Over the last few days, I have been rather engrossed reading some interesting (and some weird) blog posts by fellow Steemians from all over the world. One common dilemma that I noticed among Steemians, particularly the newbies is the question How Do I Start or What To Write on Steemit.
I know how frustrating that feels like when you stare in front of the blank screen for the longest time and your mind just goes blank.
I've been there too.
When I sat down to pen my first post in December 2017, I had absolutely NO idea what to write either. Having left journalism for almost a decade, I have not been actively writing or blogging since. That's when I remembered what my university lecturer used to say, whenever the class complained after being hand down yet another writing assignment.
The 5Ws and 1H Formula
Commonly used by writers, content creators and journalists, the 5Ws and 1H Formula is used to clarify your thoughts, ideas or messages in a cohesive manner. It forms the backbone of your story and ensures all the critical pieces of information are in place. It also helps your readers to grasp the message in your story immediately, else they might end up reading from A-Z but yet fail to understand what you are trying to convey.
The 5Ws and 1Hs addresses the following questions:
W HO | Who will be involved? Who was involved?
W HAT | What will happen? What has happened?
W HEN | When will it occur? What has occured?
W HERE | Where will it take place? Where did it take place?
W HY | Why is this important? Why does it matter?
H OW | How does it work? How does it do what it does?
Let's take the first #introduceyourself post as an example.
W HO | I'm Meghan Markle and I'm an American actress and humanitarian
W HAT | Half brother's fiancee was arrested and charged with fourth degree assault over a drunken brawl
W HEN | New Year's Day
W HERE | Oregon, United States
W HY | Set to walk down the aisle with Prince Harry and become part of the British royal family in May 2018
H OW | The news may affect her status and her relationship with the British royals
So there you have it.
A quick way to get you started on your blog post and share your story with the world on Steemit and finally earn your share of Steem or SBD. Who knows you could be the next Top 20 Authors on Steemit from #teammalaysia!However, if all else fails and you still can't crack the formula, maybe what you really need is to heed @deborism advice
But @karinzdailygrind...What if I need someone to kick my lazy ass into action mode?
Then, this could very well be your answer...
PS: A lil' birdie told me only those who could pee squatting qualify. Not sure what that means, but you get the drift 😉