How to blog beyond typing on your laptop
As a blogger, one of my favorite things is discovering new ways to write that don’t include sitting at a desk or a laptop. About a year ago, a professional author shared advice that their best writing happens away from the desk in an interview. And that it’s up to them to capture the ideas however possible when they’re away from their laptop.
I love writing because I use my skills as an educator and creative to “write” and capture ideas in various ways. There is no one way to be a writer, and I aim to encourage myself and others on the cusp of writing to adapt their beliefs of what being a writer is to something concrete that supports their flow of creativity and ideas.
You might be here because you’re thinking, “I’m not a writer — but I want to be,” and this post is for you!
On my blog, I talk about five ways to expand your writing beyond just typing on a laptop here — I recommend reading this post first since it provides actionable steps and ideas for you to try.
5 ways to blog without writing on a laptop
Here, I will share how you turn ideas for content into content and why your perception of writing may not be exactly how you imagine it.
Hire a ghostwriter
many times, you don’t have to write the entire organic content on your own. You can hire a ghostwriter you trust (like me) to fill out a guide, template or brainstorm an idea you have. In many ways, writing is more complex than editing, so sharing an idea and then reviewing the first draft from a hired writer can make your vision come to life in a much less hands-on direction.
The challenge here can be finding the RIGHT ghostwriter and making sure you’re not making their job harder by being vague or unclear in your deliverables and what you want them to write about.
If you’d like to inquire about my ghostwriting services, you can email me here!
Talk through the idea with a friend.
If you’ve got a pal with a high words-per-minute typing rate, you may be able to ask them to type an idea while you speak. For ADHD’ers and dyslexic folks, this alleviates the “forming ideas” part and helps you switch into editing mode. You can watch a friend type ideas as you talk and write or edit simultaneously with them or review the document after you finish explaining the post or concept.
this is good practice for those wanting to perfect their accuracy while typing, transcriptionists or transcribers — even translators if your first language may not be the target language of your writing piece. This can be a paid or volunteer gig depending on your relationship with the transcriber — and isn’t dissimilar to hiring a ghostwriter.
Use bullet point sticky notes from a webinar or recording
We often assume writing has to happen either long-form or not — whether digitally or drafting by hand. I, for one, love to establish content blocks both in my planning and writing phases. When I first started writing, I used to draft a list of things I wanted to say in a post and then go in and “turn it into an essay,” aka add transitions.
My very, very, very first piece for an online publication started as sticky notes on a wall. I’m a much more tactile and visual learner than I appear to be because I’ve created methods to adapt my writing strategies and translate them naturally from one form to another. So I took pictures of my ideas on the sticky notes, some including a paragraph about style and gender and other ideas for anecdotes and essential points to make, drafted the article by hand in a notebook, and then edited and prepared it again in a word doc.
This piece got 3–4 rounds of reviews because in the transition from idea to a sticky note, to putting it on the wall, to arranging the sticky notes in a precise order, drafting it on paper, and then in a word document, gave me a lot of time to think through the words I was sharing and how I could make them the clearest.
Play music or write in good company
this last one is a bit of magic or an important writing ritual I use in my personal writing experience. You never have to write alone (unless you suffer from distractions — then maybe it’s a good idea to set a timer and take breaks from the silence).
I like to recommend listening to a stim song or one specific song on repeat so your brain isn’t over-engaged in listening and you can focus on the writing without distraction. Or I’ll body double with a friend. Knowing they’re on the other side of my camera keeps me focused, and I can ask for feedback on ideas, whether face-to-face in a coffee shop or a virtual hangout in discord.
How to blog!
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