Saturday, January 31, 2015

Finding The Best Ideas For Your Blog


The most appropriate ideas for your blog are probably, the ideas which unlock the flow and set your muse reeling to your side almost at the snap of a finger. That goes further to mean you have no business whatever wading in waters totally unfamiliar to your muse. In point of fact, if your plan is to be around the blogosphere for a very long time you need to stay on your grind by finding the niche that clicks—finding a unique voice, in other words.

Your biggest challenge while hunting ideas for your blog will be finding what works for you unless ‘you blog not to blog a subject but to blog’ (to coin a phrase). And as far as writing these breed of journals go, all you really need do is try your hands on a variety of topics (which includes searching deep within your heart) and if you can throw your back into it, there’s a 100% chance your niche will come within kissing distance.

If you intend to run a blog where you share a topic-specific content, be aware that sooner or later, you’re going to have to sit down (or stand or lay down, your choice) and consider the odds. Of course, as they say, ideas are literally everywhere and you can help yourself to as many as your heart desires. But before you do, here’s a set of really simple questions you will need to tackle if you must set off on the right foot;
“What would you like your blog to be known for?”
“Who is your audience—the readers you intend to connect with?”

Remember, we are discussing getting the best ideas for your blog. How can you get ideas that keep on giving? The ideas you come up with have to be in tune with your overall blog theme. It follows that, one of the things you must do is spread your theme so thin that it almost falls through (I mean that in a positive sense). Let’s say, for example, you blog about ‘writing.’ First of all, write down the word, ‘writing.’ Next, build a kind of wordweb around it with topics related to your subject matter. Words like ‘book reviews,’ ‘writing tips,’ ‘book excerpts,’ ‘film reviews,’ ‘writing quotes,’ ‘book updates,’ ‘author interviews,’ ‘personal essays’ (or essays in general), ‘bestseller countdowns,’ ‘author bio,’ ‘writing community information,’ ‘top 10 lists’ (these could include movies, books, television, short stories and so on), ‘book quotes,’ ‘book suggestions,’ ‘writing prompts,’ … the list goes on.

With a list like that, which by the way, you can further break down into smaller bits, you can’t run short on weird and wonderful ideas. The best ideas for your blog which also interpret as the most appropriate are the ones that feed your drive, hand you a twig to hang on to when your inner voice is drowning in a sea of life’s problems. This is the good stuff which may evolve into fresh and brilliant topics. Fetching the best materials in the long haul is setting up yourself for a unique and successful blogging.

Keep your pens bleeding.
Akpan


Thursday, January 22, 2015

100 Quotes From 'Things Fall Apart'


My first real experience of "Things Fall Apart" was as a kid and a big fan of television. The way I remember it, it was beamed into the homes of over '30 million Nigerians' by the Nigerian Television Authority broadcasting network as a weekly television series. Before then, I'd only heard about the book in snatches from my brothers. We might have had a copy or two of the volume in our home, too.

According to Wikipedia, 'Things Fall Apart' has sold well over 11 million copies worldwide and got translated into several languages. It is also considered the most read book by an African author residing in Africa. The entire plot of this great book might have been summarized in a one-liner delivered by one of the characters on the last page; the words of the District Commissioner who came to effect Okonkwo's (the MC) arrest but instead got a body dangling off the branch of a tree. Here's what he had to say:

"The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading."

Bet my pen he didn't know his statement was on point. I'm thinking that one-liner could have been all the legendary author, Chinua Achebe had when he drafted his masterpiece. But that's just me and my unshakable hunch. In any case, whether you've read the bestseller or not, these personal clippings are going to lead you by the hand into the heart of literary beauty.

May I have the pleasure?




































































































Did your world seem to stand still? Did you hear the drums beat; heard the flutes as they sang? And did you feel your breath as it caught in your throat? I know I did. Thanks for your time.

Keep your pens bleeding.

Akpan




Free counters!