Meg Dowell Writes

1. You only post randomly every once in awhile about whatever’s on your mind.

2. You’re using repetitive sentence structure. People don’t enjoy reading that. They find it very dry.

3. You’re only writing what everyone else is writing.

4. You’re only informing, never challenging or suggesting.

5. It’s all about you, never about your readers.

6. You’re just rephrasing what other websites have already said, never adding your own insights or opinions.

7. Your headlines aren’t interesting. I called your blog out for being boring, that’s why you clicked on this post. I attacked you. Theoretically. I’d never actually attack you. I don’t even know you.

8. All your posts look and “sound” the same.

9. You’re using language that’s too formal or complicated. Keep it simple.

10. You repeat yourself too much.

11. You’re too repetitive.

12. You’re not actually interested in what you’re writing about. In other words, you’re bored.

13. You’re not giving your audience a reason to care about what you have to say.

14. You’re trying too hard to sound ‘professional.’ Conversational prose can go a long way.

15. You never experiment with different tones, topics, or styles. These listicles were an experiment and you guys clicked so much on the first two that I had to keep writing them (not begrudgingly, I swear).

16. You use a lot of cliches and unnecessary words. Avoid them like the plague at all costs.

17. You don’t get to the point fast enough.

18. You get to the point too quickly.

19. You lack confidence — it shows through your writing, whether you mean for it to or not.

20. Your blog looks terrible. Unfortunately, first impressions matter.

21. You’re taking this too seriously. Relax. Have a little fun. Be relatable. Smile through your words.

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Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.

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