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Phil Newton · 12-07-2006, 02:29 PM

I've been blogging for over a year now, and I'm nowhere near as consistent as I'd like to be. I started writing for one of my blogs in June, and so far I've only made around 20 posts, and I go weeks without writing anything new. When I'm in the groove, I can draft several articles in a single day, but sometimes I feel completely barren on the creativity front.

My general flow goes something like this:

Create ideas list -- Create a list of ideas I'd like to write about. This list is generally a full sheet of paper, and can cover all topics. I try not to limit myself to anything in particular, as I just want lots and lots of ideas to use later. Quantity over quality is the order of the day.
Brainstorm a single item -- I pick an item from the list and brainstorm ideas about it. I try to jot down the things I'm wanting to teach or the value I want to give, but I find that approach quite hard.
Draft an outline on paper -- Next comes a very rough outline on a sheet of paper. I prefer to use paper as I can scribble notes down and draw diagrams/arrows or whatever. Once I'm done on paper, I'll stick it into my "draft blog articles" folder for when the PC is on.
Transfer draft to the PC -- I type up the notes and flesh them out a little bit with headings and bullet points. At this stage the article is still very rough and there will be limited formatting, but it's more of a "secondary brainstorm" session as I'll end up getting new ideas as I type.
Leave to settle, then edit -- The easy part is leaving the article alone! I'll generally go through and rewrite it line by line, depending on the quality of the draft. I'll also add images/other sparkly things depending on how drab it looks. I'll probably add more bullet points too...
Post it --

My biggest problem is usually around stage 2, as I feel unless I know the topic inside out I can't write about it, which is a limiting belief that comes from my perfectionism. Thankfully I'm starting to get over it, but there's still a long way to go. I think I use too many bullet points :P

How does everyone else blog?

12-07-2006, 02:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Phil Newton Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Posts: 77	How do you blog? I've been blogging for over a year now, and I'm nowhere near as consistent as I'd like to be. I started writing for one of my blogs in June, and so far I've only made around 20 posts, and I go weeks without writing anything new. When I'm in the groove, I can draft several articles in a single day, but sometimes I feel completely barren on the creativity front. My general flow goes something like this: Create ideas list -- Create a list of ideas I'd like to write about. This list is generally a full sheet of paper, and can cover all topics. I try not to limit myself to anything in particular, as I just want lots and lots of ideas to use later. Quantity over quality is the order of the day. Brainstorm a single item -- I pick an item from the list and brainstorm ideas about it. I try to jot down the things I'm wanting to teach or the value I want to give, but I find that approach quite hard. Draft an outline on paper -- Next comes a very rough outline on a sheet of paper. I prefer to use paper as I can scribble notes down and draw diagrams/arrows or whatever. Once I'm done on paper, I'll stick it into my "draft blog articles" folder for when the PC is on. Transfer draft to the PC -- I type up the notes and flesh them out a little bit with headings and bullet points. At this stage the article is still very rough and there will be limited formatting, but it's more of a "secondary brainstorm" session as I'll end up getting new ideas as I type. Leave to settle, then edit -- The easy part is leaving the article alone! I'll generally go through and rewrite it line by line, depending on the quality of the draft. I'll also add images/other sparkly things depending on how drab it looks. I'll probably add more bullet points too... Post it -- My biggest problem is usually around stage 2, as I feel unless I know the topic inside out I can't write about it, which is a limiting belief that comes from my perfectionism. Thankfully I'm starting to get over it, but there's still a long way to go. I think I use too many bullet points :P How does everyone else blog?