1st paragraph: Capture the moment better

Compare these two opening paragraphs:

1. Hi. How are you? I’m fine. I’m in class now, studying English and thinking of you.

2. Hi. How are you? I’m fine. I’m in writing class now, sitting by the window, writing a letter to you. It’s a gorgeous sunny day outside. I’m listening to my teacher talk in English, and I can’t understand what he is saying. I look outside and see birds flying above the trees and white puffy clouds floating in a bright blue sky. Next period is lunch time, so I can feel my stomach grumbling with hunger. I’m thinking about that delicious ham sandwich I’m going to eat in only 30 minutes! Yummy! In fact, I’m so hungry now I can’t concentrate on the lesson!

So, which is better, number 1 or number 2? Well, I hop you think number 2 is better! Why is it better? Here are a few reasons:

• It’s longer
• It describes the moment more clearly
• It uses the present continuous tense
• It uses many sensory adjectives

Paragraph 2: Telling a focused story

1. I had a very fun day yesterday. In the morning, I went shopping with my friend at Favore. We browsed around but didn’t buy very much. We ate lunch at Caprichoza, my favorite Italian restaurant. After that, we drove to Toyama City and went shopping around Nishi-cho. Then at night we went to a karaoke place to sing. We met some other friends and had a good time. 

2. I had a very interesting experience while shopping with Kozue at Favore yesterday. While we were walking by movie theater, a young woman was yelling at her two small children. She looked angry with them. They were making lots of noise by crying and arguing with each other. I felt kind of embarrassed for her, so I gave her a smile as I passed by. She looked back at me with an exasperated expression. Then suddenly she approached me and said she was planning on seeing a movie with her children, but since they were acting terribly, she didn’t want to go anymore. She asked us if we wanted to use her tickets. I looked at Kozue, and we decided right away to take them. We ended up watching Ponyo for free! It was real fun! 

Paragraph 3: Closing with questions

1. I have good friends here, but I miss you very much. Please come and visit me soon! I’m looking forward to going out together again. 

2. I have good friends here, but I miss you very much. I hope you are well! When will you come to visit me again? I want you to go out with my new friends. Where do you want to go when you come? Please let me know and I can arrange it. Take care, and write to me in English! Let’s practice.

The first thing to do

The first thing you need to do is decide on a theme for your blog. What will you write about when you sit down at the computer? Having a basic topic and a clear purpose will make it easier for you. Your theme should be something you are interested in or passionate about. That way, when you blog, you are doing two things at once: spending time with your interest AND learning English. So, what are you into? Here are some of your classmates’ interests: 

• Music
• Biking
• Sports
• Fashion
• Movies
• Cooking
• Comedy
• Culture
• World Affairs

The 2nd thing to do

Once you get a general topic in mind, narrow it down. For example, if you like sports, what sport? If you like cooking, what kind of food? If you like movies, what kind of movies? If you love soccer, which team or player would you like to focus on? The narrower your focus, the easier it will be to write something.

The 3rd thing to do

Collect ideas on types of blog posts you would like to write. For example, if your topic is cooking, then you could:

• Publish your favorite recipes
• Write about a favorite dish
• Introduce good cooking websites
• Review a new restaurant

The 4th thing to do

Once you have an idea of what you want to write about and how, get your blog’s design into shape. Choose a theme you like, then arrange the layout. Of course, don’t forget to change the title and tag line! 

Last by not least

Finally, start blogging! Like the Nike ad says, “Just do it”. Try to post something, anything and just get started. Check with me or your classmates if you need ideas or inspiration. I will be happy to check your English before you post, or give you other suggestions. On this blog I will be posting tips and advice, so please stop by often. 

Good luck and happy blogging!