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Reader Poll: What is the Most Overused Word in Writing Blog Titles?

There’s nothing like a catchy, memorable, unique blog title. Of course, you don’t want to get too weird or too fancy. (I’ve had my share of people squint suspiciously when I say my blog is named deCOMPOSE. But, hey, it definitely stands out!) On the other side, are those blog titles that are just blah. And when it comes to writing blogs, you tend to see a lot of the same old, same old.

Here’s a few words I’ve compiled that have been flogged (or is it blogged) to death. (The word “writing,” or other craft related words, are not on the list for obvious reasons, as they cue the reader as to subject matter.) Which of these words do you think are the most over-used words in writing blog titles? If there’s one I missed, I’d love to hear it. You may choose up to 3 words. And I’d also love to hear some of the blog titles you think are inventive and memorable. Have a great weekend!

{ 10 comments… add one }
  • Mike Duran November 18, 2011, 6:46 AM

    As much as I think the “Pen / Quill / Ink” is overdone, I love the blog title “Flogging the Quill.” I also like “Plot Monkeys” and “Killer Fiction.”

  • Kat Heckenbach November 18, 2011, 7:55 AM

    One of the local authors around here (Debora Coty, women’s inspirational nonfiction and humor writer) has a writing blog called “Grit for the Oyster.” The title comes from a book about writing that she co-wrote with some other authors. The whole pearls from specks of dirt thing as an analogy for writing.

  • Katherine Coble November 18, 2011, 9:31 AM

    Ah! I misread the blog entry title. You are speaking about Writing Blogs not writing blogs–as in “I am writing blogs every day”. In that case I would ask if you mean the blog entire (as with mine: JAPF) or the blog entries?

    • Mike Duran November 18, 2011, 9:57 AM

      Probably should have used “Blog Name” rather than title, which can be confused with “Post Title.” I like the name of your blog, Katherine. I did a double-take when I first read it. But your individual post titles are also usually compelling / humorous too.

      • Katherine Coble November 19, 2011, 11:47 AM

        Thank you; I learned doing community blogging that post titles drive a LARGE chunk of your traffic. I put time into most of mine.

        I’m slightly worried: what about the blog title caused a double-take?

        I like it because it sums up my attitude toward terrestrial life in general and it specifically doesn’t limit my scope to writing.

        Also: I love the new header. Did you design it yourself?

  • Kessie November 18, 2011, 9:40 AM

    Hahaha, ouch. Where is the “all of the above” option?

    Fortunately, I don’t have a writing blog. I have an art blog! That makes me original! 😀

  • Mark November 18, 2011, 10:49 AM

    So if my blog name is Random Ramblings from Sunny Southern CA, then I have a double whammy against me.

    Does it count that I started mine in 2002?

  • Rebecca LuElla Miller November 18, 2011, 12:15 PM

    Interesting topic, though I think it’s also something to note that the wise blogging advice (at least when I started blogging) was to avoid cutsey and clever in the Blog Name. People wouldn’t find you if they were looking for a writing site, should you opt for a name like Where’s the Beef.

    With that in mind, it doesn’t seem surprising that there are many oft repeated names and even boring ones. More important to hook people with post titles I think, though some would disagree there too, search engines and optimization coming into play.

    Perhaps a rather inconspicuous related topic is, how much should writing bloggers pay attention to rankings and placement and how much to display of craft?

    Becky

  • Tim George November 19, 2011, 9:20 AM

    Unrelated but not. Looks like we chose the same week to change our blog header. Likes yours a lot!

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