This post should really be called "Writing my blog...Procrastination!" For example, I should really be writing an actual post that is waiting to be edited or working on the photos... but instead I'm here writing about writing this blog.
So how does this little piece of genius literature come to be? Well, first of all, the genius part might just be in my head, second I swear I do actually have a real process...most of the time. OK, seriously here is how the magic happens:
My post fall into 4 types:
1.
Impulsive posts, these get created on the spot, or because of something that happened to me recently. Sometimes there are no photos and it's just me writing away. For those post I usually use "Googled" photography to help enhance an other wise boring page. This current post for example falls under that category. So would these ones:
New Year in Minnesota Don't Cha Know,
Physically fit! Physically fit! You get the point. These are easy because, they just flow and I'm usually done in anywhere from 30 minutes (only happened once) to like 2 or 3 hours (most of the time).
2.
Guest post, these appear once a month and are always different. Always. It's a serious mystery to me what will be handed in. My deadline is the month they are assigned to so the post can be published anytime within the 30/31 day period. Best part, all I do is edit for like 10 minutes and put it all together and done!
3.
Planned post, these post have the most detail and take the most time. I have a list of post that I want/need to do. Sometimes they are a string of post like the never ending
"Tiny Room Makeover:..." posts, or the last one I wrote
Witnessing a Live Birth, that one was one I even said in a previous post that I would write about. I do that sometimes and therefore the list of "planned" posts keeps growing. I currently have 6 posts in this list. These can take a few hours a day over a few days or like 6 to 8 hours total, this includes photo editing.
4.
Category post, these are are ones I always feature like "
Over the weekend..." which are long and encompass my weekend activities, or "Family recipe:..." or even things like writing about a movie, or restaurant, these would be my "experience" posts. I like calling them experiences over reviews because, seriously, I'm not an expert so what I'm sharing is my experience. Here are some examples:
I was ShoeDazzled!,
The Town. In essence they are basically planned but easier to write because I already have a format of sorts.
So, that's the easy part. Once an idea comes to my head I know immediately which category of post it will fall in. But I actually do care how I sound and how I write so here are my 4 phases, i currently have posts in every single phase...
- Idea! This stage is like when you have an assignment to do or a report to hand in. I keep an actual real paper journal of "ideas". It's like an initial outline of what a post will have. This pretty much only applies to Planned and Category posts. I'm one of those geeks that enjoyed making outlines in school.
- Start! This phase is where I actually sit down on a computer and create a new post in blogger and start typing. Like just seriously just start typing. no pictures, no links, just words. Plus a working tittle and maybe some (notes) to myself that never get published cause that would be embarrassing.
- Fill! This stage is where I decided what photos I will use, how to edit them, where to put them. Plus activate all links, remove (notes), preview layout. Add more or remove actual written content. Use a video, take more photos, or even scrap the entire post...It hurts when I have to do that...
- Edit! This is a constant back and forth. And still I never, ever catch everything. I have yet to write a post where I don't go back after it has been published and smack my forehead at a very obvious typo or error in my grammar. Spelling is the funniest, you should see my creative spelling abilities...
So there you go...that's my process. It's a lot of work. Amazingly the writing is the easiest part. Specially since I like doing it. Writing a post is a piece of cake. Filling it in with stuff and editing...that takes time and patience and time and patience and time, and more time.
I enjoy doing this. It's a way for me to release some stress, even if I get new stress about not writing...sounds counter productive but I promise it's not. The "stress" I feel is more like a need to write because I feel happy once I do. It makes me smile when I finally hit publish for the and am satisfied with a post. I don't do this to get paid, to get famous or for attention so even though I feel bad I haven't written anything in about 3 weeks now, it doesn't really affect me in any way.
I don't considered myself a writer, and I never will. Ironically, it's what I get complimented on the most. The way I write, not what I did, say, wear, photograph, etc... just the way I write. So thank you. It means a lot to me. I'm of to prepare for my Pulitzer prize...bahahah
