Blog Writing: Coming up with a Workable Idea

This semester is another one in which my students are diving into blog writing for our semester in ENG 112 (second semester composition). I have seen a variety of topics over the years, to include politics, the environment, cultural differences ("fish out of water," stories, for example). The paranormal, movie reviewers, and South Asian entertainment have also been tackled. What drives students to these topics? How do they choose them and sustain them over the course of a semester? Some students key in on a topic they're comfortable with, something that they read about or watch or study in their spare time. That was true when I did my semester blogs on home improvement and personal finance. Others choose a topic they want to learn more about, allowing them to benefit their personal interest by tying it to an academic assignment.

One of the main goals I try to drill into students is that when they have a choice in the topics they write, they should choose a topic that has personal interest to them. But I also want them to be challenged. If a student is into fashion, I don't want a basic fashion blog. I want each student to challenge their understandings and assumptions of fashion and write about what they don't fully know about. For example: for the fashion student, how hard would it be to get a design off the ground? What time, tools, education, connections, luck, finances, and skills would a designer need? This student could also research how fashion magazines key in on trends; how having celebrity spokespeople helps or hurts a brand; even the commodity of fashion could be discussed. 

Any blog writer must be determined to build their archive of posts to show a depth of discussion, time studying the topic, an understanding of a dual audience (classmates and those interested in their topic), both academic and real-world writing conventions (citations/references for academic-style posts, and hyperlinks and clear citations for the blog-oriented posts). Writers should encourage discussion and debate and build additional posts based on these dialogues. 

Remember: blog writing is community-oriented writing. Your audience will appear; they'll make themselves obvious through their comments, and they'll let you know what they think about your content. You can make that a benefit and continue to grow as a writer through all of that interaction. Take a chance with blogging and see what comes of it...