As a writer, I have difficulty in finding a balance between writing and blogging. I always question my blogging motives. Why write a blog post for free when I should be revising a story I want to sell to a magazine? Writing is my focus, not blogging.
But I discovered something interesting about blogging. Blogging is a cutoff jeans style of writing. It’s spontaneous and uncommitted. It’s that draft you wrote and may never use. A virtual journal like skywriting in the clouds, though the words linger here, at least for a while. It can be a slice of time. A moment of introspection. Something you jotted down on a piece of paper and forgot.
Blogging can nudge you out of a writing slump when your thoughts become mired in sludge. It can extract you from a page when you get stuck on a word or phrase, while your inner voices spew insults at you. “You’re not a writer. You got lucky the last time that magazine published your piece.”
Inner voices can be as judgmental as your fashionista neighbor who stink-eyes you when you get caught wearing a summer handbag after labor day weekend.
Ignore the voices and meddling neighbor. Put that handbag on your desk next to your keyboard. It’s writing time. Your creative safe place, a Kravitz free zone.
When you start blogging, don’t worry about a beginning, middle or end. Don’t worry about a title. You don’t need one until the end. All you need is your butt in the chair and fingers on the keyboard. Maybe a source of inspiration: use a picture, find a headline, consult your dog or cat. They might harbor hours of anecdotes you can use.
Don’t worry about blogging every day. Blog on your own terms. You set the rules. Blog in blissful ignorance of what others may think is the right way to write. Blogging is your failsafe way to get words on the page. It can instill you with confidence and motivate you to continue a project. Blogging is the child in you who needs an occasional break during homework. It’s your escape when life gets in the way. No worries here. Just free-range words running wild on the page.
Don’t think about where you’re going, or how to get there. Let your thoughts take you away on any train. The thrill is in the ride. You’ll remember the journey if you unplug from the Internet when you’re done–before you get lost online in the place where time is elusive and GPS is a fantasy.
Quit and be reborn.
Write on!
Writing my short stories for my blog is compulsive for me. Sometimes the stories pop into my head and won’t leave me alone until I type them out. I try to put a finished product out when I post. Sometimes the story evolves a little as time goes on but, usually it’s complete when I post it.
The only thing I get from my blog is satisfaction when others say they enjoyed it. That’s good enough for me.
Don’t you love it when a story pops into you head and won’t leave you alone. : )
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a “finished product.” Months after I’ve published a post, I always find something I want to change. It’s a vexing problem.
At this point, I’m using my blogging to jumpstart my writing. In the past, I’ve always written using freestyle writing. Somewhere between now and then, I stopped. Blogging is my template for impromptu writing.
Ah, it is such a nice re-charge and it does feel good to be your own boss!
It does. If it only paid. : )
Blogging brings out the entrepreneur out of you. You work on your terms which leads to creativity and excellence at your best.
Great point!
Blogging is a stress-reliever for me.. Aside from a way to earn extra cash. lol
Do you write and blog or just blog? I write essays, short stories, and completed a 65k word book.
That’s great that you figured out how to earn extra cash from blogging. How’d you do it?
You discovered that blogging is a cutoff jeans style of writing! Ha Ha Ha 😀 Really love it.
Thank you. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it. I try to entertain while sort of whining.
Blogging makes a man a perfect writer. Am I wrong? 🙂
My first blog wasn’t successful. but I didn’t listen my inner voice. 😀
Really nice article. Blogging improves our writing skills. Blogging is a way earn money.
Blogging makes me active and more creative day by day. One also improves the writing skills and the most important thing is that one can connect with people without investing much money.
Blogging means write your thought regarding a topic, way you visualising things and express it through different digital media is now spreading across web.People love blogging because they love to think and write as per audience. In current market blogging consider as one of the leading platform where general people would like to share and comment.
Lauren your flow of writing is really phenomenal.Keep writing, it’s inspiring us.
This is really a great post. Blogging improves our writing skills. Blogging is a way earn money. Thanks for the shearing.
I am also write a blog when i blogging started, the first blogs were really glorified online journals, and in all likelihood, becoming a professional blogger and making money online wasn’t the goal. Since then, the blogosphere has evolved, and now people blog for many different reasons. There are even distinctions among types of blogs – business, lifestyle, fashion, food, and entertainment blogs, among others. one important thing is blogging also improve our writing skills.
This is really a great post
Encouraged me a lot , hope to start writing soon, may be it will not be a blog, just will be an experiment
Blogging makes me active and more creative day by day. One also improves the writing skills and the most important thing is that one can connect with people without investing much money.
Hi Lauren,
Even I think same as you. You have shared some great insights.
Thanks for the great share.
Have a wonderful day.
Thank you! I’m glad I could help.
“When you start blogging, don’t worry about a beginning, middle or end. Don’t worry about a title. You don’t need one until the end. All you need is your butt in the chair and fingers on the keyboard.”
Really it requires great motivation to complete the article. I agree that you need not to worry about the article & its SEO effects until you finished it. The SEO could be the second phase. first is to put your thoughts in witting.
Thanks
Great post! It is helpful content for me .Thanks for sharing
Great post!! Encouraged me a lot , hope to start writing soon, may be it will not be a blog, just will be an experiment. Thanks for the shearing..
I’m glad I could help.
Thanks for commenting.
Nice Article.I read this post and I appreciate you for your thinking.Thanks! For sharing keep sharing with us.
Thank you for your sharing Lauren. It really help me so much in the wiring business. Very great if you keep your sharing with us.
Hi Lauren!
Writing and blogging: both have positive and negative sides. Writing is more accepted, you will be respected as a professionnal in your area, blogging? … hardly.
But you know what? blogging gives you the amazing opportunity to reach a vaste public, as I have lived abroad and want to maintain myself as connected to american culture as I can, I have discovered that there are people outside the U.S. looking for information in English that are fabulous and avid readers. True, they won’t buy your last title on amazon if it isn’t available in their country but they will become your faithful blog readers for sure.
Hi Teri,
That’s what I love about blogging — the vast audience. It’s great connecting with people across the globe. How long have you lived abroad? Blogging is a great way to stay connected.
I’ve been thinking about the blogging and writing forms. After a lot of thought, I concluded that blogging is another genre of writing with a different set of rules.
Thanks for commenting.
Lauren, it’s best opportunity for both beginner and the experienced blogger to learn the best points listed in the above article. You motivated me from struggling to give the blog title.
Interesting read indeed, this site is so informational! I plan on coming back to this site for more information to pass along to my associates!
I’ve spent way too much time worrying about what I am writing, rather than just writing when I feel like I need to! Certainly taking a leaf out of your book.