A question was posed to me this weekend that got me to thinking about my nature as a writer. The question was related to how I blog – not so much why, but the method behind it. Is there a schedule and how do I make sure to keep it maintained so it’s up and running.
And I don’t think my answer was expected: No plan, it just sort of happens.
There’s not much of a filter between my brain and my fingers when it comes to writing. I typically sit down with a topic in mind and in a matter of 5 to 10 minutes pound out a post and hit publish. It’s not all that methodical.
If I have a random thought when I’m not at my computer that seems like it’ll be a good post, I’ll usually write it down and it may or may not become an actual post, depending on how fleeting the idea. The number of unfinished drafts in WordPress is quite disgusting actually, but sometimes there just isn’t enough to say on a random thought and it turns out that it’s not worth posting about at that time anyway. Or, it may just become a tweet instead. You just have to go with it.
Writing has always been one of my outlets. It’s something I do for myself – which makes blogging easier because I’m not always focused on the end result, I’m not worried about what my audience will think. Sorry guys, much as I love y’all and the feedback I get, I’m in this for myself. Truth is, you make a choice to be here, reading these words. If I think too much about how I come across then my voice will get lost amongst the clearly over thought language.
I’m not one for writing with a plan. Sure, I can do that for work, but I get paid to do that. I’m not getting paid to be here, so I run this show how I see fit – usually by the seat of my pants. That’s the way I write best, spur of the moment while the thoughts are not only fresh, but often still formulating in my head. There’s nothing quite like hearing (or in this case, reading) genuine thought as it’s occurring.
You can’t over think writing, you just have to write. That’s when you get to hear the authors genuine voice and get a little peek into their soul.
That said, I do my fair share of editing. After all, my brain and fingers don’t always align with things like spelling or grammar. The best method is to write, step away for 5 or 10 minutes, read it bottom to top and correct any errors. You’re more likely to catch them when you’re not reading what you just wrote in the order you wrote it – your brain will likely see what it wants to see in that case and you’ll miss corrections – plus it allows you to keep the flow of the writing and not second-guess what you’re putting out there. Well, at least that’s the case for me.
Anyway, this is my day-after-Summerfest post – y’all are lucky you get one at all – stay tuned for more on that.
Blue skies!
Ashley