Writing Articles: Three Areas in Which Everyone is a Qualified Expert

Three of Your Expert Areas
In the companion article post to this one, “How to Write Articles about What You Know When You Don’t Know Anything”, we discussed possibilities in four article theme topic areas. There are three distinct areas however, where absolutely everyone is a hands-up, qualified expert. These are: your home and personal travels, your teaching and learning experiences, and any personal pleasures, pastimes or pet peeves that you may have.

• Home and Travels
Where have you lived, visited, vacationed or traveled to? What’s it like to live, work, travel or study abroad? Can you speak a foreign language? How did you learn to do it? What mistakes did you make? How did you manage living in South America, Asia, Africa or Europe? What did you eat and drink? How do you prepare meals from those places? What tips or advice do you have for others who’d like to follow in your footsteps?

• Teaching and Learning
Have you ever taught something to someone else? Have you then, ever learned something unique, different or special in some way that is interesting? You can expound on that at length and in detail, can’t you? Do you have pictures, photographs or videos of these things too? Can you go back and get pictures, photographs and videos?

• Pleasures, Pastimes or Pet Peeves
What really ticks you off? How could people learn to avoid doing things like that to others? Express your opinion with ways, tips and techniques to develop the needed knowledge and skills to be better. Whether social skills like meeting people, etiquette, self-improvement, over coming fears or bad habits, among many others, there are possibly thousands upon thousands of people wanting to know what you know. Tell them by writing about it.

So You REALLY Don’t Know Anything?
With these three topic areas and questions, you can’t possibly say, “I don’t know anything.” You’ve found out several areas that you are an “expert” in which would interest others enough for you to write about. Be sure to have a look at, “How to Write Articles about What You Know When You Don’t Know Anything”, if you haven’t already. Now get to writing.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

How to Write About What You Know When You Don’t Know Anything

Write About What You Know
What to write? Well, write about what you know. Right. How can I write, I don’t know anything? Really? I’ll bet you do know something. Not only that, but I’ll even bet that you’re a near expert on one or two topics too. “Oh no I’m not”, you say. So let’s just see about that. Here are four areas with questions to ask yourself that might just help you to find out what you are an expert in that would interest others enough for you to write articles about.

Here are Four Areas Where You May be an “Expert”

• Occupations
Where have you worked? What kinds of jobs have you done? Paid or not paid doesn’t matter, but length of time on the job might. If you’ve worked as a salesman, a cook, walked dogs, cared for other people’s children, made crafts, taught something to others or just generally lived and loved, you can talk – and write about it. Been living in a cave for years, you say? Then you’re an expert on caves and cave dwelling, living in the wilderness and in the dark.

• Hobby or Special Interests
What do you like to do? Can you paint, draw or create with your hands? Do you know cars, antiques or how to cook certain types of foods? Can you sew, knit, play music, sing or hum? How about fishing, hunting, bowling, other sports or photography? Do you dance, bird watch or garden? Have a good hand at raising earthworms, identifying butterflies and insects? Do you know about dogs, cats or other types of pets? Certainly there is something you like to do that you can talk and write articles about.

• Special Skills and Abilities
Have you learned or been specially trained to do something? Fix cars, tune motorcycles? Decorate cakes, make pies or rag dolls? Can you program or fix computers? Appliances or power tools? Do you know how to catch fish or make your own fishing lures? Can you tile a roof, make a bookcase or perhaps dance Salsa or Tango?

• Life Experiences
How about your life experiences? What have you done? What has happened to you, your family and friends over the years, that has truly had an impact on you? Can you tell others how to meet famous people? Find a good marriage partner? Care for an elderly sibling, spouse or parent? Buy a house or condo? Travel on the cheap? Do you know about credit ratings, bankruptcy and personal finance? Thousands of others may be waiting to know the information you have locked up in your heart and brain.

I Don’t Know Anything
After going through this quick list of potential topic areas and questions, certainly now you’ll no longer say, “I can’t write. I don’t know anything.” Hopefully by now, you’ve found out several areas that you are an “expert” in which would interest others enough for you to write about.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Three Benefits of Blogging for English as a Foreign Language Teachers

Blogging for ELT
In a companion article post we discussed, “Five Reasons that Every EFL Teacher Should Blog”. In this article post, we’ll continue with the overall theme of blogging for English and foreign language teaching professionals with three initial benefits of blogging for ELT. Using Blogger or Word Press as free platforms for blogging, you do not need to have extensive knowledge and computer skills to set up, operate, post to and enjoy your own personal blog.


Photo: In Colombia, I have taught (and blogged about) English to university students, adults, English teachers and Embera Indians in the rain forests of the Choco

Benefit 1: Blogging Attracts Competent, Like-Minded Professionals
Just who are you writing for then? Well you, of course, first and foremost. However, when you write and post passionately on a topic a funny thing usually happens, you’ll soon attract others who share similar outlooks, goals, triumphs, problems, trials and tribulations as you do. They will in turn, share with you on how they cope with similar occurrences on their end, what they think, and what’s worked – or not – for them in their situations. You’ll know, in no uncertain terms, that you’re not alone.

Benefit 2: Blogging is an Excellent Way to Document Your Experiences
Do you now keep a diary, a teaching journal or an ELT scrapbook? How about your EFL learners? If you or they do, or you have thought about doing so, your blog can serve as your own personal space. There you can document “the good, the bad and the ugly” of your English language teaching situation on a daily or weekly basis. It can serve as an indicator of your growth as an ELT professional and a private person as well. It will document your changing thoughts, opinions and ideas for growing and improving in your profession, as well as your life.

Benefit 3: Blogging Forces You to Grow
Wherever you are now, whatever it is that you do, blogging will be a constant aid in your personal and professional development. You’ll need to learn new skills, update others and eliminate outdated thinking and practices. You’ll read more, research more and write more. You’ll also laugh more, learn more and hopefully, cry less due to having an outlet to share when you need it. Are you now living in a new, different or foreign country? Great! Then blog it. Remember, you can also add digital photographs, digital sound clips and even videos to your blog. Blogs are not just for writing in any more.

Finally, The Blog`s the Thing …
So there you have them. Three distinct benefits blogging can give to English or foreign language teaching professionals. Add to these the “Five Reasons that Every EFL Teacher Should Blog” and you’re out of excuses not to get started now. How about it? Now are you ready to start an ELT blog of your own? What are you waiting around for?


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, expert author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 120 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Five Reasons Why Every English as a Foreign Language Teacher Should Blog

Deeper and Deeper into the 21st Century
As we delve deeper and deeper into the 21st century, blogs and blogging are becoming an essential tool for English and foreign language teaching professionals world wide. Why is this happening? Here are eight reasons why every English or foreign language teacher should have a blog. Two popular platforms are Blogger.com and Word Press.

Reason 1: Blogging Promotes Online Writing Skills
Welcome to the twenty-first century. The internet has all but superseded virtually every other form of media. Reading and writing for the web is no longer a luxury. It is an essential item for practicing professionals from many different fields. By reaching further and further into your own world for blogging inspiration, you’ll almost automatically be building your own skill sets in multiple areas of your personal and professional life.

Reason 2: Blogging and Writing Consistently Builds Language Proficiency
Whether you’re an English as a foreign language teacher or a foreign language learner, blogging and writing will definitely aid you in building your language skills. You’ll need to read more, brush up on your English grammar, spelling and vocabulary on a regular basis. This will in turn, be essential in building your English or foreign language proficiency.

Reason 3: Blogging Provides an Outlet for Sharing
Have you had things happen in your class room that you’d like to tell others about? What about the humorous things that learners say or ask? Are there strange, unusual or interesting occurrences in your EFL classes? Wouldn’t you like a way to consistently share these with your fellow EFL teachers worldwide? By blogging you most certainly can.

Reason 4: Blogging is Addictive and Fun
Often people find that when they’ve adapted to writing or blogging on a regular and consistent basis, it becomes additive and more enjoyable. You do it because you want to and not because you have to. Then, when you start getting regular feedback and comments from regular readers and subscribers, your sense of pride will help you to keep the information flowing.

Reason 5: Blogging Builds Grammar Knowledge
Keep spell check and grammar check turned on in your computer or word processing software and you’ll continually be challenged to update your knowledge of grammar and structure in English or the foreign language you’re using to blog. You’ll also start looking into new ways to express yourself, without being repetitive or redundant. Those little green lines will quickly become your improvement markers.

Finally, To Blog or Not to Blog?
So there you have them. Five reasons why every English or foreign language teaching professional should blog. Add to these that blogging is also a great way to keep up with current events and developments in the fields of language learning and education, and you’re practically out of excuses not to get started. How about it? Are you ready to start an ELT blog of your own? In a companion article post, “Three Benefits of Blogging for English as a Foreign Language Teachers” we’ll go further in depth on the theme of blogging for ELT.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, expert author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 120 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.