What Freddy Krueger Knows About Blogging That You Don't

It's a disturbing image, isn't it? Freddy Krueger reaching into your dreams and wreaking havoc on your life? Why, then, would I draw an analogy from a horror movie character to your blog? It has a little something to do with being everywhere.

It's a disturbing image, isn't it? Freddy Krueger reaching into your dreams and wreaking havoc on your life? Why, then, would I draw an analogy from a horror movie character to your blog? It has to do with being everywhere.

Photo credit: Allmoviephoto.com

Good horror movies do this

I don't love those cheap horror movies that are full of guts and gore and half-naked girls running around nonsensically. But I do enjoy a good thriller that gets your blood pumping. And I'm not the only one. So what is it about these stories that captivates us? It has to do with suspense. Not knowing what comes next — this is why we love following a story. We want to be surprised, shocked. We want the bad guy to jump out from behind a bush or in the middle of a dark alley. It's why we tune in in the first place. And as a writer, communicator, or artist, you need to do the same. You need to take a page from Wes Craven's notebook.

Start simple

So how do you do this? Begin by focusing on action words, not fluff. Make your writing move by keeping it simple and straightforward, just like a good horror flick. No, you don't have to pander; you just don't need to work so hard to impress people. The best writing is transparent; it breathes. A scary movie doesn't have to include great dialogue or award-winning acting for you to love it. It just needs to move you. This is true for your blog, as well.

Be everywhere

As you do this — as you write words that grab people — you need to also do what Freddy does. I'm not talking about murderous rampages (skip that part); I'm suggesting you show up where people should be finding you. Where others you want to influence are. What does that look like? Go to conferences, guest post like crazy, join forums and social networks. Do everything you can to get found. Keep trying stuff out until you find something that works for you. If you want your writing to be read, you have to do more than write. Sure, the content is important, but it's also a given. If you want to impress us, you're going to have to do something special. You'll have to put yourself out there.

Special Opportunity: I recently hosted a webinar with Danny Iny about fast writing and guest posting. In it, we learned how Danny started showing up everywhere online (kinda like Freddy) and got to hear a little about his aptly-named "Write Like Freddy" course. You can listen to the replay here.

What other blogging and writing lessons do we learn from Freddy Krueger and horror films? Share in the comments.