The biggest secret to blogging is one I learned from the theatre. Let me back up … When people are getting to know me, we inevitably have an exchange where it’s revealed that my academic background is neither in marketing nor advertising. It’s not even in business. I have a BA in Theatre Arts and Psychology from the University of Iowa. And I wouldn’t trade it for a thing. Through the years, I’ve come to believe that there’s nothing that can prepare you for advertising more than the science of understanding how people think and make decisions (psychology) and the creative processes that you craft in the theatre.
That big secret to blogging? As part of my theatre training I took playwriting courses. One of my instructor’s gave me one of the best bits of advice that was so simple you could have easily missed it. This professor would assign copious amounts of writing assignments. Each class something was due. Sometimes several things. He chalked all of this up to a simple axiom. “Writers write,” he said. And write we did. Plays, scenes, vignettes, character studies. Writers write.
And bloggers blog. I’ve had a blog since 2005 and I can tell you that the act can ebb and flow. However, when I am at my best is almost always when I am practicing the craft relentlessly — when I am writing/blogging a lot. And it’s not just me. Most bloggers attribute success to developing a well-oiled habit. A technique rich with refining and editing, in addition to voluminous writing. And it doesn’t stop with blogging either. Developing this creative process is a key component of creating any kind of content — from tweets to viral videos. It’s all content and it’s all honing a craft — just as you do in the theatre and in any art.
This is just the first in what I hope will be a series of posts where I can share tips with you from theatre that are uniquely applicable to the business world. And … SCENE.
