Since the beginning of the year, I set a personal goal for myself to write and publish something on my weblog here at least once a day, and I’ve actually stuck to it. (Yeah, there’s some gaps on the calendar there, but if you look closely, it’s because the post didn’t get done until something like 12:07 a.m.—so while I didn’t technically get it in on the calendar day, I still count it because it was still part of the day I had, before going to bed.) The trick, of course, is coming up with something to write everyday—or rather, as I’ve been finding, something to write that I have time to do.
(This is the point where other writers, upon hearing my complaint about not having the time to write, scoff and insist that if I truly was a writer, I would make the time. I know. Fair enough.)
I’ve got several ideas for longer articles that I want to (eventually) write and post, but by the time I’m at the point in my evening where I can sit down to write, it’s late and I don’t really want to stay up much past midnight most of the time, so what I’m stuck with is trying to come up with shorter items to blog about. And see, that’s actually harder for me sometimes than in coming up with longer items to write about. What I could do is start longer articles in draft mode and work on them as time permits, and post them when ready—and I do, sometimes—but that doesn’t really mesh with my goal of blogging something everyday.
Anyway, I’m rambling a bit, but it felt like something to get off my chest. I actually spent a good part of my time this evening working on a long article that I’ll publish here soon, but since that’s not ready for prime time I wanted to get this out of my system, too.
Any other bloggers out there with similar thoughts?
Oh, boy, does THAT ever sound familiar. WWP’s been at this for eight months, give or take, and daily blogging is still a struggle (and WWP is only Monday through Friday, usually). Two or three good original posts, and that’s a good week. The rest is links and the occasional gimmick. It probably helps to have some regular things, like a Top 10, Friday Five, Separated at Birth, whatever. [Jack Bog is adept at this; he has a few regular ideas or gimmicks to fill out between his excellent commentaries.]
Keeping track of all the blogs, websites, ideas and mental notes in the background, before writing and posting — that’s another struggle. How to store, file, and use all that? If you figure an approach, let us know!
In any event, you are not alone.
Good luck!