Chris Guillebeau started a career as a professional blogger after he realized his true passions - unconventional living and worldwide travel - had an a following. When it comes to blogging, Guillebeau said it in his manifesto 279 Days of Overnight Success:
"People like strong opinions, so that’s what I’m going to give you."
I can dig that. And I can agree. And so here goes nothing…
Yes, you need to do interesting things to write interesting things.
Whether your opinions are informed by deep thought or intense experience, it is important to stretch out and dive in. As Timothy Leary famously said of the counterculture generation, "Turn on. Tune in. Drop out."
Writing is a reflection of yourself, either way you look at it. Right-side up or upside-down. Ideas today could contradict your most hardcore beliefs tomorrow. That's the beauty of life.
Side aside your first person point of view. It's not necessary. Make an About section on your site and be done with it. If someone is reading your blog, they can find out who you are if you set it up right. Instead, give them something to chew on. The best blogs are not ego trips, they're toolkits.
Terrence McKenna said, "Culture is not your friend" and without or not you grasp that or believe it, who says you can't make some of your own? Why not write your own self-help book? Your own personal development book? Write your own comic book or story?
Books do not come out of nowhere. Not even Peter Pan and Never Never Land. As a matter of fact Peter Pan came out of a weird place itself - the author, J. M. Barrie, may have experienced psychogenic dwarfism bought on by emotional neglect and stress from his childhood.
The truth is you write to see words and you write for an audience. If you do this, you're doing it right.
It can still be a challenge, though. As the mind behind The Oatmeal webcomic notes in Some thoughts and musings about making things for the web:
"Your career + the internet = sad"
There is good pressure for writers on the web to explain themselves because just about anyone can put their fingers to the keys. Do it regularly and you're more impressive. Write regularly and write well, and you might be onto something.
But The Oatmeal makes a great distinction, even for himself and his work:
"I'm a firm believer that if you don't have anything to say, you shouldn't be talking. And if you don't have anything to write about, don't write."
Make it valuable. Make it worth the time to read for someone more than yourself and your immediate family.
Write for others. Write with conviction.
And, by all means, do something interesting.