I love blogging. I love playing with words, and reading comments, and especially connecting with other bloggers, both on their sites and on mine. Like most worthwhile pursuits, however, it isn’t always easy. You see, I’m a perfectionist, which means that almost every new entry goes through each of the steps outlined below (yes, including this one). Sometimes the slow learners even get to repeat a few. And since I’m the helpful sort, I’ll now share with you this handy-dandy guide to creating an adequate blog post, Book Lady style. (Yes, adequate. I said I was a perfectionist, not that I’m perfect. You want perfection? Find another blog.)
Okay, here goes…
1. Write post. Revise obsessively. Publish.
2. Ping search engines, Feedburner, Technorati, and RSS feed readers.
3. Revise post again, wishing you’d caught now-obvious errors before letting God and everybody know you’d written something new.
4. Agonize. Post isn’t good enough. Doesn’t fit theme/voice/sense of humor. Or it fits too well, making it redundant and therefore boring. Everyone will be disappointed and unsubscribe from your feed and remove you from their blogrolls.
5. Avoid removing post from site through sheer will and other diversionary tactics.
6. First comments trickle in. Read and respond.
7. Bask in relief. The post isn’t perfect, but it’s up and it’s been read, so it’s too late to take it down now.
8. Wait one day, again reading and responding to any comments.
9. Begin to think about next post. Should put up something soon, but what? Not to worry. There’s some time.
10. Still some time, but not as much.
11. Cripes! It’s been two (or, okay, three…or maybe four…) days, and still nothing new. Ummm. What to write about? Spend whole day mining every experience, every thought, every conversation for a topic.
12. Fail.
13. Look through the land of half-finished blog entries, searching desperately for a phrase or idea that can be suddenly spun into the perfect post.
14. Fail.
15. Take a shower. Compose new entry entirely in head. Exultations abound — it’s the most brilliant post you’ve ever written. You’re a genius!
16. Towel off, grab the handy notebook you stashed in the bathroom for occasions such as this, and realize you’ve already forgotten entire post.
17. Dress and shuffle to computer. Browse your archives, wondering if anyone would really notice if you reposted an ancient entry, but with a different title.
18. Inspiration strikes! Or you strike it, preferably with something blunt and heavy.
19. Write post. Revise obsessively. Publish.
20. Repeat steps 2-20.
Yeah, I know it’s just a blog, but did I mention I’m a perfectionist? Anyway, I want only the best for my readers. All, like, three of you…
So, how’s blogging go for you? Easy? Difficult? Agonizing?
Update: I posted this exactly six minutes ago and am already on step four. I work fast! Let’s see if the post is still here in the morning…
Wow, I really need to think about my blogging craft more. Usually, I just spit them out. I have been feeling, lately, like there are too many mistakes, and that my posts could have been crafted better.
On the other hand, I’m learning to write better while writing faster. I wish I could have my cake and eat it, too. 🙂
I found myself smiling as I was reading your post! Thanks!
SO funny! I’m always shocked and thrilled when someone comments on my blog! I always feel like I should be writing something more interesting.
Spyscribbler, there’s something to be said for posting more frequently, too. Many people prefer frequent, informal updates to bi-weekly columns, which is what I feel my blogs are more like.
Thanks, Penny. That felt so good to read!
Becky, I love comments, too. I think they’re 99% of why I blog.
I don’t follow all of those steps, but most of them ring a bell. Here’s one more, which generally fits in right around 3 or 4:
Click “View Site.” Title is completely misleading. Readers will disregard post due to uninteresting title OR become disgusted because post doesn’t live up to title. Quickly change title to rightful name, wondering why it wasn’t always that and hoping no one noticed sudden change.
Nice post. Sometimes the trick to writing a blog is to just open your mind and be as creative as possible. I struggle sometimes to find what to write about, but just write anyway. haha.
I do love your posts. 🙂
Hi, I’ve been a wordpress member for almost 2years and still my Blog is uhmmmm…. errrrrrrrrrrrr empty. Guess its because I prefer talking instead of writing and\or typing. 🙂 Perhaps I am yet to find my inner-compulsive-blogging-self? **sigh** Until then…. I’ll embrace my commentary-self with the joy of others.
J
Quinn, I do that same thing, too! It’s especially bad when I check my RSS reader to make sure that it posted okay, and then I see that title. Ugh!
Bearclub, true. I do that with my fiction. For some reason it’s harder with blogging, maybe because I have to start over each time instead of just continuing a story.
Aww, thanks, Barrie. I like yours a lot, too. And I can’t wait until I So Don’t Do Mysteries comes out! I’ll be picking that one up for certain!
Jorenfx, the hardest part of blogging is getting started. Not just for an individual post, but in the entire blog. The funny thing is that once you have a few posts, no one is likely to see the first one or two, so they don’t really matter all that much.