Blog Out Loud with Les Miserables
I’ve been thinking a lot about theater lately. Even more than usual. A leadership transition at our Depot Theatre (@DepotTheatre) and a recent debate with Porter Anderson and Viki Noe about the relevance and roll of live theater in the digital age primed me to appreciate Susan Silver‘s post, “12 Most Fabulous Blogging Lessons from Les Miserables”. She’s distilled a dozen tips for better blogging from Victor Hugo‘s novel-turned-musical.
I want you to learn how to blog out loud by following conventions drawn from musical theater. Open up and sing with the 12 most fabulous lessons from Les Miserables. (12 Most)
Here are my favorites from Ms. Silver’s list:
- Think globally: Just like Les Miserables, “your blog also has an international audience you can accommodate.”
- Sing it: Find your blog’s unique first-person voice and sweep us up in your song.
- Diversify: “To give longevity to your content utilize multi-media. Speak in the voices of all the platforms you have available; print, video, blogs & more.”
- Be thematic: Discover, define and refine your blog’s narrative threads.
- Epicosity: Like Les Miserables’ epic song “One Day More”, “every once in awhile it is fun to write a piece with a grand scope.”
- “Heart Full of Love”: Court a niche/topic/theme that you are genuinely passionate about.
- Write for longevity: Les Miserables’ endurance is inspiring. The novel is 150 years old, and the musical has been performed for a quarter century. Aim for nothing less!
- Bring down the curtain: My bride frequently reminds me about this one! “We need to take off our blogging hats at the end of the day. Make unplugging from the computer a routine. Enjoy the time you have with friends and family.”
Great tips! And I’d like to add one slightly less obvious, but no less important lesson that bloggers should learn from Les Miserables: Not everyone will love your blog! That’s okay. Despite Les Miserables’ storied success, it doesn’t appeal to everyone no matter how well it is produced, performed or attended. Know and grow your audience, but don’t get discouraged by those who neglect your niche or criticize your song. Sing better, sing louder, sing louder. And before long your audience will be humming along with you.
Related articles
- 12 Most Fabulous Blogging Lessons from Les Miserables By Susan Silver (12most.com)
- ‘Les Miserables’ plucks Eponine from stage (variety.com)
- On Her Own? Samantha Barks Cast As Eponine In ‘Les Miserables’ Over Taylor Swift (huffingtonpost.com)
- Temporary Blog Break (nathanbransford.com)
- The Big Mistake of Author Websites and Blogs (janefriedman.com)
- Smile! I’m blogging you… (virtualdavis.com)
