In the U. S. we have a holiday that commemorates an event in 1620 when (supposedly) some of the first immigrants to this (future) country from England enjoyed a feast together with indigenous people. Besides giving thanks for surviving a difficult sea voyage, the immigrants were thankful for the freedom from burdens on their lives they felt in their old country. Among these burdens was being persecuted for their beliefs and customs – just as anti-nudity laws and censorship in social media persecute naturists.
So this was an exemplary social event celebrating freedom. If you’re a naturist, this probably sounds like something you’re familiar with: the pleasure of sharing with others the freedom from wearing clothes.
I’ve been planning to add my 2 cents to this article: Our Best Tips for Aspiring Naturist Bloggers. Just getting to it now. The article has a lot of useful advice, but it started me thinking about many additional things to say. It’s sort of surprising there aren’t many more naturist blogs – because there’s so much good stuff to write about.
The article touches on the problem of why there are few active blogs about naturism and social nudity. I addressed that issue here. The objective in those two articles, and here, is to encourage other interested naturists to start their own blog on the subject. It’s easy to blog about naturism fairly anonymously, if you prefer, so that shouldn’t be a concern.
Probably the main reasons there aren’t more active naturists blogs include concerns about how to get started, one’s personal writing skills, how to actually set up and run a blog, and – especially – how to come up with ideas on naturist topics that haven’t already been thoroughly covered.
Thinking of good ideas to write about is probably the biggest hurdle you may face as a blogger. But it’s actually easier than you might suppose. The key here is to avoid topics that have already been written about many times. Instead, write about your own perspectives and experiences with naturism. That theme runs through many of the suggested ideas you’ll find below.
Not all of those ideas will be relevant to you, so pick and choose. The personal touch is what matters most. Everyone, after all, is a unique individual. And naturists are inevitably more unique than most, because their feelings about nudity are so different from those of most of the population. That’s something to be proud of. When two paths diverge in the woods, naturists take the one less traveled by – and that makes all the difference. (h/t Robert Frost)
If you’re enthusiastic about naturism, wanting to inform others of the pleasures and benefits of social nudity comes quite naturally. But articles like “The mistake of confusing sexuality and naturist nudity”, or “Naturism is actually wholesome and healthy”, or “Why you should try naturism”, or “How to get started in naturism” have already been done quite a few times.
So one of the main reasons there aren’t more naturist blogs is that a little effort is required to come up with new and different good ideas for what to write about. You’ll need to reflect on why you enjoy naturism and how you came to feel that way. Naturists aren’t all alike in their feelings about nudity. They differ from each other in many ways – and that’s fine. Add your own perspective.
Since there are quite a few points to mention, I’ll just list them without a lot of detail. I could probably write a whole book about this – but I don’t have the time, and the market’s probably not that big.
But, please, if you have questions about any point, want more details, or have your own suggestions, don’t hesitate to leave one (or more) comments.
General writing advice
- Just do it! When you have a good idea, don’t put off too long beginning to deal with it. If possible, try to write a little every day, even if your work isn’t quite ready for posting.
- Organize your thoughts on a topic to begin with – make an outline of the main points.
- Be yourself, speak with your own voice, don’t simply imitate someone else’s style.
- Be original, don’t just rephrase the ideas of others and fail to have something new to say.
- Be naked when writing – that’s sure to focus yourself on the topic.
- Carefully fact-check things like dates, places, personal or business names – and be sure any external links work properly.
- You need not finish an article immediately in one sitting – take a break if you get tired of writing – or just continue another time.
- Write at a time interruptions will be minimized.
- Figure out what time or times of day you seem to write most easily.
- Ask others for opinions when you want feedback and when you have a draft done.
- Let an article sit for a few days or longer so you can search for additional information, add new details, or think of additional points or better ways to express an idea.
- Rewrite sections if you’re not satisfied with them. Every revision tends to improve the expression of your idea.
- Keep older efforts, but feel free to start over if you’re still not satisfied.
- It’s OK to make changes after a post has been published, if you want to correct errors or add a few additional points – assuming your blogging platform allows it. Or make a new post with related material you want to include.
- There are many free or inexpensive resources for writers available online and in books. When you feel a need to improve your way with words, go looking for those resources.
Coming up with ideas
- Keep a notebook for ideas – on paper, your cellphone, or your computer.
- Start a draft article with a paragraph or two to preview the idea you want to share.
- Follow other blogs for ideas, alternative viewpoints.
- Google is your friend – use its search features to find other articles or other relevant material on your topic.
- Ask others – especially other naturists – what ideas or questions they have about nudity and naturism.
- Recall interesting positive or negative naturist experiences you’ve had, e. g. “A funny thing happened when I held a birthday suit party for myself”.
- Think of reasons you’re thankful for no longer feeling a need to wear any clothes.
- Discuss with other naturists interesting, unusual, or unexpected experiences they’ve had while naked.
- Imagine some situation a naturist might experience and how it might develop – such as when someone discovers a friend or relative is a naturist.
- Imagine a short story involving nudity or naturism and what surprising outcome might result.
- Make a list of naturist activities you haven’t tried yet but would like to try.
- Think of problems you’ve had as a naturist but haven’t been able to solve yet – but hope for other naturists’ advice.
- Just relax and let your mind wander when you’re at a clothing-optional beach or out for a naked hike.
- Review all of your own important experiences on the way to becoming a naturist.
- If you participate in naturist discussion forums with a relatively limited audience, develop your best comments into a blog article that can be seen by many others.
- Try free association. Pick any concept or thing that occurs to you (e. g. a philosophical abstraction, an emotion, someone you know, a favorite pet, a job you had), then think of others that might also relate to naturism. Example: bird → turkey → Thanksgiving → freedom → social nudity.
- Understand that often you can’t force yourself to come up with new ideas, but that there will be other times when the ideas flow freely and almost effortlessly. Don’t stop as long as the ideas keep coming. And be sure to write them down somewhere.
- Don’t automatically reject ideas that might be unexpected, offbeat, or even a little weird. Ideas like that – if actually sound – might be the most creative. The idea could be a good new way to think about or enjoy naturism.
Specific things you could write about
Not all of these ideas are relevant to current naturists, but those that are should give you plenty to write about. Try to focus on details of your personal experiences rather than abstractions. Describe details of the setting, so readers can picture it in their minds. Tell about others who were present. Talk about your own feelings and emotions. Say what was especially memorable about the experience. Even if that happened to be how completely normal it felt to be naked with others.
Stories about real people and real happenings are usually more interesting than assertions without concrete examples. The specific details of a naturist experience that seemed normal to you might be enlightening to others. Such stories lead readers to imagine having the experiences themselves. They also help your blog to be different and stand out from others.
- Books, movies, magazine articles, art, theatrical performances, or any other “cultural” material you’ve actually read or seen that involves nudity or naturism
- Reviews of clothing-optional beaches, naturist campgrounds or resorts, camping and hiking areas, and other specific places where nudity and naturism are popular
- Naturist activities you greatly enjoyed but (perhaps) were for some time hesitant to try
- Potentially embarrassing situations you or other naturists have had and how they were handled successfully
- Creative solutions to common naturist problems you and others have had
- Unpleasant situations you’ve had as a naturist and how they could have been avoided
- How you became interested in social nudity or who encouraged you to try it
- Problems you had becoming a naturist and how you overcame them – especially whatever problem was the most difficult for you
- The scariest naturist activity you were afraid to try – but how it turned out well
- How you may have helped others develop a more positive idea of naturism
- The times you’ve successfully persuaded others to try naturism
- How others have accepted your nudity as “normal” for you – or in general
- A clothing-optional activity you planned or have considered, such as a party, that included both naturists and non-naturists
- How your ideas and feelings about social nudity have evolved over time
- The most embarrassing thing that happened to you while you were socially naked
- Different ways naturists deal with certain problems when they’re naked
- Suggestions for new or improved ways to promote naturism by helping the public understand it and encouraging people to consider trying it.
- A pleasant experience that helped you persuade one or more friends to become naturists
- Experiences you enjoyed with nudity as a child or teenager that foreshadowed deciding to be a naturist
- Characteristics of naturists you knew that you admired and motivated you to try social nudity
- Something a naturist boyfriend or girlfriend of yours did that convinced you to try it yourself
- How becoming a naturist has made a big change in your life for the better
- Experiences with social nudity that helped you overcome personal problems
- The main thing about naturism that finally turned you or someone you know from a skeptic or opponent of nudity to become enthusiastic about it
- Specific doubts you may have had about being naked with others that you managed to overcome
- The first experience you had with social nudity that convinced you to become an enthusiast and want to tell others about it
- Vivid details of an especially enjoyable naturist experience, such as a naked hike, camping trip, family party, or social gathering
- Original ideas (e. g. not “strip poker” or “naked Twister”) for activities and games at naturist parties (e. g. performing sketches (naked) from scenes in popular movies or TV shows) or making up stories where people, in turn, add details from some given starting point.
- An idea for a social gathering, party, or experience where nudity is appropriate but surprising and unexpected. Hot air balloon ride naked?
- Specific insights you’ve gained from expressing your enjoyment of nudity to others and blogging about it
- Discussion of posts on other blogs that offer extensions of the ideas there or alternative ways of viewing the issues – with an objective of advancing the topic for additional examination
General blogging tips
- Proofread for errors, cut out excess verbiage, use a spelling and grammar checker.
- Consult the browser search window or a dictionary to be sure you use the correct words if in doubt.
- Avoid clichés, platitudes, trite phrases – use Google or an actual thesaurus to find appropriate synonyms.
- Vary your words and sentence structure – minimize repeated terms and phrases.
- When you have links to external pages, have them open in a separate browser window or tab, so your post remains visible.
- Use formatting and layout to make the organization clear.
- Except for brief posts or special situations, provide just 2 or 3 paragraphs on the front page, and use blog facilities to show the rest.
- Be clear who you’re writing for (novice, veteran naturist, skeptic, etc.).
- Keep it simple – but not too simple.
- Make the main point or points very clear.
- Stick to the topic – don’t suddenly introduce other things not closely related. Save those other things for another article.
- When you write about specific happenings, include colorful details about time, place, and circumstances, so readers can imagine being present.
- Offer relevant anecdotes when giving “how-to” information – what worked well or not so well – e. g. “I had trouble remembering where I stashed my house key on the beach trip”.
- Link to relevant articles from your blog or others – naturist bloggers should support each other – acknowledge good ideas from others.
- Divide long articles into separate posts – try to stay under about 2500 words if the subject permits.
- Pace your output so your posts aren’t too frequent or infrequent – depending on your available time, one or two weeks between posts is good.
- In order to gain blog followers use one or more of your favorite social networking tools (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to announce new posts. Include links to such sites on your page, and suggest readers “like” articles mentioned there that they enjoyed.
Blog design
- Choose your blogging platform carefully. (WordPress is very popular, fairly easy to use, and naturist-friendly.)
- Think carefully about your blog’s name, so it’s original, not easily confused with existing names, and suitable for what you expect to write.
- Make browsing for your blog’s content easy. Use tags, categories, references to related articles, an archive directory.
- Include a blog roll, list of recent articles, list of popular articles, list of comments, etc.
- Choose a sensible layout/page theme that’s aesthetically pleasing.
- Leave white space around separate parts, but not too much.
- Mention similar or related articles from your own and other blogs.
- Provide an “About” page that gives a little information about yourself and your naturist background (but need not reveal more than you’re comfortable doing).
- Invite comments on your articles and make them easy for readers to submit.
- Use facilities of the blog platform to make it easy for readers to follow your blog with email notices and/or RSS feeds.
This was a very good read and extremely informative for me, and I wish I had researched it more prior to starting mine. I think it would been much easier to start. I know this must have taken you a lot of time and effort. You’ve given me a few ideas for writing. Thank you.
I’ve talked to a few people about blogging, naturist or not, and I always get the response of “I like the idea but have no idea what to write about”. I think in general you just have to start with something and run with it. I get a lot of whimsical ideas all the time, and I immediately put that thought into a few words as a post draft. If I can’t write the whole post in one setting, then I make comments to where the thought is headed so I can pick up where I left off. Sometimes they are fruitful and others not so much, but almost always one thought leads to another and I end up with a different idea to write about. The key is to just start.
What I find most interesting about blogging and reading blogs is the different perception and expertise each person has on a given subject. Sometimes it can be hard to understand someone else’s view on something, but when you take a step back and realize their life travels have molded how they see the world, it becomes easier to respect their view. Even if something has been written about before, a new point of view can bring a dormant topic back to relevance. I encourage anyone to start and share their thoughts in a blog.
Personally, I use the association tactic quite a bit. It’s amazing how some topics that have no clear relationship with naturist can be tied back to it or somehow applied to the practice of naturism. This approach can be used when trying to help non-naturist to at least try some kind of a nude lifestyle.
Keep up the great work!