Have you visited a website recently that appeared to be a rehash of what someone else wrote? I see this all the time. Is there so little to write about that people have to resort to regurgitating someone else's material? Or is it just because they're lazy?

I prefer to read blogs over regular news sources. Most blog writers are engaging and original. Not all of them, of course. There are those that spend all of their time plagiarizing everyone else and not producing anything new. I believe, however, that they're the minority.

There are online services that will provide you with a lot of UNORIGINAL content, reworded to fit your blog, for a modest fee. Don't fall for it. It won't win you any popularity contests, especially with the person in the mirror.

If you have a great story to tell, tell it and don't be afraid of the consequences. If you're posting something that's not your original idea, make sure it appears clear as to why you posted it. Do you need help just getting your ideas down in writing? I have a secret for you. It's called natural writing.

Here's an excerpt from the Department of the Navy Correspondence Manual. It's written for sailors, but some of it applies to what I'm talking about:

Make your writing as formal or informal as the situation requires, but do so with language you might use in speaking. This isn't a call to copy every quirk of speech down to grunts and ramblings. And, granted, some people don't speak very well. Still, because readers hear writing, the most readable writing sounds like people talking to people.

A spoken style means fewer gears to shift each time we write. It also means less adjustment for new personnel, who find the old style increasingly foreign. You probably remember your own difficulty in getting used to roundabout writing.

To make your writing more like speaking, begin by imagining your reader is sitting across from your desk. If YOU are writing to many different people but none in particular, picture one typical reader. Then write with personal pronouns, everyday words, and short sentences–the best of speaking.