Writing Down the Rabbit Hole: Eight Ways to Keep Your Blogging Habit Simple
As much as I love simplicity, I’ve got a big confession: blogging about it has made my life a lot more complicated. How’s that for irony?
As much as I love it, the art of blogging does take up a significant amount of time and energy. From writing and editing to participating in the blogging community, I find myself with more choices and less time.
In the interests of everyone who’d like to add a little simplicity to their blogging lives, here are my techniques for keeping my blog life simple:
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Have backup posts. (Or at least lots of backup ideas to get you started.) Working on a deadline isn’t simple. Frankly, it pretty much sucks. Having a few backup posts can keep you relaxed, even if you choose not to use them.
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Take a day off now and then. I’m still playing around with my posting frequency a bit. When I’ve taken a day off, readers are yet to be astonished or dismayed. As I wrote in the On Simplicity Pledge, I’d rather post nothing than something vacuous.
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Future post your entries a couple days ahead of time. It rules. I write when I want and set each post to publish at the appropriate time. It’s easy to check how far out you’re scheduled and know when it’s time to get cracking on your next post.
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Apply categories to your RSS reader. Going through my reader used to be uber time-consuming and, let’s face it, never-ending. Then, I created a “Must Read” folder of about 20 blogs. Now, I take about 30 to 60 minutes to go through the feeds that are consistently interesting and valuable. All blogs in my reader are categorized by subject, so I find something I’m in the mood for pretty easily. I know that as long I’m through the Must-Reads, I’m fully caught up, and this has freed my time up greatly.
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Write when you’re inspired. It’s a million times easier than trying to crank stuff out the hard way. Plus, it’s way faster in my experience.
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Invest in grammar. Knowing proper grammar (or at least, accepted grammar) inside and out makes the editing process smooth and speedy. You’ll still have occasional errors slip through, but your editing time can be spent on making your post awesome instead of just not wrong. I use Grammar Girl for sorting out editing questions.
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Know when to stop. I’m not perfect at this—at all. But if you’re struggling to find that elusive tenth reason for a top ten post, stop and ask yourself if you were done at eight.
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Try Aaron Robbins’ Post Idea plug-in. You have to click “yes” about three times to get to the “Write” screen, but it sure as heck beats having 20 slips of paper with half-baked ideas floating around.
Please respond with your tips and ideas that make blogging simpler and easier for you. I’m really excited to find some ideas I can co-opt! (Imagine me rubbing my hands together and laughing maniacly…)
June 30th, 2008 at 6:33 am
These are great points. I’ll have to check out #8, the post idea plugin - it sounds intriguing.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Excellent ideas.
I really suck at writing ahead - as soon as I complete a piece, I’ll post it - then typically I’ll go back to it and edit a few hours later. I would not recommend this strategy at all. I’m not sure if my readers care that I don’t stick to a specific schedule, but I know that I prefer to read blogs that do. Ah, hypocrisy.
I use a word doc to track my ideas, but to be honest, I rarely go back to my ideas list - I usually write about whatever is on my mind any given day.
I’ve been using iGoogle as my RSS reader - my homepage is the ‘must reads’ and the rest are categorized. I need to clean this up as my ‘must reads’ have evolved over time. Thanks for the reminder.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:16 am
These are all things that I’ve been implementing lately.
Another one is to batch posts. That is, if I have 2 hours (e.g. the baby’s napping!), then I might write a few posts at once. Sometimes when you’re in the flow of writing, it’s easier to knock several out at once.
I haven’t perfected this tactic, but it’s a work in progress at least.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I think the most challenging step in creating an impressive blog post is the process of brainstorming for the main points of the post. Once I have the primary points down, filling in the blanks is a breeze.
I attack each blog post like this:
1. What do I want to write about? I come up with a catchy title (first draft of the title anyways).
2. What are the main points I intend to deliver to my audience? I write a lot of lists, so my next step is to come up with my main bullet points.
3. Start filling in the blanks.
4. Research online to come up with references and further information for my bullet points.
5. Proofread and edit title if needed.
Great read!
June 30th, 2008 at 10:36 am
You know I have back-up posts but I never use them…I also try to do an advance posts but I just can’t bring myself to write that far ahead. I do however think about what I want to post when I’m doing menial taks like taking a shower or driving.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Great advice. It’s definitely hard some days to come up with a new post. I think your right that it’s okay to have a day off every now and again. Don’t just write for the sake of writing.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
These are great ideas, and I try to do most of them. But like Chris, I don’t use my backup posts. It’s a good idea in theory, and I’m sure it works well for some people, but when I write something it’s frustrating not to see it published. And then I forget about it.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I swear, every post conicides with what I’m thinking.Creepy…
Anyway, great suggestions. What I do is I utilize Google Notebook and Bookmark to document all of the sites that may have triggered a great idea for a post. I’ll copy the link and then add an excerpt of the idea to remind me. As others have said I may not use the backups but its nice to know their there. They may just be the inspiration for a whole new idea or a great addition. You never know.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Sara: I see that a lot of people have themes, like Monday can be book review day, Wednesday can be wordless (like Vered’s Worldless Wednesday), I have Insipiration Sunday. I think that having themes is an idea to consider to give more structure to blogging so the brain doesn’t have to make as much of an effort. I’m trying to keep to a schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (with Inspiration Sunday added on) because my posts tend to be longer. I like your ideas!
June 30th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
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June 30th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Hi Sara,
These are all great tips, and many of which I use.
I agree with Marelisa. Having specific days for a weekly “topic” or photo does ease the stress. As you know I showcase a new blog every Tuesday and Fridays have become my “Free and Easy Friday Finds”. By mixing it up, it also eases the pressures of finding something to write about each day (or whatever your schedule is).
One thing bloggers do need to be careful with is to not put undue pressure on ourselves. By doing so, we can easily experience burn out and quit posting completely.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
@Lance: That plugin’s not for everybody, but if you’ve got a lot of ideas floating around, it’s worth a try!
@Heidi: It may not be the least stressful method, but in terms of quality, your posting strategy seems to be working well. :0
@Sarah: I love batch posting! I have a hard time finding big chunks of time, though. I could do better on that.
@Marc and Angel: I can see how that method really works for you! For guide-style posts, I tend to follow a similar structure, but I enjoy flow writing on some pieces. I like the idea of coming up with a great title first–it would give me something to live up to!
@Chris: I know what you mean about getting ideas in random places. Barbara had a great idea once about putting a whiteboard in her shower!
@Focus on Your Money: I loove days off. They give me a chance to build up the desire to write.
@Hunter: I’ll be honest–I’ve only used a backup post once. If it’s something I really love, I’m like you and want to see it out there right away!
@Tiffany: Sounds like we’re totally on the same wavelength! If we worked together, we’d be wearing the same color shirt every day.
@Marelisa: I love your Sunday posts. I considered instituting some theme days, but I just wasn’t inspired to write those posts. Guess I need more exciting themes!
@Barbara: Yep, avoiding burnout is exactly why it’s okay with me when bloggers take days off. I’d rather read their best once in a while than something “okay” for a months and then they’re burned out. (And I love seeing who you have lined up on Tuesdays!)
June 30th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
great tips.
I carry a notebook and my camera (both are pocket-size and slim) everywhere. Whenever I spot something blog-worthy, I snap a photo. And if I have an idea for a post, I quickly jot it down before I forget.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Vered,
Photo notes is just about the coolest thing I’ve heard of. And it totally worked with today’s papier mache post!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Hi Sara - I find that tuning into when I’m inspired is maybe the most important thing - or perhaps I mean forcing myself to abandon trying to write when it just isn’t coming, and trusting it will come to me later!
July 1st, 2008 at 5:29 am
Thanks Sara for the great tips, I really agree not to write unless we are inspired, otherwise we will be just bringing something to our readers that is so poor in everything.
If readers got used to see a blog with low quality posts even it’s updated daily or twice a day, it’s more likely that those readers will be gone in a few weeks.
It’s very important to be selective about our posts, adding value is a big sign for the success of any blog.
July 1st, 2008 at 6:01 am
@Robin: You’ve got a great point about having trust in yourself. That’s key to doing just about anything well.
@AxeCity: I’ve noticed that you’re selective on your blog, and it’s paid off. Almost every post makes me go, “Oh, I’ve gotta read that!”
July 1st, 2008 at 6:27 am
I definitely feel better when I can churn out a lot of posts at once and give my brain a break for a few days. I will schedule them ahead but then if I get new ideas, I like them published right away. I hate waiting to publish. So I end up with extra posts or lots of drafts all the time. Right now, I have 36 drafts going that range from only having a title to being all but a few words short of done.
If possible, when I get an idea, I immediately plug it in to wordpress as a blog title and then walk away from the computer and sort out how I want the post to play out in my head.
The worst is when I get writers block and for days on end can come up with nothing to say.
I have found that simply allowing myself to let it go once in a while and not make it feel so job-like is very important. I was very afraid my blog would die when I left on vacation but not only did it give me the opportunity to refresh and really get my juices flowing, it gave me the opportunity to allow others to post for me and fill in the gaps, which always brings inspiration.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:11 am
I’ve been working on my grammar. It’s my weakest writing skill. The way that I do this is to read my posts out loud. It helps me slow down and really pay attention.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:27 am
@Emily: I have the same basic strategy (and about the same number of drafts!). Your blog has been kicking ass since you’ve been on vacation. Clearly having time to refresh works well for you!
@Karl: I would imagine that reading out loud would be the ideal way to proofread a blog post, since a conversational tone is also important. And since I’ve never come away from a post of yours going “$%@! typos,” I imagine it’s working well for you!
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
The dreaded posting frequency. Looking back, I don’t post with any frequency. I tend to only post when I’ve got something to say. I have a hunch readers prefer a few solid articles a week over more quantity, less quality. I follow a few bloggers who post less often and I’m always thrilled and excited to read them. It’s like a tasty treat. I figure, only one blog can be LifeHacker .
For me posting frequency and inspiration are one in the same. I only post when inspired to do so, and my frequency follows this path.
I’m of the belief blogging can be more fluid and less time structured. Just because I post something Monday, doesn’t mean everyone reads it Tuesday. People bookmark, people skip their readers, people read when they are ready to read, people only comment when they have something to say.
Keep blogging fun, and time takes care of itself.
July 6th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
It is so funny to see someone write about the very thing I’ve been pondering lately. Namely, “wouldn’t it be ironic to write a blog about a simple home, but then not have any dishes or laundry done because I’ve been blogging?”
It’s getting better, and easier, to manage. These tips are quite helpful, thanks.