off to a rocky start

Last night, my computer was still quite wonky. I decided to reboot the modem since I’d done the virus scanning and defragging. But I had to wait until today because my eyelids were too heavy to press through the short steps. This morning, things were still bad online, so I called in and the recording said the same thing I thought they would, Try disconnecting the modem and the other related steps before I connect you with a human being. I knew that so I can’t tell you why I called first. It might be related to another issue of not trusting what I think I know—a separate issue.

Anyway, I did the technical stuff, it worked and I didn’t have to call back because the recording wasn’t expecting me to, unless I needed assistance. With my IT concerns squared away, I was able to get on with surfing the web reading and networking.

plans for a hard charging 2011

I’ve been giving myself scary goals for 2011 related to two of my blogs‐not including this one. This one is still just for me to air out my brain and write through things that are on my mind.

For my working blog and my creative writing blog, I’ve decided to write more frequently. It should be interesting. Hopefully, it will be productive too, by getting me into the habit of posting more fluidly. Ideally the blogging will become second nature, (by next year if not this), instead of feeling like this great extra effort I have to make.

my guideline for  current postings

I read in several blogs, most recently from a writer at She Writes, that I should lighten up on the blog posts. Not that I should post less, but that the posts don’t need to be long. The key is to make posts short, focused, and useful. That works in my head, but I wrote for a company that insisted on 1000 to 1500 words for each post.

So now, I fall back into that habit from time to time. Then I get to thinking about how it falls short of being the definitive draft on the topic it covers. Do you see the problem here? I can’t fit the definitive copy on any topic into a blog post and expect people read it. The solution, get light and useful. When I come across the draft topics that seem to keep me writing on and on, then I can break them up into a collection of posts. Something I’ve done rarely.

Blogs that are written to a theme should contain posts related to that theme. I’ve decided that I can go off on a tangent, but not to far off. I don’t want to blog about nuclear physics without tying it in to writing, when I’m working on my freelance copywriting blog. When I do tangent (and I will tangent), I hope to have one of those really sweet tie-ins that will leave people saying a hearty NICE! I’d be alright with that.

musings for the rest

Telling Stories, my creative writing blog, is also a focused blog. My focus there is exploring and sharing my creative interests covering poetry, fiction and whatever else comes to mind…related to creative writing.

You’re likely saying, Well, what about creative non-fiction? And that’s a really good question, but it doesn’t stump me. It can go on that site as well—because it’s creative. See? There is room for creative non-fiction on all my blogs, since all writing is creative even if you do it halfway right. For example, my last post here, could have gone on the Telling Stories site, easily. I was on this blog when I started writing it and just stuck with it.

Really, for that post, I would say the determining factor was that it was just my musing over the events of last Saturday. Had I planned to write it, I might have put it on the other blog. The lines do blur between the blogs, from time to time. It has become the place I put random thoughts, ideas, and experiences that often times relate to life writing.

My purpose was just to write through what happened on January 8th and find my footing after I sat reeling from the news. There’s more that came to mind, but that post was enough to get me clearer on where I wanted to go with that topic. As a result of just writing through what was on my mind, I have come up with several writing topics I can cover tangentially.

Now I have this guide to get through the next few weeks of writing on my other two blogs. When I take a step back to review how it’s coming along, in 111 days from 1.1.11, I’ll let you know. That many days because, while the copywriting blog challenge ends this month, the creative writing blog challenge is for 111 days. And I decided to wait until then to review both.

This is only the tip of my iceberg, and more than enough to chip away at this evening, what with more writing to do and all.

My blogs are my friends because they give me a forum to write about things that are important or insignificant. They present me with space to write about topics I consider worthy. Whether I’m imparting ideas based on where I’ve been or those spawned by where I’m heading, the choice is mine alone.

That’s powerful and frightening too. There’s no one to keep me out of trouble, or to blame when things go seriously awry. In part because of these things, I blog very happily. It’s fulfilling and helpful to me to have a record of ideas when they happen. It’s a great reference tool. There’s another reason, too…

Ultimately, I do it because I’m grateful. Gratitude is my overarching motivation for much of what I do. It permeates my efforts here.

…for writing in my life

I started this blog to share my insights and adventures in writing, editing and living in a creative and grateful manner. Gratitude informs every aspect of my life and is my main motivation for sharing. Instead of keeping it to myself, I want to let it out and hope that others catch the feeling.

It’s a joy to share the things that inspire and motivate me, like the practices I’ve developed and collected, which help me.

…for people who share with me

Another reason for continuing this project is that I’m hoping to grow it into a community when time permits. Along the way, it’s interesting to hear from people with interesting and thought-provoking ideas. Hopefully, together we’ll do some growing as we share.

…for the chance to make a difference

When I write a post, I’m hoping that others might benefit from what I have experienced. Hitting the publishing button is a pleasure when I have worked up a post that meets the expectations I have. Before it’s out for people to read, I have said yes, this may help somebody. It’s a good feeling. Whether it sparks an idea or a answers a question, if it falls on the plus side, then I’ve done a good thing.

…for the chance to have some fun

Writing is great for many reasons including discovery. In writing this blog and others, I am ever on a journey inward through myself in life. It can be daunting and fun too. But overall, to write about things that move me is a way of cherishing, which brings me full circle to the beginning where I started all this, at being grateful.

Does blogging make you happy? If it doesn’t make you happy, why do you blog? Even if it’s for money, it’s a good idea blog about something meaningful if you have a choice. Try it out, and tell me what you think.

Not long ago, I was trying to determine what to do next with my blog. I wanted to improve it. I decided to start with my categories, subcategories and tags lists since they were all over the place. The critical one was the categories list. It grew so fast to say that my blog was growing slowly.  And, while I was having fun, my blog was supposed to serve a purpose. It needed some direction, focus, and I thought a makeover of my lists might add the structure I sought.

Whether or not your blog has a specific purpose, you will find that this organization will do a lot for you and your readers. After all, structure clears up the focus and that can be liberating. So, I got busy freeing myself.

Setting up Your Blog Outline

The goal: develop lists that enhance the purpose of the blog. I went through categories first, deleting, revising and even adding a couple. When I was done, I had gone from 27 to 11 categories, and no subcategories for now. I’m not forcing myself to keep only these categories forever. I’ll just be growing my list more deliberately rather than haphazardly. Figure out what works for your blog. Here’s what I work with:

• Categories should include big topics related to your blog’s purpose
• Each category should be able to have multiple posts
• If you can’t see more than one post for a topic, you may want to consider demoting that topic to a tag
• Add new categories carefully: consider how adding each topic will impact your readers’ navigation
• Subcategories are the next smaller heading in the outline, falling between categories and tags.
• Tags are the most specific label of each blog. Where you may have easily 1 category and subcategory for each post, you can have several tags

If I wanted to write a post about a specific writing genre, I might make it a subcategory of writing, and tag it depending on the details of the post.
So, following the pattern “Category=>subcategory—>tags”,
“Poetry=>learning—>resources, classes, programs, mentors” could be a list.

Why Clear Categories, Subcategories and Tags Help

• Carefully organizing the blog structure and outline forces you to get clear on your purpose
• Being clear on your blog’s purpose can actually help you to focus and generate new post ideas
• A clearer outline is helpful for visitors to know what they can expect to find on your blog
• Easily searchable blogs improve the likelihood that readers will return
• Categories, subcategories and tags make an efficient way to search your blog
• Because tags are used in various categories, they offer a degree of cross-referencing

Updating was Easy

I spent the bulk of time on this project in planning. Deciding what would be useful categories and tags, and to delete the subcategories. Then, deciding what rule I would follow. Right now, I use one category per post and posts can have multiple tags.

The WordPress quick edit feature saved me through editing the categories, subcategories and tags.

1. Edited lists on paper
2. Input the category and subcategory changes on the categories page
3. Then in the posts list page, using the nifty quick edit feature, visited each post that needed changes and updated each post’s category and tags

Now my site is outlined more clearly and it’s more focused for me too. It works differently for different types of sites. It’s worked a little differently for Telling Stories, my creative writing blog, but it still helped. Remember, even though your site may seem to expand on its own, you are in control.

And, while I’ve got a handle on the theory, mine is definitely a work in progress. So please feel free to share your tips and insights below.

If you think your blog is growing far afield of your original intent, take a close look at it. Start with a review of your categories, subcategories and tags. Revising these areas may give you a fresh focus. If you’re new to blogging, even if your blog covers any and everything, growing your outline deliberately and with consideration of your focus will help you to not feel overwhelmed.

Utah and Alabama Fans on Canal Street, 1.2.2009

This is really a busy week in New Orleans. What with the New Year celebration and the Sugar Bowl tonight, revelers are out and about in great numbers! Canal Street is busy like I haven’t seen in a good while. It took me fifteen minutes to get on the elevator (new technology, not so successful with large numbers). The wait gave me time to look around at all the people, all the red, as Alabama and Utah fans milled about and enjoyed the pre-game festivities.

While most people plan trips like this, there are those who just take the trip. One young man was marveling at his own ingenuity, as he described to a friend how he slept outside on a bench last night. If he didn’t have a hotel room at all, he seemed largely unperturbed by the fact as he continued to enjoy himself.

Among these visitors to the city, there are those who wing it, plot it and plan it. And, of course, there’s necessary overlap. Just like in writing.

Wing It

When you write, you have the option to wing it, write off the cuff, publish it and then check it out. I find this pattern in the personal blogs, ones with no overall theme. They plan the individual post to share each message and they’re done with it.

Plot It

You can be a plotter, mapping out the post, coordinating sometimes months out how each post will relate to the other as well as to the monthly themes. I would guess that this is closer to a business blog or website with a library of articles. Off hand, I don’t know of blogs that plan to this degree.

Plan It

Most of the blogs I follow regularly fall into this category, including this blog. And of the two, this blog is falls into the latter. I don’t do themes well, yet, but I plan to try a few—at least I’ll continue the one I started last year. It’s important enough to me to go back and re–introduce it.

• Themed Blogging

The third writer type is the planner. Not nearly as detailed as the plotter, this writer has an overall theme for the blog, and a theme for a specific time frame. Within this framework, the writer is free to be responsive to ideas that pop up when walking or showering etc.

Confident Writing has a great example of this type of blog. Owner Joanna Young sets forth her monthly theme. This adds a tighter framework for developing her posts.

• Non-Themed Blogging

The other planned blog doesn’t regularly use themes, only operates within the framework of its purpose. Problogger is a great example for this type of blog. Owner Darren Rowse occasionally uses short term themes. Generally, he publishes within the framework set by the purpose of the blog which is blogging for profit.

Blog writers are often very spontaneous and not so measured as the website articles. And this is part of the draw and the fun for many, including me.

The Inevitable Overlap

The overlap is in the fact that we all must have some of each of these traits to get anything done. If you’re a planner or a plotter, you still need a bit of the “just do it” attitude to finally hit the publish button. After all the preparing, researching, thinking and creating, if you don’t hit the publish button then your not publishing. And isn’t that ultimately the point?

Read any of the successful blogs that you regularly follow and you can see the patterns emerge. The planner and the plotter and the person winging it, are successful when they sufficiently balance some of each of these traits.

I’m curious to know how you manage your blogging. Are you a plotter, planner or just winging it? Leave a comment and tell me about your blog.

UPDATE: I thought I’d add a mini poll to see what the spread might be. Please take a moment to participate in the poll by indicating what is the dominant process you use in blogging.

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