotes in the places where they give meaning to your statements. Step 9 - Rewrite Reread your writing and extensively rewrite: Spelling Your spelling must be perfect (or near perfect as you can make it). Use the WORD spelling checker. Reread to take out spelling mistakes the program didn't see. Let someone else read it and ask them to highlight your spelling mistakes. Punctuation Know how to punctuation. If you don't know how to do that, find a grammar book, or a guide online. Make sure your sentences end with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.
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Use paragraphs and subtitles Divide your writing in logical paragraphs. And if you have many paragraphs, put a title over every few paragraphs. The white line between paragraphs and titles gives the reader some time to digest before they get new info. Be careful where you separate the text. Illogical paragraphing is extremely irritating to read. Words Choose simple words over complicated ones: talk and converse mean the same thing, but unless you're making a point with converse, choose talk. Use announcers: IF, BUT, STILL, NOW, LATER, INSTEAD, RATHER, etc, to make opposites, mood change, or a different opinion clear. Sentences Cut long sentences into shorter sentences. Write simple sentences, avoid complicated ones: Simple: Ted rides the bike daily. Avoid: Daily, his bike is his way to move. TIPS Don't be afraid to use I, WE, and BUT to start sentences. What you were told - to never start with those words - is WRONG. Why? There's no stronger way to start a sentence. Print it out and let some one read it. Ask: does it read easily? Spelling? What do they like or don't like? Choose which feedback you think is relevant, which is not.
04. The Step-by-Step Guide on example post If I'd write the example post on page 2 with the Step-by-Step Guide, it would look like this. Step 1 - Subject: Pasali's SRI Step 2: Main thoughts Pasali's efforts in Palimbang to let farmers use SRI goes slowly but steadily. Farmers in Palimbang slowly adopt SRI by Pasali. Farmers in Palimbang make their SRI plots bigger. Note - Notice that I don't actually say this thought in the article. I can, but I let other things say it for me. Step 3: the 6 Ws Who 33 farmers, pasali staff, us girls What SRI rice farming, farmer's experiences,
farmer's double the size of their SRI plot When this cropping, next cropping Where in their farms in Palimbang Why 33 farmers had high yields How Step 5 - Find quotes Gather quotes from the people you interviewed and passages from your readings. Quotes are announced with the semicolon "..." and are followed by said [function of [person] [person]. Properly annotate your sources (author, page). Don't forget to add a literature list at the end of the post. Step 6 - Think of a title SRI farmers pleased with results of their SRI plot Farmers pleased with results of their experimental SRI plot Farmers double the size of their SRI plot Step 7 - Write the outline Title: Farmers double the size of their SRI plot Introduce main thought: Pasali's efforts in Palimbang to let farmers use SRI goes slowly but steadily. [Emphasis on: slowly, steadily] Argument 1 - why its going 'slow': Farmers are hesitant to use SRI [explain why] SRI steps are the opposite of what farmers are used to [list main differences SRI-old method] Explanation 1 Argument 1: less water/no submergion versus full submergion Explanation 2 Argument 1: 1 seedling=100+ tillers versus 2-3 seedlings=40
Argument 1, Explanation 3: 25x25cm spacing versus random close spacing Argument 1, Explanation 4: 10-15 nursery days versus 22 nursery days Argument 1, Explanation 5: Direct transfer to field versus uproot & dried for 24 hours Aspect 2 - Farmers steadily accept SRI Explanation Aspect 2: Their SRI plot had high yields with lesser costs compared to the old method
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Aspect 3 - We don't know yet why they don't convert all their fields to SRI. Opening sentence: Quote from a trainer about the expansion Ending: Quote from Pasali Staff about the results Pictures: rice planting, rice seedling, farmer families, ricefield Step 8 - Fill in your outline Reread the post on page 2, and note all the elements of the outline there. Step 9 - Rewrite It was easy to copy paste answers from the imaginary question-answer thing. Or to fill in the blanks once you've figured out your main statements and sub-statements. But it took me longer to rewrite the thing. I changed multiple times the: title, opening sentences, ending, sentences. I added and deleted so many things just so it could fit in one column. IF I'd explain the writing process in percentage of 100, it would be like this: Concept forming (step 1-7) Writing Rewriting
40% 10% 50%
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05. Extra tips THE MISSING LINK Write about developments and why/how they are developing. Find things that nobody thought of, thats missing, broken, or harmed. VOICE Decide voice/Person: First person: I, we Third person: he/she/they Birdseye view: all-knowing unknown person TENSE/VERB TIME Decide the tense, or the time: past past, past, present, future, stick to one unless you want to make a specific point with another tense. past past: The farmers had been hesitant to try. past: The farmers were hesitant to try. present: The farmers are hesitant to try. future: The farmers could/might be hesitant to try.
Pasali engages Tri-people), recall an experience you had seeing a child being abused (shows Pasali's work is 'grassroots' - really connect to the people), etc. FOR MARY DAWN -- LACK OF THINGS vs DEMAND Subject: the lack of proper sanitation Angle: you visited Manobo's in Dumolol, describe the hygiene and sanitation conditions you saw (add the pictures you took!), describe how this effects their health and overall well-being, your suggestions or lack or suggestions (and why). Subject: The lack of costs notation for SRI Angle: your experience gathering data into excel sheets, your Palimbang experience was that farmer's didn't remember their costs (isn't noted by the monitoring staff), tell me why it needs to change, ask Cabs why their donating partner doesn't ask for those numbers, give the suggestions you told me. FOR SNAIRA -- TSISMIS & TRANSFORMATION
COHERENCE Choose your main thought, and only write things that belong to that thought. Delete anything else. Mentioning other subjects within the same post, confuses the reader. Thats why its important to consider each sub-argument or aspect carefully: does this explain my main thought? If not, remove, rephrase or replace. Do this for each sentence: does this say something about the subject of the paragraph? If not, remove.
06. Suggestions for writing FOR ELISA -- CHILDREN'S DESK THEATER Subject: Pasali gives a voice to those without a voice (abused children and elderly) Angle: one particular performance of Children's Desk's theater group (with B'laan or before important officials); Start from your experience: sights, smells, your feelings (nervous, excited?). Tell me why you were there, how your audience responded, and how you got training, how this contributes to the fight against domestic abuse.
Subject: how Pasali programs affect women Angle: Profile and quote several females who farm Subject: how Pasali programs have changed lives Angle: choose one particular person or family (your father & mother, Tech boy), tell how their lives were before Pasali arrived, what they did/do in Pasali, and how different their lives are now FOR TATA -- STRONG FAMILIES = STRONG SOCIETY Subject: the personal growth of the youth in/through Pasali Angle: write from a personal point of view (Marinel, Halil, Maribeth, Cocoy, Sengseng, now you), make the reader see and feel that its a family affair, what effect this family line has on Pasali's work Subject: how Pasali lacks people with certain skills, and how it trains and recruits from its educated family base Angle: YOU've seen many things happen but they are hardly shared to the outside world, now YOU are being trained to do so.
Your Children's Desk experiences are a rich source for posts. Recall the trainings you got from professionals (shows how Pasali relies on partner knowledge), name your groupmates (shows how
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