Do you have a blogging rhythm? By this I mean does your blogging creativity ebb and flow like the tide? I have a rhythm with this blog that I’ve only just started realising.
Recently I was flush with ideas about what to write here. They were ideas coming at me from all directions. I was in my purple patch of blogging. I’d start a new post with each new idea so I’ve now got a few drafts sitting around that may or may not see the light of day. Actually this is one that will see the light of day because I started it when I had all those ideas, but never got around to finishing it. Now I’m in a bit of a dip in my blogging, it’s being resurrected because I’m too busy to think of anything much else.
I equate this blogging rhythm to to growth spurts in children. When JJ is about to have a growth spurt, he sleeps longer and eats a lot more – a bit of a cross between a bear in hibernation, and a competitive cyclist gearing up for the Tour De France. Similarly when I’m gearing up for my blog’s growth spurt my blog posting might not be as frequent, but I’m gathering and collecting information from all around to write about later.
Going through this stage though, I know that I’ll come out the other end and see it manifesting itself in more activity around here – a bit like my real life too. I am a Libran, and we’re supposed to be quite lazy sometimes, and then really active at other times.
The blogs about blogging I read all say to gear up for the quiet times by writing posts that can be published later but for me, no matter how hard I try, it just doesn’t work. Let’s face it, while I love blogging, it’s not my number one priority so at least 50% of those drafts that I wrote won’t make it because the momentum has been lost.
My blogging rhythm is also in the pits right now for me because I’m really busy at work so my mind can’t wander off and think about what I might write here. I’m also thinking about what’s left to organise before I head off to Sydney in one week. So, for me, real life gets in the way of blogging rhythms.
How about you?
Kin says
Yeah I do. I write each day, rather than have a pile of drafts sitting around waiting to be published. Having said that, I have a word document with lists of topics, some started, some not, and whenever I find myself without something to write about, I finish or write one of those.
And the topics are so related to what’s going on in my life. Ie today I’m studying, so my post was about study. Tomorrow I’ll be writing an essay, so it will probably be a discussion on essay writing or the topic of my assignment. Next Wednesday, the day after the assignment is due, I’ll probably re-notice my family and write about them.
Andrew Boyd says
Like Kin, I store story ideas and some half-completed posts for those rainy days. Instead of a Word document I store them as drafts on WordPress – every time I click on the “Write” tab I’m shown all the drafts. It’s a good lesson in writing timeless posts – if I come back to a draft a couple of weeks later and it is no longer relevant then I know I’ve made a mistake (I still do ‘current news’ posts, sure, but I believe that the important stuff doesn’t date as easily and this is the material of pillar/cornerstone posts).
Cheers, Andrew
Stacie says
I told myself that if I were to blog, that I would try and write something every day. I have missed a few days, but not too many over the last 7 months or so, and some days my posts are interesting, other days it is obvious that I am just showing up, but I have noticed that when my posts are dull, it means I need to get out and do something worthy of writing about. Keeps me really busy!!!
Snoskred says
I have one text file where I write everything – ideas, posts in progress, everything I’ve thought about. When I have some spare time I go and look at it, edit, write, see if some of the thoughts I wrote down can be turned into posts. It could be one or two words – here’s one in there right now – Kinky Boots – a movie I saw which I really enjoyed and would like to review eventually. It may not be for some time, but it is in there and if one day I am like I have nothing to say, I might pick that up.
Cheers,
Snoskred
jeanie says
ha – I am so disorganised – but then, my blogs are mainly about that (or my breakthroughs).
I am very sporadic – but also very much an amateur!