Make Your List and Check It Twice

I have a check list in my head. I have never, until now, formalized this check list, but I am going to try to just for you. What is it? It is the list I run through after each post that I “finish”. I quote “finish” because that is not when I hit publish, but rather it is when I begin to attack my post.

An Example

Programming is what I do, so I’ll use it as an example and trust me, it will make sense. I won’t get too techie. In programming, when you reach a solution, you are only half way there. Once the problem is solved (first half), you have to give the solution a few more passes to ensure top quality (second half).

Did I forget to test anything? Could any of the code be more concise? Is any of the code to complicated? Heck, do any parts of the solution just feel ugly? Would I be embarrassed to show this to someone I admired? These are just a few of the questions I ask each time I get something “working”.

When I say first half and second half, I mean it. Solving the problem is half of the time and making sure I did it the right way, and to the best of my ability, is the other half. Blawging should be no different. The first half of the time you put into any post should be writing it and the second half should be attacking it.

5 Ways I Attack

Are any of the paragraphs too long? Paragraphs in the 3-10 lines range are good. Anything else, needs to be broken up. Often times if a paragraph is long, it is because I have not taken the time to properly write it. Nearly every time I can rewrite a long paragraph into one short one that explains the concept better or break it up nicely into two paragraphs.

Do I have ample section headings? If your post is more than a few paragraphs long, you need to break it up with headings. Not only do headings give your post a certain aesthetic appeal, they also allow scanners to quickly get a feel for whether or not your article is worth consuming. Oak has a good example of breaking up how-to’s with headings.

Have I linked everything that would provide value to the reader and double checked them for accuracy? Nothing is more annoying than broken links in a fresh article. Also, once you post, be sure to visit your article and click on all the links. This has two benefits. First, you triple check them and avoid embarrassment. Second, you ensure that the people you linked to will see your post in their referrers next time they check their analytics.

Will my title catch anyone’s attention? I almost always start with a working title. It is usually boring and would never turn heads. Once I finish the article, I have a much better idea of what my point is so I often take a few minutes to brainstorm good titles. Like I said before, be sure to make your post title count.

Do I have any grammatical issues? This is tough. It is often really hard to catch all of your own grammar errors. I combat this two ways. First, I read the post aloud. Each time I find an error, I correct it and then continue from the beginning of the paragraph containing the error. You’ll be surprised how many errors you find and how much your overall quality will improve by just reading your post aloud several times.

Second, if reading aloud isn’t cutting it, get a friend to read it. My buddy Erik can spot an improper use of there/they’re/their a mile away and often sends me corrections.

Conclusion

This is not a perfect, nor even complete list, but it will instantly improve your posts. Since I have started following this check list, I have noticed my grammar improve and I feel that I do a better job explaining things. And yes, I even used this check list on this post. Meta, I know. :) If you have any addendum’s to my list, be sure to let me know with a comment.