Often I wonder if others think we writers can be given a topic for a blog post or an article and just sit down and dash it off, lickety-split.

As if writing a blog is like pouring water from a pitcher into an empty glass.

The opposite is true. Good writing takes time and thoughtfulness. It’s not just a matter of nailing down the angle.

What is true for me is a kind of weird, spiritual thing. I have to internalize the concept. Occasionally, this does happen immediately, but most often, it takes days. I think about the point I need to make. I do research to support my thesis and better inform myself.

Then and only then can I write something that I believe in.

If a boss or, in my case, a client, held a gun to my head and insisted I write something immediately, I could fill pages wth words. But it wouldn’t be very good content.

You write best when you fully understand and believe in what you’re writing.

(c) 2016 Margie Dana