The First Post

 In 2021, I started looking at TTRPG blogs in earnest, trying to soak up all the cool game information I could with my spongy little brain. In 2022, I realized I know a lot about things, and I'd like to share what I know. So I decided I'd start a blog of my own! In 2023, which is now, I have yet to start that blog (unless you count this post right here).

The truth is, starting a blog is hard... sort of. I mean, it should be easy, right? When you get down to brass tacks, starting a blog is something that I hazard most of us have experience with. Assuming that most of us also grew up in the internet era where things like tumblr and livejournal ruled the blog-o-sphere, and even Facebook was treated as a sort of informal blog where you shared what you felt was alright to say to people who knew you in real life. The point is, we've all done blogs before, right?

 

Depicted: A Thought Process

Well, the bigger issue is that I've never done a blog with a point before. This is my first attempt at making something whose purpose is to communicate specific information with the wider world, in a format dominated by the sound of my own mental voice as I type. It's intimidating, and it's hard to know where to go from here. So the obvious answer then is to get a little meta with it. Shake it up a bit.

Which is why my very first entry here is going to be a discussion on how to write the first post of your own blog. I know this might seem a little out of hand, given my lack of experience on the subject. But I'm sure it'll be fine. I've read a lot (and typed a lot too) so I'm sure I know what I'm doing. So let's break it down. What are the things you need to make a successful blog post? What's the formula for it; the recipe for success, as it were?

1. Pick a Topic

Okay, pretty obvious when you think about it, but a challenge nonetheless. Before you do anything, you have to decide what it is you're going to write about today. Maybe you want to talk about the new game you're making? Perhaps a discussion on how to make jousting rules for the rules-light OSR game that's all the rage right now? Or maybe you could write a post about how to write a blog post. That last one is a little derivative maybe, but sure, you do you. Once you have a topic of choice though, what's next?

2. Find a Hook

Okay, you have your topic. But now the question is, what about this topic is going to make someone want to click the link you post on twitter and come read about it? In other words, what's so special about the topic? This is what people traditionally call a hook.

 

The Parts of a Hook, for Reference

 

This is an even bigger challenge than the topic, because you have to stuff the hook into the very start of the post in some way, to drag people into reading further. My hook was talking about how something children did every day from the mid-2000's to the late 2010's is a Hard Thingᵀᴹ to do. It's good because it's funny, in a self-deprecating and too-close-to-the-truth sort of way.

3. Begin Writing About It

Okay, this is the hardest step, but from there it gets easier, I promise. Once you've got your topic, and you've found a hook to build around, you have to start writing. Hit the little keys on your keyboard, watch the letters appear, backspace a lot to fix typos, and voilá! You've got a blog post. You're not quite finished yet though.

4. Stick Some Images In There

Now for the tricky part (not the hard part, just the tricky part). Writing is all well and good, but no one wants to just read words. Dear god, could you imagine? All the boring monotony of just reading, none of it broken up by those nice little images where our brains can just relax and take a breather? No thank you. 

See? Here's a fun little image to break up this paragraph.

Finding images can be hard, but it's alright to just put whatever you want in there (just make sure you're allowed to use it, and that you give credit!) For example, I used a very basic emoji and a funny little picture of a fish hook. Easy!

5. Hit the Publish Button

Okay, you got this. Just hit the Publish button. It might also say something like "Post" or have a little arrow on it. Yep, that one. You got it, the mouse is hovering above it now. Go on, click it. You...you're not clicking it. Just click it. Click the button. The button. I know it's hard but you have to, if you ever want to get this stupid blog off the ground. It'll be easier once it's out there in the world, I promise. You're so close, you just have to hit the button. Okay, how about this? Hit the button that saves it as a draft, then come back later. Set a timer or something. Maybe just schedule it for posting, if that's an option. But post it later, when it feels like less of a challenge. (Don't re-read it though, because you'll be tempted to make all sort of changes).

Good job! You've now officially started a blog. Just do this over and over again, and hopefully you'll stumble into some moderate fame and success someday. Oh and also, don't forget to put links to all your posts on social media too! Gotta get that engagement from somewhere, after all.