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Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, would be amused to know that he made me a better blogger.
Still one of the most beloved children’s book authors in the world, Dr. Seuss wrote 4 of the 10 bestselling children’s books of all time.
Generations of kids discovered their own imaginations and learned to read by listening to the rhythm of language in his books.
At first glance, Dr. Seuss would seem to have his feet firmly planted in the garden of children’s literature.
Yet, in our journey as writers and bloggers, what better role model could we have?
Because, as we all know (you did know, didn’t you?), writing for children is the hardest kind of writing to do.
If you can write for children, you can write for anyone.
7 Things Dr. Seuss Taught Me About Fearless Blogging
1. Believe in your ideas.
It’s tempting to call it quits if you feel that no one is listening to you, if no one but your mother wants to read your blog.
Dr. Seuss’s first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by 29 different publishers before it was finally accepted.
There may be days, weeks, months, when we feel unappreciated. But developing a community of readers takes time.
If we believe in our ideas, as Dr. Seuss did, the readers will show up.
2. Respect your readers.
Geisel said, “Once a writer starts talking down to kids, he’s lost. Kids can pick up on that kind of thing.”
Dr. Seuss taught kids many things in his books—to be responsible, to take care of the environment, to help those without a voice, to experience the joy of language, to be imaginative—but all without making them feel they were being preached to.
Just open up a copy of The Cat in the Hat, or Horton Hears a Who, or Oh, the Places You’ll Go! and you’ll see what I mean.
Dr. Seuss showed me that, though my goal is to teach my readers something in a post, I don’t have to hit them over the head in an “I’m smart-and-you’re-not” sort of way.
3. Make every word count.
Dr. Seuss told amazing stories and held his audiences captive, sometimes using only 50 different words in an entire picture book.
He created The Cat in the Hat, in part, because a publisher said he couldn’t write a complete children’s book in fewer than 250 words. He proved him wrong.
The Cat in the Hat came in at exactly 223 words.
For me, that means that, even if I am in love with a word or phrase, if it doesn’t move my post forward, I pull the scissors out and the snipping begins.
4. Turn your ideas sideways and make that headline pop.
If you see—and write about—the world in a different way, you will wake your readers up.
Dr. Seuss believed that “looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope” let his readers see all the possibilities that can exist in life.
What child wouldn’t be interested in a book with the title, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut? The book was about memorizing as a way to learn words.
But at the very end, Dr. Seuss points out that eyes open is better because, “You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.”
As a blogger, I’m learning to look at ideas in different ways and to challenge the conventional thinking. Because that’s what my readers are looking for.
5. Break the ‘rules.’
The instructors in my Writing for Children Certificate Program, the literary agents and editors at every writers’ conference I went to, said the same thing: “I don’t want to see any picture books written in rhyme.” But look at Dr. Seuss!:
I am Sam.
Sam I am.
I do not like
Green eggs and ham.
Your writing is more memorable when you break the rules now and then.
Now I’m not talking misspelling and typos here. But if it works better to start a sentence with “and” or write a one-word paragraph to emphasize a point, I’ll do it.
The old ‘writerism’ still applies: Learn the rules. Then break one if it makes sense.
6. Touch the heart and the head.
Dr. Seuss was a master at this—in all of his books. Through his stories, kids experience love, joy, fear, sadness and, yes, even anger. And they remember the stories long after they are over because the author connected with their emotions.
Who else but Dr. Seuss could make us mad at the Grinch, only to feel sorry for him later?
The best bloggers are like that. They make you not only think, but feel.
So write about what your readers are afraid of—and propose a solution. Make them laugh. Make them cry. Make them feel.
7. Write simply, but be specific.
In And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Dr. Seuss writes about:
A zebra pulling a wagon. A Chinese boy with sticks, a big magician doing tricks.
I can picture that, can’t you?
If you are writing an about page for your blog, you could describe yourself by saying:
I love any movie Christopher Guest produces.
Or, you could say:
I own every crazy Christopher Guest movie in existence, from Spinal Tap to Best of Show.
Because it’s the details that pull your readers in. And many times, a good post, or good writing of any kind, is like a good story.
What about you?
Do you apply any of Dr. Seuss’s 7 rules in your blogging?
Are any of them a challenge for you?
Do some of them not apply to your style of blogging?
About the author
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As a writer and illustrator of children’s books Theodor Geisel, Dr. Suess is one of my hereos.
Judy I loved your article and I inadvertently have applied most all of the seven things in my blog. When I began my blogging quest I wasn’t sure what to write about, what my voice was, what SEO had to do with writing.
I just decided that I would write the way I talk and hopefully that voice would teach, explore, bring thought and joy.
The lessons of Dr. Seuss are a great guide and I will employee more of these lessons as I continue. (P.S. I was able to meet Theodor Geisel in person. He was wonderfully gracious.)
Susan,
Write the way you talk is perfect. You are doing it right.
It’s amazing how writers for children just seem to be able to cut to the core, with no needless fluff or extra words. You got to meet Dr. Seuss? How cool is that!
Judy,
I think that most of us who write for adults have this subconscious idea that we’ve got to impress somebody. When we make our writing public, we know there’s gonna be somebody who disagrees, somebody who’s analyzing, somebody who’s judging. So we add the fluff, hoping to make a great impression.
Kids haven’t unlearned the instinctive joy at discovering something new. I’ve never written for children, myself — but I imagine children’s authors write without as much of that subconscious pressure to impress somebody. Because they know their young readers know how to enjoy a book without picking it to shreds!
In other news, I am getting SO much out of your blog! I first heard of you through your blog design contest at Christmas. (I’m @courtcan on Twitter.) I’ve been poking around your archives and learning so much! I’m hoping to launch my own new blog within the next week, so all of your advice as has been invaluable so far!
Thanks so much!
Courtney
Courtney,
Yes, I think some people have the idea that it’s easier to write for children but it’s just the opposite. They have highly tuned BS meters and can intuitively sense when you are trying to impress or, worse yet, talk to them in a condescending way. Flat out doesn’t work. In that respect, they are a tough audience.
Glad my posts have been helpful. Best compliment I could ever get. Hope to see you back here soon.
Thank you Judy for your fun post and congrats on being a blog finalist! I’m currently running a Blog Challenge on my FB site, so I appreciate the tips for blogging. Feel free to repost on my FB at split second perceptions if you desire. We have a variety of new bloggers and seasoned pros…Look forward to reading more from you in the future
Brandy Mychals
Split Second Perceptions
Brandy Mychals recently posted..Crash Course in Making Connections
Brandy,
Welcome to the Biznik Savvy Bloggers group and welcome to the CatsEyeWriter blog! And, yes, I’m still in shock at the “finalist” news. : )
Your Blog Challenge sounds interesting. I’ll have to check it out. Would that be on your Facebook biz page?
Judy. Agreed. For bloggers who want their readers to read, I think that this list is the way to proceed. (And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.)
I love Dr. Seuss. (I’m wearing my Grinch pajamas right now.)
Patty K recently posted..If I’m not shy anymore- who am I
Patty,
You are truly a Dr. Seuss fan! And you have Grinch pajamas? Where did you get them????
Thanks for this very fun comment. : )
Thanks for the great advice, Judy! I love the idea of breaking the rules now and then, especially when you are breaking them intentionally. Dave Eggers’ writing in “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” is a perfect example of rule breaking that works.
Selden,
The intentional breaking of a rule can be one of the most beautiful things in the world. ; )
And what a great example you present here. Thanks for sharing that.
Amen to Dr. Seuss… lessons well taken. Regarding #1, I did a blog just about 2 years ago titled, “Enough about work, let’s go for a drive.” It included a video I made driving down a country road in south Salem, Oregon, to the music of a resurrected recording I made with my Dad in Cle Elum, Washington back in 1976. My commenting was set to “no anonymous comments” and she took the time and trouble to send me an email to tell me how it made her day, she knew my Dad, and worked at the club he was playing at back then when she was in high school. It was worth the 2 year wait for that comment!
One of the things I am learning is to un-write, as I call it. I try not to stop myself when I’m writing, I say everything I want to (never know, might be a lot of it you can use later). After it’s all down I go back and do some serious pruning. I try to leave room for the reader to connect and to read into it what they feel and relate to, thereby participate.
I really got that insight when I wrote, “Grandma’s House”… to date, one of the most commented on blog posts I’ve ever written. You nail that point in #6 and #7. Thank you always for sharing. I’m listening in Renton…
René Fabre recently posted..The Asynchronous Conversation- revisited
I love the name of the blog you described so well here. And you have painted a picture here (Dr. Seuss would be proud.) You see, you hooked me with those images: Driving down a country road, the video, the music.
Your post must have impacted this woman that she would send an email when she was unable to post a reply in the comments.
You are wise to get it all down first and make the decision later what to keep. Great strategy. Now where can I read “Grandma’s House”?
: )
Judy thanks you for some salient points I too, even a serious banker, can take to heart to enliven my posts. Certainly I am overdue in getting out the scissors! Susan
Susan,
I think a banker with a sense of fun is one of the rarest and most wonderful people in the world. : )
In one of my writing classes once, I asked my instructor, “How can you bear to snip the words away, especially the ones you have fallen in love with?”
She said, “Oh, it gets easier. And pretty soon you don’t think about it. You just do it.”
Smart woman. Don’t think I’m quite there yet, though. I still mourn their loss.
Thanks for weighing in here, Susan.
Judy–My Dr. Seuss fav is the little known “Marvin K. Mooney”. Great advice for bloggers and writers in general. Best advice is keep writing and keep it simple. Keep the good ideas flowing. Thank you. Happy marketing, Heidi Cohen
Heidi Cohen recently posted..29 Reasons You Aren’t Getting Blog Traffic
Heidi,
Yes! “Marvin K. Mooney.” I know it well.
I taught 1st graders for 15 years, before becoming an elementary school principal, before becoming a writer. I think I know all of his books. : )
My kids loved every March 2 (Dr. Seuss’s birthday) because it was also National Read Across America Day and they got to come to school in their pajamas (and we read tons of Dr. Seuss books, in celebration of his birthday).
Do you remember doing that?
Judy, I often wish I could read some of your future posts in advance and apply all that good sense, creativity, and insight into my blog posts. Alas, I cannot – so I look forward to each of your posts with delight.
As a big Dr. Seuss fan (I too, was an educator in early childhood ed.) and loved how his few words, well thought out, could make such great messages. This is what sales people and small business owners need to do – and often miss the mark. I’m finding that blog lessons are really communications lessons – and there is always something to learn. Personally, I am working on your #3 and #6. Thanks, as always.
Lori Richardson recently posted..What’s Your Hair Style and Sales Plan for 2011
Lori,
Thanks for the compliment. Coming from such an experienced blogger, it means even more. : )
I forgot. You were a comrade-in-arms, too! (Early childhood kids and 1st graders go hand in hand.) I like it that you can see from this list what you are already doing very well and what could use a little more work. I don’t think we ever get to that perfect place with out blogs. Thanks for sharing.
Dr Seuss is my childhood idol. I love `Oh the places we shall go’ and the messages within it to not get stuck in that waiting place.
One Fish, two fish, red fish blue fish – used to consume these for hours. In face just read a book the other day when I was hanging out with my friend’s children.
Great post! Made my day
Natalie
Natalie Sisson recently posted..Protecting Your Private Parts On Facebook- LinkedIn And Twitter
Natalie,
Thanks. If I had to choose just one, I, too, would say, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!”. Some young people actually get that book as a high school or college graduation present. It really says it all, doesn’t it?
It would be fun to be around kids again and be able to read that book to them. : )
Thanks for sharing your memories here.
Brevity for screen media has been ingrained in me for decades, but that doesn’t mean I’m always as succinct as the examples set by Dr. Seuss. I keep trying.
And “rules are made to be broken” applies to the visual arts as well as written language.
Perhaps we didn’t have all the language skills at the time, yet our kindergarten experiences with the good doctor continue to serve us well.
Thanks for the reminders.
Mark Turner recently posted..Sunshine on My Shoulders
Hey Mark,
Great to see you here.
You know, you work in a powerful media and words have to work extra hard and be especially elegant to take the place of a photo. I like the parallels you draw here—in terms of “rules are made to be broken”—as it applies to the visual arts. Bet you see that a lot in your business.
There is a lot to be said for simplicity, both in writing and in visual arts. Thanks for sharing here.
Judy, I just came across your blog. You offer some wonderful tips. Using Dr. Suess to instruct us in blogging is creative and fun. I created my first blog a few months ago. I will be stopping back to read yours for more tips that I can use in order to improve mine.
Thanks so much.
Carmen Myrtis-Garcia recently posted..Can One Person Make a Difference
Carmen,
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by. He was such a wonderful role model, wasn’t he? For kids—and for writers. Glad you found this useful and I look forward to more conversations. : )
Hi Judy ~
I’ve just popped over from Facebook where a fellow blogger posted the link. What a wonderful post! You can be sure I will be referring to it often. I have many fond memories of me & a Seuss book camped out together on the library floor.
Since I’m relatively new to blogging, I still feel like I’m all over the place. Some days I belabor my posts and wonder why in the world I’m spending so much time on such a tedious enterprise but other days, when the post seems to fly out of my fingertips, well, those are what keep me going.
I’m off to work on these “7 things…”
Thanks so much!
Christi recently posted..Small reminders
Christi,
So glad you found us! I, too, have fond memories of Dr. Seuss, both as a parent and as a teacher.
I know that feeling of being “all over the place,” because I still feel that way sometimes. Toiling over certain posts and having others just pour out of me!
Glad you found these “Seussisms” helpful. : )
Dr. Seuss is a great source of inspiration. I think about him a lot…oddly enough.
ps – I wrote a similar post for Biznik awhile back. Check it out!
Sara,
Thanks for reading.
I missed your Biznik article (so many articles, so little time!). Please send me a link to it if you can. I’d love to read it.
Gosh, Judy! Each of these 7 rules can be chapters in a book. There is so much meat there.
One of the things that is so endearing about Dr. Seuss stories is, as you say, how he treats kids like human beings rather than being condescending.
Come to think of it, if we approach sales and marketing in the same way, think of the goodwill and love (and sales!) we’d generate along the way!
By the way, I am a fan of the “Break the Rules” rule. I do it all the time. And I LOVE IT! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Tshombe recently posted..What a For-Sale Sign teaches about embracing change
Tshombe,
Yes, in some ways, Geisel treated kids as “little adults.” Partly, I think, because he never had children of his own, he never learned to “talk down” to children. And they could sense that—and loved it. He married a woman with kids, so he had step-children. But once he said to his wife, ” You have them. I amuse them.”
Why does that not surprise me, that you are a fan of #5. : ) You just keep breaking those rules, Tshombe!
Hey Judy,
Hope you are well.
You won’t believe me if I tell you but I was about a third of the way done with a post just like this Ha! I took a small break to head over to For Bloggers By Bloggers and was browsing through the about page to see who some of the other contributors were…long story short – it led me back to you here
.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw the title. Although my version is very different it’s still a sort of “blogging tips by Dr.Seuss” using his quotes. I’m actually working on another similar one as well but using a different famous name
.
Anyhow – all that to say – I love this piece! Well done! I’ve always gotten a kick out of his stories and you’ve brilliantly manged to turn something fun into useful and insightful.
Merry Christmas to you and your family
Cheers
Ingrid Abboud recently posted..SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup 9
Ingrid,
Actually I would believe you. I’ve had it happen frequently enough myself to understand this phenomenon. What I don’t get as much is that it can happen at exactly the same time. But, hey, if you believe in synchronicity… : )
Sometimes, if it’s an “A-list” blogger, I’ll say, “Rats! He got to it first!”
But you know what, it may be the same general concept, but we each write so differently that it’s really not the same post. I’d love to read your post. Please send me a link when it’s out. : )
Judy – Once again I appreciate your gift for titles. Who wouldn’t want to read a blog about Dr. Suess and blogging?
My favorite thing about your post is that you have summarized the creative process very simply and know.
My background is in fine art and design. I learned about the creative process with visual tools: begin with thumbnail sketches, think on paper, then develop them into more complete ideas.
Later in life I learned that the very same process applies to writing: you let everything come out as the right side of the brain does the draft. Then you change hats, and the left side does the editing. Once I stopped trying to edit while I wrote, it became fun.
Thank you for making the creative process so accessible!
Barbara Breckenfeld recently posted..Architects’ Forum- food for collaboration
Barbara,
Your background is indeed a plus for you when it comes to writing, because you are already thinking in pictures. And the images in our readers’ minds is what makes our writing powerful—and memorable. Well stated. Thanks.
Very Lovely post, original a well written, I’m bookmarking you and coming back for more ! x Thanks again x
Hi Judy!
I’m glad I came across your blogsite from Copyblogger. This is a treasure trove of good blog ideas!
Yes, Dr. Seuss’ books are good models for fearless blogging. My favorite is The Cat in the Hat. And I couldn’t agree with you more when you talked about blogging about the details. In blogging, we should aim to go into the nitty-gritty of things in order to weave a good picture for our readers. In this way, we not only write for the sake of writing, we open the gateway to good imagination.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you, too, Elmar.
Yeah, Dr. Seuss nailed an interesting story with not one unnecessary word. That is harder to do than most people realize. Most children’s book authors know how to use language that way. And the details? To me, it’s the most important part because, as you say, it gives us things to picture as we read. Thanks for the perceptive comment.