The movie idea I had for today got pushed. (Swear I owned the DVD, but apparently not.)
So instead, I'm blogging about blogging. It's pretty meta. Somehow, when I hit Publish, this will already be post #50. In honor of sticking with it, I'll write about how it's been going, what I've learned, and guess as to what the future holds.
First and foremost, writing takes time and effort. It's getting somewhat easier to put out posts, but this is work. I'm more and more impressed by professional writers who churn out quality content consistently, especially on specific topics. Here I'm happy to change it up. As a result though, things sometimes get turned around. Now I often do things to write about, instead of writing about the things I'm doing, if that makes sense.
I appear to have developed a cadence, doing something like three posts a week, usually during the week. I'll try to keep that up. If I could post every M/W/F, I'd be happy. Up to this point, I've really only been writing about things I'm doing right now. TV or movies or games, whiskey I'm drinking, etc. There are things I love that have barely been mentioned, like Lord of the Rings, the Simpsons, and more. Drafts has become a relatively long list with many ideas I don't know to start. Maybe I'll have to go back to them and record my thoughts. There's no real rush, but once I have an idea I want to do it.
I've really tried to keep a good mix of topics going, and don't want any particular one to dominate. The most consistent posts will continue to be whiskey related, as I have a number of fun ideas to write about while supplementing what I already know. It's kind of easy for certain topics to fall by the wayside, but that's generally how I operate. I'll focus on one or two things for entertainment at a time, then switch it up. I think I'll be doing more reading soon, meaning I won't be watching much. And that's okay (or even good). There has been a dearth of 'makes' posts, so I'll probably be baking a cake soon, and since it's warming up there will be grilling. Ribs? Brisket? Yes please.
As for the type of posts, I want those to continue to be varied as well. It's really easy to fall into a pattern and write one type of thing, like reviews: this game is good, this movie was bad, this whiskey was delicious. The lessons have been a nice way to break it up. I also hope to continue doing short posts that are essentially a funny idea or a connection between things. Those take some brainstorming and an open mind.
How do I write normally? Like I said already, there's a constantly developing list of topics in drafts. That list has grown at the same rate as published posts. Some are simply a title, others have notes I've thrown in there. And as I think about what I want a post to be, the bullet points get longer until hopefully they're a completed idea and a rough draft. Often the post that gets published is the one I've fleshed out enough to see the end, prompting me to finish it. Of course, some ideas immediately become the next post if it's something I want to do right away, like about this stupid sickness going around.
If I stick to the method, (notes->rough draft->paragraphs) the writing itself these days is usually pretty smooth. I do think I'm becoming a better and more efficient writer. Below my spot on screen I have notes for what comes next, and turn those notes into paragraphs, rearranging as needed. When exhausted the post is basically done. On my first pass I'm always too wordy, and have to go back and remove words, phrases, or whole sentences. And since I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, I then read and re-read several times making little updates until I'm satisfied. It's a problem sometimes where I go back and make changes for an hour after publishing. Everything works best when I can complete a post during the day (while our son naps) then schedule the posting later. That way when I think of more changes, they can be made before anyone reads.
If this sequestration continues for months, hopefully the ideas aren't exhausted, and hopefully I don't go crazy. I tend to think about the blog as a life scrapbook, and that helps me come up with stuff. One big upcoming post is on the kitchen backsplash that's nearly done. I've also been debating writing up a few old trips. In the past five years we've gone to Ireland, Scotland, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Maine, Florida... I have some options and they'd be fun to revisit.
Okay, any more would just be rambling. So far, while this blog requires time and effort, I'm still enjoying it because I'm still doing it for myself. But I'm glad a few of you are enjoying it too. Let me know what you like. Adios!
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