Here are crucial writers to inspire any blogger who is just winging it
--
It’s easy to feel as though you have nothing original to offer.
We’ve all been there. What do I have to say on a subject that no one else has? Have I got something people want to read?
It’s time to break out of that thinking.
Some of the greatest shortform writers in history have simply allowed their reflections to lead them to insight.
This is a skill I think that we can also learn, and I suspect it will bolster bloggers to have a newfound appreciation for their own ability to find valuable ideas in their reflections.
Michel de Montaigne
You should read Michel de Montaigne.
Don’t limit yourself to reading just his famous essays, but all of them.
He’s particularly keen to get you to follow your natural inclinations, not society’s pre-established sensibilities.
This persuasion certain is one that we children of the 21st century are well aware of.
But it’s a valuable insight into the writers’ birthright to think against the grain of the time.
Montaigne died in 1592, aged 59, after suffering from kidney stones.
Montaigne causes us to ask ourselves his own motto: “What do I know?”
Baltasar Gracian
Baltasar Gracian was an aphorist known for his ability to impart wisdom in short form. He was a Spanish Jesuit who wrote the book of maxims called “The Art of Worldly Wisdom.”
Gracian was born in 1601, and died in 1658 at age 57.
Gracian is an excellent example of being able to produce excellent little blurbles that showcase undergirding insights.
Hey. If a blogger can’t relate to the need to tighten up a post into an easily ingestible
This speaks volumes to me about our own era, where perhaps mass-published articles, like blogs, are not as valued by the broader web-writing world.
Gracian causes us to ask ourselves: “What are the words you live by?”
Blaise Pascal
