This is the question we need to ask ourselves even before we begin pouring out words into a blank paper. What drives you to keep on writing pages per pages? What do you dream when you finish your book? Some write because they want to sell, such as guidebooks sold in eBook forms. Some write because they want to express themselves, such as poetry. Some write to share imagination like J. K. Rowling and some write to come in terms with his purpose of life like Trevor Noah.

Again, many answers to this. People might want to learn something new, they might want to know more about the writer, they might want to escape from harsh reality, or they just want to have a good time.

This writing guide will layout the important pieces of both fiction and non-fiction. Keeping in mind, that writing is an art and therefore, there’s no guarantee of success for you even after you follow this guide.

My friend once asked me how to build a website. She was interested to write about women’s leadership to celebrate International Women’s Day that falls on March 8th. It brought nostalgic memories because the first time I set up a blog was back in 2009, encouraged by my fellow writer friend.

You probably read this post because you have an interest in blogging. You want to create a website. You want to write. You want to get an audience. You’re eager to start.

But what to do first?

In this post, I will cover six essential stuff to help you start blogging.

Did you know?

Recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds in reviewing individual resumes [1]. This is based on a research study by TheLadder. Will Evans, the head of the user experience of TheLadder said, “They’re looking for job hoppers, minimum education requirements and a candidate’s steady career progression,” in his interview with TIME magazine.

There’s something about 2D (two dimension) animation that attracts me like a magnet when I was a child. I loved Anastasia, Lady and the Tramp, and Tarzan. When Pixar came in with 3D (three dimension) animation Toy Story, I freaked out. Everything shaped weird, looked too real, and made me scared.

When I was old enough, I started to accept and consume 3D animations. One in particular is undoubtedly my favorite: WALL-E. In 2008, Pixar released a futuristic movie about WALL-E, a cleaning robot living on a deserted Earth. All humans evacuated to a spaceship, escaping the trash-filled planet. One day, a robot named EVE came to Earth in search for a plant life. Astounded, WALL-E made friends with her and the story started from there.

What makes WALL-E stands out to me, is the fact that Pixar delivered storytelling with minimum amount of dialogues. They succeeded in touching viewers’ hearts, making them care about WALL-E and EVE. They were the champions of storytelling.

I was playing in Hexagon Board Game café when I noticed a girl entering the place. Instead of heading to the cashier to order a table, she waited in the corner. I didn’t pay much attention to her because I was chatting with my friend. We both were waiting for two more players.

Not long after, a guy came into the café and looked around. His eyes stopped at the waiting girl and they both shared a smile. The guy looked at his phone then approached the girl. He mentioned a name and the girl nodded.

Oh, they are meeting for the first time! That’s what I thought.

As the four of us grouped and asked for a table, I observed the couple from a distance. I smiled, imagining how they managed to plan such a meeting. If they had met in a party before, the guy would have noticed the girl right away. He did look at his phone before so it’s safe to assume he knew the girl’s name from a text. Does that mean they have talked through texting before? How did he get his number?

That is when I started to think of the possibility of them meeting online on a dating website.

So, my question for the day: what do you write on your dating profile?

This sounds silly, but I want to argue that value proposition is pretty much like designing your profile on dating websites.

Essay writing.

For some of you, this post might be a very basic one. But to others, it might be the most important blog post they don’t want to miss.

If you’re not aware of it, there is a difference in writing structure based on the country you live in. At least, that is what I observe between Indonesian essay writing and American essay writing.

How easy is it to publish a book?

The truth? It is hard. First, you have to have an idea of what to write about. Then, you proceed to write word by word, sentence by sentence, pages to pages, until you finish the entire manuscript. Next, you hire an editor to work with you (that is after you have revised it yourself and created a second draft). Afterward, you go through the publishing route you choose: traditional or self-publishing. But you’re not done yet! You still have to promote your book; getting the word out there. And when someone buys a copy of your book… that’s when you feel satisfied. Additional note to the process: you then would expect feedback and reviews, which can be both good or bad

Why do people start a blog? What is their ultimate goal? I want to argue that bloggers write to get high traffic to their website. Here’s the thing. There are two basic categories of bloggers: personal bloggers and business bloggers.

Hold on. Why are we talking about personal brand? Where’s your guide for writing a resume? Cover letter? LinkedIn profile? I thought I’m here to learn about those things.

Relax. I value your time and that’s why Personal Brand is what we need to discuss first. We need to always strategize in approaching job opportunities. A thorough plan is better than quick fixes. Think about it this way. You submit a wonderful resume, a spectacular cover letter, and your LinkedIn is available online. But when recruiters ask about your strengths and weaknesses, you are completely lost. Or maybe you’re presenting in front of potential investors. You talk about projected sales and how much investment you need. But when they ask what makes your business and you as an owner different than others, you cannot answer. This is where personal branding comes in.