Look, I know… attorneys are the worst.
But you have to admit, trial attorneys are the best of the worst. Who hasn’t fantasized about emulating the protagonists of A Few Good Men or My Cousin Vinny?
I was a criminal trial lawyer for four years and loved every second of it, but competing priorities led me to a freelance writing career. Still, sometimes when my only audience is my computer screen instead of a jury hanging on my every word, I do miss the courtroom.
I may never have had a transcendent moment like Tom Cruise did when he got Jack Nicholson to admit to homicide, but I did learn a few lessons in court that you can apply to freelance blogging.
1: Be thorough but concise
I once prosecuted a man for writing bad checks. The case involved some tedious evidence.
After spending two days presenting that evidence, I spent two hours in my closing argument rehashing its tiniest details.
About 90 minutes in, I noticed that one of the jurors couldn’t keep his eyes open. His head kept bobbing up and down. It was very embarrassing.
Worse, my office came up with a new policy: any time you put a juror to sleep, you have to buy the whole office a round. As far as I know, it’s still called the Bauer policy, and I am the only offender.
The criminal was convicted, so I laughed it off at the time. But looking back, I realized that as I prepared my closing argument, I never really examined it for material I could cut. If I had, I would have found a lot.
It’s the same in writing blog posts. Your client’s readers spend their valuable time reading your client’s blog, and they’re not interested in wasted words. This is not to say that all blog posts should be short, just that all blog posts should be no longer than they need to be.
My rule of thumb is that if I’m writing a 750-word post, I try to make my first draft about 1000 words, and then cut it from there. In the end, I keep the best 750 words. My initial draft of this post was 1,585 words, but the first draft I sent to Lauren was 1,275 words.
2: Understand the subject matter
I understand as much about computers as I need to understand in order to be a freelance blogger… so not much. The first time I prosecuted a case involving computer crimes, I met my expert witness one day before trial and realized he spoke a different language: Computergeekese.
I learned the buzz words and tried to feign understanding, but I failed. I asked for so many short delays to consult with my expert that the judge eventually began refusing my requests!
That criminal was not convicted, so it was no laughing matter. As you decide what subjects you’re going to write about, remember that you need to understand the subjects, not just know the words that are used to talk about them.
Your client’s readers frequent your client’s blog because they’re genuinely interested in the topic. If all you know about the topic is what you were able to regurgitate from 10 other blog posts you read in one sitting, your shallow understanding will be obvious. If you want to write about an unfamiliar topic, take the time to understand it.
3: Exude confidence, even if you don’t feel it
I sat second chair (kind of like a co-pilot) in my first trial. It’s customary for the second chair attorney to do the opening statement and the first chair attorney to do the closing argument.
The other attorney told me I did fine, and we did win the case. But he pointed out that I could be more confident. Most significantly, and to my disgust, he revealed that I had even apologized to the jury twice about the nature of the evidence we would present. Why was I apologizing? The nature of the evidence wasn’t my fault. He told me that if I was going to reference those aspects of the evidence at all, I needed to find a way to sell them as strengths.
As a freelance blogger, you must be confident in your pitches. I’ve caught myself writing to blog owners and saying something like “I know this topic is a little overdone, but…” or “I don’t know how your readers will respond, but…”
Those are not confident tones. If your pitch is weak, improve it: “My post on this admittedly saturated topic is unique in that…” or “This post will really get your readers thinking because…”
If you can’t improve it or don’t have time, at least don’t telegraph the weakness to your potential client! Blog owners are looking for reasons not to publish your post. With the exception of a few helpful people like Sophie and Lauren, most blog owners and editors are not going to do your job for you and help you improve your pitch or post.
4: Know the rules
You’ve heard of hearsay evidence, right? In general, it’s not admissible, but there are some exceptions. Early in my career, I got an aggravated assault case involving rival gangs. Each gang member (including the victim) had conveniently forgotten who had cut up the victim with a broken beer bottle.
I asked my boss how I was supposed to prove the case. He looked at me like I was fresh out of law school (which I was) and just said “excited utterance.” Turns out hearsay is admissible when it relates to “a startling event or condition” if it is said while the speaker is “under the stress of excitement that it caused.”
Fortunately, when members of the offending gang surged out of the bar to avoid arrest, a passing couple heard one of them yell to another “Hurry up, we gotta go! Donnie sliced up Scarface!” (Names changed to protect the guilty.) That hearsay was admissible.
Every blog has its own rules. Some are written, like the technical specifications for drafts. Those are easy. But many rules are unwritten.
BAFB blog posts tend to have short, 1-3 sentence paragraphs. It also tends to use short sentences. This is hard for me, because I still have a tendency to write a little like a lawyer, with long paragraphs and long sentences that use too much punctuation; in fact, if I could get away with using a semi-colon twice in one sentence even though that sentence did not constitute a list, I probably would; let me try it! (Hmmm… I don’t think it works.).
But on my first edit of this blog post, I made sure to shorten my sentences and my paragraphs to adjust my style to the style BAFB’s readers obviously appreciate.
5: Work to live, don’t live to work
I was a trial lawyer for about four years. I did well, but worked long hours and most weekends. On one particular Saturday about seven months ago, I was going to take my first day off in over a month.
When my son got up and saw me in pajamas, he went into my bedroom to get the shoes I usually wear to work. When he came back, he said “Here your shoes, Daddy. You go to work.”
Then he leaned in so I could give him a kiss and a hug, just like I had for 30-something days in a row.
At that moment I knew that I was living to work, not working to live, so I quit (after six months of saving and planning).
As a freelance blogger, you can’t afford to let work become the only thing you do. It stifles creativity and often forces you to write about things you don’t understand. (See Lesson #2.)
Instead, let your life guide your work. Write about what interests you and what makes you interesting. If you do it creatively and with a passion that jumps off the screen, blog owners will buy it.
You probably have at least one former or second career from which you can draw entertaining anecdotes to use in your posts. What lessons about freelance blogging can we learn from your career history? Tell us about it in the comments!
Seth,
I love the way you talked about how you edited your blog post, without a hint of shame. For a lot of writers, “edit” is a dirty word! I also really relate to point 5: Work to Live, Don’t Live to Work. I went to school to be an elementary teacher. I worked so hard that I never had time for family. I hadn’t been to the movies in 8 years, and I hadn’t been on a date in more than a decade! I decided to cut my losses and pursue my real love writing.
Thanks Cherese. I think a lot of the problem with editing is ego. Writers think that they’re good writers, which means their first draft mast have been pretty good! Maybe true, maybe not, but it could always be better.
Nice! I love each story you tell in each section and how it relates to blogging. I particularly like your second tip. I hear lots of people saying that you don’t need to know too much about your subject matter as long as you can write. I think that’s bogus. I think people aren’t going to take you seriously and it’s just a huge headache for you if you don’t understand what you’re writing about. But there are certainly ways to become knowledgeable!
Thanks, Alicia. I agree. I’m convinced that the only place you can write about subjects you don’t understand is content mills. And you’re not going to make a living at content mills.
That’s not to say that an aspiring freelance blogger has a finite number of subjects he/she can write about. It just means that he/she needs to be ready and willing to put some time into new subjects. That’s part of the fun about freelance blogging: you get to explore areas of this world you never would have explored otherwise!
Hi Seth,
Thank you for your long post – sometimes long is good because it showcases how sincere you are to the point you make.
I hate editing because I like my long winded writing and feel like I am amputating my own child when I edit.
From my previous career, I learnt to write clearly and with no mistakes but in very simple language- there is always an audience who cannot understand what you want to say, unless it is pre mashed and pre digested sometimes. I have used pictures to illustrate my point.
I try to use these when I blog.
Great tips Seth! Reminds me of my grandfather who used to be a defense attorney.
I especially like the point about following the rules – each blog or publication that you write for has their own set of rules or audience that you should tailor your writing for – so sending out a generic pitch without understanding that publication often doesn’t work! It’s important to know exactly which rules or guidelines to follow to ensure the best possible connection with your audience.
Thanks Daryl, and I agree with your point. I would say a good rule of thumb is that it’s going to be difficult to pitch or write a blog post for a blog that you’ve never really read yourself. To really understand the blog, you’ve got to spend some time with its other posts and the readers’ comments. The latter might be the most important part!
Good thoughts, Seth. I enjoyed reading through this and particularly loved the way you talked about freelance blogging and law while bringing out useful lessons from there.
Cheers!
Love your tips and the stories that came with them! Thanks for this excellent post, Seth. I can somewhat relate to number 2. Early in my career, I used feign understanding because I was afraid to look dumb in front of my boss and co-workers (this was before I became a freelance writer).
Big mistake. Since I didn’t have a full understanding of how things worked, I wasn’t able to do my job well, and my boss was not happy. That’s when I learned that it’s better to ask too many questions and make sure I completely understood an issue, rather than not inquire enough.
Additionally, people (clients, most especially) actually like it when we ask them questions. It shows we care and that we’re thorough.
Thank you again for the post. 🙂
Oh, Francesca, that sounds familiar. In one of my first jobs, I had a boss who’d ask me “Do you know what that means?” every time I nodded along with him… and if I said yes, he’d ask me to explain it to him! That soon got me out of the habit of pretending to understand when I felt out of my depth. At the time it made me squirm, but I’m grateful to him for teaching me a valuable lesson. 🙂
Seth,
I enjoyed the read, and I can relate well to #4. I worked in the legal field for 20 years, and recall well those long wordy briefs.
Love the stories and tips! My background in business made my first blog posts pretty boring, but I did find topics to help readers in their businesses, planning, or getting themselves organized. Weaving in my sense of humor helped take out the blahs.
Words of wisdom, Seth, that I will take to heart. Especially about editing, and then editing again. Thank you for your insightful wisdom.
Great post, Seth. I take your point about understanding the subject. Just this week I had to write four articles about aquaponics. Huh? Yeah, me neither. It turned out to be not so difficult as I imagined, and the client was happy.
One thing I think is good to bear in mind is not to accept a gig if you are not happy with writing it. For example, computer games do my head in. I would rather tell a client “Sorry, no” and explain why, than try and write about it just for the money. Likewise, trying to get my head around bitcoins. I’ve got better things to do with my life, thanks very much!
Good points, Peter! It’s no fun to write about topics that aren’t interesting to you, and your work product will probably be below part.
Aquaponics (had to look it up) probably would have fallen into that category for me…glad you made it work for you!
Hey Seth, great post! I love how you were able to relate your past experience to your new career as a blogger. Especially that part about knowing the rules. When I was first pitching guest posts I went with what I wanted to say and, though I followed the submission guidelines, most of the time, the pitches made it clear I hadn’t studied that particular blog enough. A lesson learned – your tip could have saved me a lot of time back then! BTW, I’m a run-on sentence lover as well even though I was never a lawyer. Good luck with your new blogging endeavors, its such a fun way to work!
Hi Seth
The moment I read the title, I realized I missed A Few Good Men and needed to see it again. I also would love to study law at some point; my father suspected I was going to be a lawyer after seeing how much time I spent with John Grisham books. But hey, I love the legal fiction. I wouldn’t want to deal with actual criminals:)
I love all your tips, but I do need to work on number 3 a bit more. Sure, I fake it well during my pitches (or edit until I can fake it), but there are still publications I haven’t queried or second/third pitches I haven’t sent to publications I have worked with because…. well, I did lack confidence for some reason. Oh, well, I’ll just watch a terrified Tom faking it at court when in doubt.:)
Best of luck with your blogging career, but I have a feeling you’ll do fine.