15 Must-read Blogs for Blog Writers
If you want to be a good writer, read good writing. That, and practice.
Those are the two keys for becoming a good blog writer. Everything else is mechanics. Thus it follows that if you want to be a good blog writer, you should read blogs with good writing.
What follows is a list of 15 blogs you really should be reading if you want to be a good blog writer — at least, read them for awhile until you get the gist of their style. Read them entirely for style, not content. The information isn’t as important as how they write.
Now, before you get offended at this list, please let me note that 1) it’s not comprehensive — there are many other well written blogs out there, and I can’t possibly name all of them; 2) these aren’t necessarily the most popular blogs, although there are some very popular ones here — these are ones that have good blog writing; 3) the writing on these blogs aren’t necessarily works of art, but are great examples of how to write for this medium. The writers on these blogs understand what makes a good blog post, beyond catchiness or just good grammar.
Here they are, in no particular order:
- FreelanceSwitch: The blog you’re reading right now is filled with excellent articles from a number of very good blog writers. FS is an up-and-coming blog for two reasons: it has good writing on topics people are interested in, and it provides great resources for freelancers. You can’t get a better example than that.
- 43 Folders: Written by Merlin Mann, who has a unique style. He doesn’t write as much these days as he seems to be busy with multiple projects, but he can make an ordinary topic interesting just with his funky blend of words.
- Lifehacker: One of my favorite sites, the Lifehacker writing team is headed by Gina Trapani and Adam Pash. These guys can do how-tos and referral posts like nobody’s business, and do it with style.
- Lifehack: This site is great because of its wide variety of excellent guest posters. Some of the best writers in the personal development, technology and communications fields come together on Lifehack.org.
-
Web Worker Daily: One of the newer blogs on this list, WWD has emerged as a very solid read, every single day, for the web workforce. Editor Anne Zelenka heads an excellent writing group.
- The Simple Dollar: Written by Trent, who is a prolific writer who puts quality into every post. His site is a major success simply because of his solid, useful, and thoughtful writing.
- ProBlogger: Darren Rowse is at the top of the meta-blogging crowd simply because of his writing. He isn’t necessarily more knowledgeable than others in the field of writing about blogging (although he certainly knows his stuff), but Darren is the best because his writing is clear, useful, personal and interesting. A must for any blogger.
- Zen Habits: I don’t know who writes this site, but he’s not bad. Useful articles, every day.
- Get Rich Slowly: Along with Trent, J.D. Roth is the top in the personal finance field (which includes a bunch of very good bloggers). J.D., more so than most bloggers, comes off not only as knowledgeable, but humble and sincere — and that sincerity is what wins his readers over every time. Plus his articles are just extremely useful.
- Wise Bread: This is the best little-known blog out there. Its been growing, so more and more people have come to know the Wise Bread name, but the writing on this blog is very well done, from a number of very good writers you’ve never heard of. Definitely worth a look.
- dooce: Heather Armstrong was fired from her job for what she wrote on her blog about her workplace and colleagues. But she’s most famous for her style — photos, design and writing. She’s got great humor, great anecdotes, and a personal flair that is unmatched.
- Copyblogger: Brian Clark is a master of blog writing, and if you want to be a good blog writer, you should not miss a single post he writes. Seriously. He knows the art better than anyone.
- Engadget: These guys aren’t at the top of the technology field for nothing. They’ve got the latest tech news, written in an engaging style.
- A List Apart: Not enough good things can be said about this blog. Written for bloggers, it’s got thoughtful, well written articles about writing, design, the Internet and more. A great archive of articles here.
- Seth Godin: What can be said about Seth that hasn’t been said before. Every post is interesting, but look through his archives for some real gems. He’s always got something to say about everything.
Honorable mentions: Scott Young, Kim Roach, Michelle Malkin, Treehugger, bOING bOING, and Ririan Project.
I’d add Penny Arcade to this list (www.penny-arcade.com)–while they’re an online comic, the news section writings of Jerry Holkins are creative and unique, offering a fun and witty look at gaming.
And yes, the comic is hilarious as well.
A List Apart is a magazine “for people who makes websites”, not a blog.
Great round-up. I just figured out that I’m subscribed to all of the blogs in this list, except for “The Simple Dollar”. Thanks a bunch.
I am a fan of Seth Godin. Worth reading his each posts.
Rajesh Shakya
All of those are great, and are in my feed. The only “must have” I would add is:
Dosh Dosh – http://www.doshdosh.com/
Also, make sure you spend some time looking over your competition, other blogs in your niche (you do have a niche don’t you?).
–
Kevin
A bit off topic, but it would be interesting to see a similar post to this but for web design, art and etc. (Sorry if there is one already).
I state web design in particular as I know there’s quite a few out there!
Thanks for the list! I really like the Wise Bread Blog. I hadn’t heard of it before.
Another plug for A List Apart: It was reading this (http://www.alistapart.com/articles/learntowrite/) article that the notion of coupling strong writing skills with strong design skills began to first dawn on me.
Ah my appreciation is great!
I second Tom2DForever’s motion to continue this post style for other categories such as web design, art, etc…
++recommend
Great list – you guys are determined to make sure I don’t get any work done, aren’t you
Wise Bread sincerely thanks you for the mention! That means a lot to us!
Thankf for the list. It is very useful. Going to check out the great blogs.
Recently I have chanced upon 1 blog which focus on Law of Attraction. I like the way the blog writers write about the principles and illustrates each point with life experiences so that readers can better understand how to apply Law of Attraction.
You can check out the site at http://www.secretofunlimitedprosperity.com
Those are definitely good websites.
great list, i have been following couple of blogs in the list but some are new including this one……. will definitely check them out, thanks a lot
you gotta add stevepavlina.com to your list. he is one of the best blog writers out there.
I second Faisal! Steve Pavlina is my hero
http://www.stevepavlina.com
If you’re interested in the arts, Alex Ross’s blog “The Rest Is Noise” is unmissable. Ross is a music critic for the New Yorker but is amazingly concise AND interesting on his blog – plus tons of links and great photos. Unmissable for the writing, even if classical music isn’t your thing (and he sometimes talks about pop music, etc).
http://www.therestisnoise.com
Why not just state the obvious: read good books! Dickens, anyone?
I’d have loved you to have cited me in your must-read list, but maybe I just don’t make the grade. I’ve only been writing professionally since 1990 and so probably need a few more years of practice before my science blog http://www.sciencebase.com becomes required reading.
Meanwhile, I discovered an RSS autodiscovery problem with that site, which meant I probably wasn’t getting as many readers as I should. The problem is now fixed, it’s very common, so here’s the solution – http://www.sciencetext.com/can-you-find-your-feed.html
db
This was a fantastic article, thanks for the kick in the pants… I gotta step it up.
That’s a great list
A bookmark worthy 
Hey guys, it is not very modest to put your own blog on top of the list )
Actually, I put their blog at the top of the list … although I write for them regularly, this isn’t my blog … but I think highly of FreelanceSwitch, so I felt that it should be included. Really, it’s not a Top 15 list, but a list of blogs that have good examples of blog writing … which FS certainly does.
Also, although they’re at the top of the list, it’s not in any order. I just thought of them first, but really, any of these blogs could be at the top.
Just thought I’d clarify that, so people don’t think the editors of FS wanted to be on this list.
Excellent list! Some of them are already regular reads of mine, and some are new additions. Thanks!
Thanks for the list guys. As a starting out Z-List blogger I can use all the tips I can channel to my feed burner! Woot!
Honorable mention should also go to a non-blog required reading resource.
The news.
It’s the single biggest miss that business bloggers (and marketers) make. Remember that we’re living in a world where American Idol gets more news play than presidential candidates or the economy.
Like it or not, there’s a reason why People magazine and USA Today are so popular. Rather than poohpooh it, take advantage of it.
A solid list indeed. I’m missing a few of them in my reader… no more.
Thanks!
more power to this site.
How about narcolept.com? Although it is a new blog, and its about that topic, it has some excellent content which would be useful for many bloggers.
Look like i read 8 top blog site in the list. And i think it’s enough, when reading, i care about the content and style too
Thanks for great list
nXqd
Is there an OPML of all those blogs’ feeds available for download?
db
I think problogger, webworker daily, lifehacker, get rich slowly, engadget, 43 folder and simple dollar is a must read.
Problogger and shoemoney is definitely a must if you want to make money online.. johnchow as well..
Nice list, but I have already sibscribed to RSS Feeds of almost all of these blogs. Anyway, thanks for sharing the info.
Amazing list! I especially liked the “A List Apart” blog. thanks for sharing. This blog goes in my favorites…:D
Stevepavlina and JohnChow are near the top of my list. I have read all the sites listed above and they are all great blogs. The number one site to visit above all others for the fountain of knowledge is http://www.IAmSoOverMe.com
oops forgot to paste the website
well, i am just starting out blogging and i just realized this is probably an invaluable resource for success as a blogger. While content is king, i think if you write it poorly it will turn off a lot of people which means those with sites won’t be linking to you. In my opinion natural one way links are the only way to the top and you need a site that people will link without you knowing and without asking.
I would like to suggest http://www.goinggreenresources.com, which is a must read blog for green resources and products.
a good read.
This is one awesome place to come to and get a wealth of information. Thanks to All!
This is the most obvious link baiting list ever. These blogs are all so typical, why make a list? Those who can’t do teach? You can do better.
Thanks for nice info, you can also add DoodPattiBlogs.com, Its also a good blog but only related to Indian subcontinent.
Never forget to submit your blogs’ url into bookmarking sites like Digg.com, Mixx.com, DipLinks.com etc.
love reading these bloggs I just wish that I could write like this. I had to hire a professional to get my landing page noticed,but it wa worth every penny spent.
I really love reading these blogs. It helps you to learn a more of all things around… And gives you the confidence..
Nice Blog!!!
Thanks For Great Information .
Never forget to submit your blogs’ url into bookmarking sites
I always though that blogs where boring but since I started to read it or need solution for a certain problem I found it very useful. Thanks
Good list..my favorite is Darren Rowse (Problogger.net) .. he writes regularly..
thanks for your information..
I don’t consider myself a great writer at all yet but i keep trying and keep reading. Many of these blogs are in my regular reading. Wisebread is a big influence for me.
I like the approach you took with this subject. It is not every day that you discover something so to the point and informative.
Thanks for the blog suggestions. I have been writing for 9 months now and I enjoy the exercise so very much. So much to learn and to practice. And would love your look in on my blog. And comments.
I think blog writing is becoming more and more popular with time and the blogs listed above are a good resource for all those who are interested in blog writing. Most of the blogs listed above are a great source but the one’s that i like the most are:
Copyblogger
Engadget
A List Apart
I think becoming a good is easier if you’re doing everyday. The sites that you’ve shown above are excellent examples of people that have spent a lot of time “practicing”. I agree that much can be learned from reading them but where I differ in opinion form your post is I think that doing it is more important than trying to do it right.
I think experience will be the best teacher but to have experience be the teacher you’ve got to get yourself in gear and write. No matter how good, bad or ugly your writing style is you need to just write and keep writing.
Just my 2 cents
This article could have ended after the second sentence. All of the information is there. Learning the craft of writing really is simple, but its not easy. It takes consistent effort. Thank you for compiling the list of writers!
It is really good blog and I am also trying to write blogs and its like a guidelines for me thank you very much
Just one woman? Really?
:rolling eyes:
I use to follow some of them. And now I have discovered some blogs not originally in my brain. Thanks for the list. It’s great to follow all these prolific bloggers and learn their ways.
Hi, I accidentally stumbled across this blogging information and Im going to check it all out! Im almost computer illiterate, but ive had this computer about six months and im tired of reading emails and facebook!
I thank you for this article. Being relatively new to blogging, i spend many a long night trying to find the answer of how to become a good blogger. Just as important my journey of exploration is trying to find out how to get my blog read. So you have probably added to my long nights of research, but so far what you have led me to read is awesome, so THANK YOU!
Thank you for the list of must read blogs. You have compiled a very good list here and I especially like “The Simple Dollar”.
Keep up the good work!
Regards,
James
I am a fan of Seth Godin. Worth reading his each posts.
What is current thinking about the value of Google self publish?
more money to spend on your family
good one…… thanks
Thanks
That’s really helpful !!
I needed some tips after finishing my first book after 12th class.
Please take a look!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Im-in-camp-Get-me-out-of-here/134956086577151
Great blogs collection , great source of learning.
Nice Inspiration for every one.
Always addicted to Copyblogger’s post.
This is a good start for me! Thanks!
This is an excellent example of a quality blog. I have been working on my own, and I appreciate your suggestions and tips. I will recommend it- well done!
I wanted to know where can i find stuff related to computer tech. like blogs….
To get inspired I read a lot of literary magazines. My new favorite is http://www.raglitmag.com.
Good read some of them are! thanks for mentioning them.
Cheers
Ryan
A must-read list for all bloggers to learn the style and approach towards blogging.
Good list of sites to check out. I’ve seen a few of them before but don’t read regularly. The one blog I find myself going to now and then is The Fail Blog, but that’s probably not the best place to get good writing examples.
I know i need improvement in writing. This is really useful for me.
After ten years of hit and miss blogging, I finally found my theme. That is to say, my themes. It’s not so much the content, as it is the writing. I discovered that as I concentrated on writing clearly and with the best “art” I could muster, my audience responded with enthusiasm. My readership circle expanded and, most of all, my personal pleasure and satisfaction soared.
Jim Harrison, my favorite living American writer, said, “Concentrate on the writing. That’s all that matters.”
Thanks for the links and references. I’ll put them to good use.