The hardest part of blogging isn’t writing a post or coming up with ideas for what to write about. It is a common misconception that is promoted and promulgated by people like myself who say that content is king.
Those last three words are still true and still critical because content is king and it always will be. But that doesn’t change that the hardest part of blogging are these two things:
- Putting Pen To Paper.
- Sustaining your effort.
What that means is that the hardest part is moving from beyond the “I think I might write a post” stage to the “I am actually writing a post now.” Call it thought versus action.
And thought versus action is only truly meaningful when you sustain your effort over time. Consistency is critical for multiple reasons. You cannot and will not become a better writer without practice. Consistent blogging creates that practice time.
Consistent blogging helps you improve as a writer and provides you with the place in which you find your voice. And consistent blogging is what provides your readers with knowledge and faith that your words will continue to appear on a regular basis.
That is important unless you don’t care about who reads your words in which case you have to ask yourself why write a public blog.
Write about what you know and write with passion. Give yourself to the reader. Part of the reason that people love my Fragments of Fiction posts (yes, I am patting myself on the back) is because I take pieces of me and put them into the tales I am telling.
Read through Words Left Unwritten and tell me that you can’t find anything to identify with and I will question your sanity. Trust me, I know lots of doctors and I can get you certified as 100 percent nuts if you disagree with me. Ok, I can’t really do that but I like to pretend that I am king of the world.
But I know what I know and that is that most people identify with relationships, both good and bad. I never tell you what is real and what isn’t because I am a pain in the ass and because it brings the reader closer.
When you write what you know it makes it easier to be compelling and to write with authority. If every post is written in “I think that donkeys might be sterile” style you give the reader reason to doubt your expertise. Sometimes it is good for them to do that because unless you are a farmer/rancher or vet you probably don’t know for certain whether a donkey is sterile.
Hell, I am not really sure but I used to know a guy that claimed that he was hung like a donkey. We used to ask Dick why he wanted to be represented by an ass and not a thoroughbred but he never did give a good answer. Hell, I never did care. What difference does it make to me if god has granted you a snake that you can wear as a necktie or a worm that makes the lady ask if you are the victim of a failed circumcision.
Just write.
I’ll say it again. Just write. Stop worrying about whether you are going to look like an ass and just write. It gets easier with practice.
I won’t say that writing can’t be hard but if you never try than you never learn how to make it easy or at least easier. Sustain your effort and keep pushing. That is not just me as a writer talking either.
Nope that is Jack the dad blogger giving you the sort of advice you might hear from others but will take better from me. Ok, maybe you won’t take it better from me because it is free which is why I should charge you for it.
And that my friends is foreshadowing about a post I am thinking about writing about why you need to charge for advice and services. But we shall save that one for later because I gave myself 15 minutes to write this and I am coming up on 12.5.
It was easy to do because I practice writing all the time and because I understand the difference between thought and action. Do you?
This reminds me of something I read when I first started my own blog. At first glance it was kind of offensive, but then I got the truth of it and it freed me up. To paraphrase Penelope Trunk, in the beginning nobody’s listening and nobody cares! Those words helped me get started and just write.
Hi Sandi,
That is real advice. I often disagree with Trunk but in this case I think she is dead on. Just write and worry later about what happens next.
Know what, Jack? I don’t think I really like writing at all! HA! But write I must if I want to engage people on the internet. Audio? Perhaps. But I speak in sentence fragments because my mind jumps too quickly from one thought to the next. Sometimes, not always.
I have to agree with you. It’s agonizing to dwell and to contemplate writing. So much easier to write and then let someone (or spell-check) edit. My biggest problem? So much research has to go into an ancestor to get the story I’m excited to write. So I have to calm down my expectations and write once a week and be happy with that. Maybe!
Hi Betsy,
That research is cool. I have to imagine that it is pretty interesting and that you find all sorts of nifty stuff out.
The audio posts are fun. Those are just practice too. Tell a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Do it a bunch of times and you find that you don’t have to think about what you are doing anymore because it happens naturally.
Yes, putting pen to paper is one of the hardest things. but that applies to everything, not just blogging. I sometimes get ‘fear of the blank page’ when I’m starting a new project. The hardest thing is always writing the first word. Great post 🙂
Hi Liz,
Welcome to the blog. Fear of the blank page is something that so many of us can relate to. It is hard to take that first step but so very worth it.
Absolutely right Jack!
Writing is indeed not the hardest part of blogging, but yes to write daily and not really running out of blog ideas is what takes a little effort.
I also strongly feel that when you write with your heart and mind, or put in your best and are passionate about what and how you write – you connect immediately with people. It’s almost like you have touched a chord somewhere – isn’t it? Something that you are wonderful at. 🙂
Thanks for sharing and I am loving the new changes around the blog- great going 🙂
Hi Harleena,
That passion makes such a significance difference. It pops out at me when it is there and I notice when it isn’t.
That connection you mention is important to me- it is palpable, vibrant and noticeable
Thank you for all of your support, I appreciate it.
I guess I find the hardest part is concentration time. I use my best concentration time for my clients, so I have to steal some every now and then for my business blog posts. Photo blog posts are easy – I can do those late at night or early in the morning. Or when my daughter is screaming at me about my being an inadequate mother because I don’t cater to her every whim.
Hi Leora,
I know what you are talking about- concentration time is important. There are times where it is so chaotic here that I can’t concentrate and my output reflects it.
Chag Kasher v’sameach
Completely agree! The best way to get better at writing, is to just write…
I find the biggest challenge to blogging is time management. Lots of distractions that take me away from my writing that I have to figure out how to tune out 🙂
Thanks for the great post!
–Sean
Hi Sean,
Time management really is critical too. There are so many distractions and little things that chew up the time we have to work on things. If you don’t focus it is easy to get lost.
True true. This was also how dissertations were written. You just have to sit down and start writing, typing everything that comes to your mind. Or something like that. But as you said, content is king. I’ve got nothing. So I troll the Internet, leaving comments that signify nothing.
I am not buying that. You can write and you have interesting to things to say- I have read them.
Hi Jack,
I agree with several others and really like the new look. You’ve been pretty busy lately, huh?
This is great advice, Jack and I completely agree. Just doing the work is of course key, and it’s also the most difficult part. Some might call it drudgery.
Lately I’ve really been trying to use the advice you gave me months back and just write (no thesaurus, no research as I’m writing and no editing as I go). It’s honestly a struggle as I’m someone who likes to perfect things as I go, but I think your method works better. And this kind of writing often results in the posts I’m most proud of.
Honestly though, if I gave myself 15 minutes to write the result wouldn’t be very impressive. I need a minimum of an hour. But you’re a pro. I’m still teething.
Thanks and again, love the beachy new look.
Hi Craig,
Don’t sell yourself short. I have read your writing and it is clear to me that you can do this.
I have a certain amount of natural talent but most of this comes from hours of practice. Glad to hear that the advice helped. On my way to your blog now.
Hi Jack,
Thank you and yes, the advice has helped for sure.
I have to pre-plan most of my blog posts or else I’m in trouble. I update mindmap software every night before bed because if I don’t I’ll end up procrastinating and before you know it hours have past with not much accomplished.
Hi Jeff,
I sometimes think about using an editorial calendar to keep myself on track. There is nothing wrong with planning.
good points, I need the push…. cheers
Hi David,
That extra push makes a significant difference. It is like learning how to be a better photographer- the more you do it the easier it becomes.
I really like you look of the new place! Very clean. Where’s the beach?
I’m trying to practice a lot. Usually it’s pretty easy but wish it took as little time as yours!
Hi G,
Thank you. That was taken at the Santa Monica Pier. It is really easy to write quickly on the blog because I have had a lot of practice doing this. The operative word is practice. I think that most people could do it as fast or faster if they worked hard.
Hey Jack! You changed your site. Nice.
Now, let me ask you what your opinion is on editing your blog posts. How important is that to you in this context? It seem critical to me even if you do it yourself. Self edit. Is that even plausible? For heavens sake, i even edit my responses to posts. That must seem super anal to a guy like you, huh?
Anyway, good points; start and keep going. Getting some help and constructive criticism is always good too. We all have to get a bit tougher and take a few punches to get better at it. No?
Hi Ralph,
I think editing is important. I don’t do a lot of it and I probably should because I could tighten my work and make it a lot stronger.
It is not anal or ridiculous to suggest doing it. I spend a lot more time editing my professional work because it is important.
Editing and constructive criticism are important in everything that we do. The hard part sometimes is trying to do it in a way that doesn’t make people defensive.
Nice re-design. The pastel colors look very springy and the beach header makes me want to live closer to the coast. Pen to paper indeed. Just write and worry about the rest of it later.
Hi Trey,
Thank you. I wanted it to look cleaner and more inviting. That beach shot makes me want to hit the water daily. Fortunately I am close enough to do so. Unfortunately I don’t have the time. 😉
Yeah, I am big on just writing. It is too easy to make excuses not to.
I was supposed to write an article for my blog and I was writing one single article for 3 days because I had no inspiration about the topic I choose. I think we need to have passion to what we are writing and practice all the time. Thank you for your tips I made a decision that I will never write about something I am not interested about. It was just a waste of time.
Passion fuels the fire and makes writing much easier.
Have A Great Monday and A Super Week
Thanks Bob. Hope you do the same!