5 Rules For Getting What You Want…Do They Apply To Your Blog?

Used with permission: Debbie Ridpath Ohi /  Inkygirl.com

Welcome to Thoughty Thursday! This is the day of the week that y’all get to be privy to whatever thoughts are kicking around in my brain.

Today, I’m thinking about blogging.

I read a really long meandering blog the other day and it made me think about what we all look for in a blog post.

Sharla Rae said it the best in Why Some Blogs Make Me Cranky.

None of us bloggers want to make people cranky! But what do you want from your blogs?

I’ve said it before, you want to be very clear on WHY you blog. If you don’t know, it’s likely blogging will make you cranky. If you’re cranky, we’re cranky. Cranky is catching, you know.

It occurred to me that we could all benefit from the wisdom of a character I just met, Sophie Dempsey from Welcome To Temptation by Jenny Crusie.

Note: Crusie is one of my favorite authors. She writes snarky, sarcastic characters who still manage to be kind,  and she always makes me laugh. (20 quotes from the above book can be found here.)

Sophie’s 5 Rules for Getting What You Want:

I put the excerpt below but here’s a quick summary, in case you’re short on time. Out of respect for my posse, I’ve replaced the word “mark” with “reader”:

1. Make the reader smile.
2. Get the reader to agree with you.
3. Make the reader feel superior.
4. Give the reader something.
5. Get what you want and get out.

Here’s an excerpt from page 7 of “Welcome to Temptation” (the Pillar stands for “Pillar of the Community”):

“I’m so sorry,” she said to him, flashing her family’s stock-in-trade gotta-love-me-give-me-what-I-want smile.

The Pillar stopped glaring at Amy and turned back to Sophie. Amy said, “Hey–” but shut up when Sophie held up one finger behind her back. One: Make the mark smile.

“Someday my sister’s brain will catch up with her mouth,” Sophie said, “but until then I apologize for her.” She deepened her smile and looked at the Pillar through her lashes.

“Well, I don’t know,” the Pillar said, and his scowl faded a little.

Sophie held up two fingers behind her back, and Amy sighed. Two: Get the mark to agree with you. “We’re new here so we don’t know the roads,” Sophie went on. “You know how confusing it can be driving in a new place.”

“Well, yes,” the Pillar said. “But that doesn’t–”

Three fingers. Make the mark feel superior. “Of course, you’re probably never confused,” Sophie smiled up at him, no mean trick since they were the same height.. She widened her eyes. “I bet you always know where you’re going.”

“Well, of course,” the Pillar said, relaxing now. “However–”

“And now we’ve stopped you in the middle of all this heat,” Sophie went on, apology thick in her voice. She nodded to the Pillar’s trembling hands. “And we’ve upset you.” Four: Give the mark something. “We really should let you go on. Standing here waiting for the police isn’t going to do any of us any good.” She smiled at the Pillar again, who began to smile back, looking a little confused.

“Well, that’s true,” he said. “It could be hours before Wes or Duane come by.”

Great. He knew the cops by their first names. Sophie kept her smile in place. Five: Get what you want and get out.

(For all of Chapter 1, click here.)

Interesting thought process, huh?

Do you think those rules can apply to blogging, or am I way off base? What’s your goal with your blog? Are you in it to have fun? Sell something? Monetize? All of the above? Enquiring minds always want to know these things here at More Cowbell!

Jenny

Image credit: Inkygirl.com