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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