How many times do you have a great idea for a post, but then get stuck immediately when you start to write? This happens to me sometimes, too, and one of the biggest reasons it is because I’ve started writing without considering what goal I have for my post.

I’ve written many times before about goals because I believe that goal setting or, at least, being goals-oriented is very important in life. It helps us to set reasonable expectations and also measure our own success. If you have a good idea of what to expect, you’ll be happier and more satisfied with your results and with life in general.

When you have a goal for your writing, you can critically examine each sentence and even each word as you write. If a sentence or word detours from your stated goal, cut it out and add something more relevant or leave it in it’s more concise form if that works. Irrelevant material in an article distracts the reader and softens the points you are trying to make. For the biggest impact, you should try to eliminate everything that doesn’t tend to support the goal of your post.

So, when you’re getting ready to type out that blog entry, take a moment to think about what your goal is for the post. Is it intended to inform, entertain, or incite your readers to some action? If your goal is to convey some sort of information to your readers, like the latest changes to Google’s TOS, then it may be best to just list out the information as briefly as possible and then add a short commentary with your own opinions.

If you want to entertain your readers, pay close attention to your title and also your opening and closing lines. You’ll want to capture your readers’ attention immediately with the post title. This may be all they see from their RSS reader and most likely will determine whether your post looks interesting enough for them to read. You’ll also want to include enough detail throughout the article, to keep visitors reading. Finally, your concluding paragraph and especially the last line should be catchy, funny, emotional, whatever is necessary to leave an impression and keep the reader coming back.

If your post will be a call to action, much of the above also applies. The title must be catchy, even controversial, in order to draw them in the first place. After getting them to your blog, though, you have to jump right into your topic. A story is a great way to get a reader involved in your post right off the bat. Tell them something personal, even if it’s not about you. A story about human experience is always great for getting a reader’s attention. Then follow this up with your call to action. If you want your reader to feel a certain way about things or to send an email or write a letter, make this clear.

Writing with a goal in mind will make your writing clearer and more successful. It will also improve the speed at which you write and help to keep the unrelated clutter out of your post. Which would you rather read, a 200 word post that tells you just what you want or need to know or a meandering 1500 word article that makes it hard to find the point?