More and Less
Is blogging more like talking or writing?
I’ve had this conversation with several different friends recently. Is this – what I’m doing right now – a form of expository writing or my contribution to a mass conversation? When asked, I say it’s the latter. But that’s a lie. I think it’s both. I think the blogosphere is a place where expository writing has become the medium for conversation. We speak to one another through our posts, but our posts also exist as things in themselves. Unlike letters, blog posts aren’t just communications; they are reflections. Inquiries. Examinations.
The blogging writer understands this intuitively. That’s why we spend an inordinate amount of time crafting our posts, making sure they’re just right. I venture to say that we wouldn’t go through this exercise if we were merely communicating. We treat our posts differently because they are different.
I like this, but at the same time, I don’t. I like that blogging demands that I bring my A game. But I hate that I’ve fallen into the unhappy habit of writing less than I want to, not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I don’t have the time to say it properly. I have a novel to finish and little feet to tickle and a house to think about cleaning. So when time gets squeezed, the blog is first thing to go.
But.
I have things to say. And I want to say them. Here. To you. To myself.
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I have not been able to add more hours to each day. Nor have I been able to make my hours more productive. (Although unsuccessful, the pursuit taught me something quite valuable: there is a limit to how many things you can effectively (and safely) do at one time. Cooking while breastfeeding while cleaning the floor while talking on the phone while blogging should be avoided if one values her unburnt skin. And/or her sanity.)
The only viable solution, then, is to write faster. To say more (more often) in less time.
This is dangerous for several reasons.
(1) The things I say don’t always make sense. I know this because I read my posts before you do. And, well, sometimes they don’t make sense. So I tweak them until they do. This takes time. Time that could be allocated to other things, thereby freeing up more time later to write more. See what I mean about not making sense? Anyway, my point is, if I just write and publish, there’s a good chance you’ll be forced to read nonsense. (I can hear my dad telling me not to refer to my writing as nonsense. And if I stopped to think about it, maybe I wouldn’t. But stopping and thinking takes time, and the whole point here is to trim time. So nonsense it is. Done.)
(2) There appears to be a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend working on a post and the number of typos that appear in said post. Typos are the spinach in my blogging teeth.
(3) Fast typing leads to poor metaphors. Refer to item #2 above.
(4) Much of what I think but don’t say falls into the category of Things You Might Think But Shouldn’t Say. I’m usually pretty good at determining which of my thoughts belong in this category, but if I write fast, I’m apt to be underexclusive.
(5) I might discover that I have less to say than I think.
Notwithstanding items #1 – 5 above, I’m gonna give it a try. For the next 7 days, I won’t spend more than one hour on any blog post. And I’ll post every day. In return, I ask that you ignore typos and skim over nonsense.
This post took me twenty-three minutes. I’m on a roll.
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Do you think blogging is more like talking or writing? How much time do you spend writing blog posts? Do you allocate a certain amount of time each day to blogging or do you just write for as long as it takes? Have you ever taken down a post you decided later that you didn’t like?
Rudri
Sunday, 23 May, 2010 at 17:03Sometimes I get a burst of inspiration and my post will only take 15 -20 minutes. Other times, I mull over the subject, try to craft a poignant entry, but don’t always succeed. I post anyway because then my “real” work on my novel begins. I like the idea of posting early in the morning so the rest of the day can be spent crafting my characters. Doesn’t always go that way, but I try. I admire your goal of only taking an hour for a blog post. Good luck and I look forward to reading your posts.
lucy
Sunday, 23 May, 2010 at 10:06I’m glad you wrote this post. I can completely relate. I’m sure many bloggers can relate, but it’s not something that we talk about enough. It can be next to impossible to find the time to blog. Especially for moms with a young baby. And especially when you want each post to be of high quality.
Much to my chagrin, I’ve sacrificed quality/length for timeliness. Not generally, but it has happened. I like the idea of setting a time limit on how long you can spend on a post. But even an hour is hard for me to find on some days.
I’ve noticed that I may spend 30 minutes tweaking a post when I should have just published it after 15 minutes of tweaks. Once you start editing, it’s hard to stop!
Nicole
Saturday, 22 May, 2010 at 11:37Wow! I never spend more than 20 minutes on a blog. Perhaps I should go back and proof them more…. Hmmm, oh well, spinach in the teeth is just another snack for later, huh?! Ha!
I tend to spend days or weeks thinking about what I want to write, so when I actually sit down to compose, I often already have it outlined in my head. IDK. It works for me! Happy short blogging!
Oh, and just wait til Lil Mil starts crawling, walking, and climbing. Yes, then you will laugh at how much time you had when she was an infant. 🙂
Christine LaRocque
Saturday, 22 May, 2010 at 10:50How long it takes me depends on the topic. I try to do a mix of more introspective writing and surface writing to give myself a break. Sometimes I tackle a topic that needs lots of thought and development to be said just right. Plus I try to be mindful of word counts because I realize that my readers don’t have endless amounts of time either. Sometimes I tackle something and realize that I just can’t get it write. It’s in my head, but putting it down in words is not conveying the message I want. And then I fiddle and fiddle and fiddle and lose time. But I look at it like a process, a skill I’m developing a little more each time I do it. Like anyone, I don’t have loads of time, so I try to balance by only publishing three times a week. It gives me more time to write, a little bit of flexibility on when I do it and leaves time for people to come by and read. It works for me so far.
Enjoyed this post! I really like to read about what the process is like for others.
Leslie
Saturday, 22 May, 2010 at 6:31I agree that it’s both, often one at a time. A carefully crafted and polished story feels (and reads) more like writing to me; but then it starts conversation. And the off-the-cuff, casual, instantly likable posts? That’s another art. An art of writing and conversation. I find it more challenging – it’s easier for me, too, to spend more time, more eyestrain on a post. Writing quickly and with casual confidence is challenging for me. Love the one-hour challenge and look forward to reading!
Meika
Friday, 21 May, 2010 at 18:07I think it’s both! Blogging, for me, is a way to throw my thoughts out there to the general public and stretch my writing muscles at the same time. And commenting on others’ blogs or responding to comments on mine, is very much like conversing with people.
Corinne
Friday, 21 May, 2010 at 17:06I’m one of those publish before proofreading types… which ends up in me editing my post about twenty times after I hit publish, but at least it gets it out there. That’s the hardest part. I finish, look it over conceptually pretty quickly, and then out it goes. Because the blog? To me is about honesty and unpolished, unedited (to a point) thoughts. Because those are the good ones, the brave ones.
If that makes sense. I also have a tendency to regret posting some comments because I don’t look them over either 😉 Looking forward to reading the next 7 days!
Christine LaRocque
Saturday, 22 May, 2010 at 10:51Corinne. I’m like you, I go back and go back and constantly find errors. My husband takes great pleasure in reading and pointing out typos (mostly because I’m an editor in real life.) I always tell him, the writer’s job and the editor’s job is completely different.
Wendie
Friday, 21 May, 2010 at 15:20I can’t seem to write my blog without interuptions every 5 minutes from dogs or baby. Baby is mobile and teething so time is hard to come by now. I’ve never time myself, maybe I should? I’ve decided if my topic won’t be well thought out or I have somewhere to be, I will skip a day, like today.
Amy
Friday, 21 May, 2010 at 15:04I’ve become so accustomed to blogging (I’ve been at it since October 2001!) that it’s hard to tell the difference anymore. I spend anywhere between 20 minutes and half of a day writing my entries, depending on what’s going on. Nowadays, I tend to be more streamlined, now that I’ve worked through a lot of the junk that was weighing me down and my life is going in much better, much busier direction, but I can still bust out a mini-novel every now and then.
I have definitely removed posts before that made me feel a bit too vulnerable or ones that I knew might be highly criticized.
I usually blog on whims. I used to blog every single day. Now, it’s usually two to three times a week, depending on what’s going on. And I have two blogs to maintain, the one attached to my name on the comment and my more detailed LiveJournal.
I wonder sometimes if my constant blogging has hindered my other writing. Before I blogged, I wrote stories and song lyrics, which helped me pour out all of the overwhelming feelings I had. Now, I blog, but I get blocked up when I want to write fiction or poetry or songs. Nothing happens anymore. It’s like once I dump my brain’s contents in my blog, there’s nothing left to write about or be inspired by.
I love having this story of my life via blogs though. I love being able to go back to a certain time and see the girl I used to be, knowing what I know now. It’s almost like being able to pat her on the shoulder and tell her, “Hey, you are going to be just fine. I can’t wait for you to see what’s up ahead for you.”
I am so detailed in my journals that it’s like the events I’m writing about leave my memory as soon as they are posted on the blog, and the only way to access those memories are to go back and read the entries. I have made a half-hearted effort to archive the posts in Word, and I’d really like to have a big printed bound book one day, even if it’s just for my kids to read. I’ve even though of titles of the different volumes I’d separate the entries into.
Blogging is the one thing that I will do, no matter what, because I love writing and sharing my thoughts with others. I’ve always been a better writer than a conversationalist, so it works out for me.
Best of luck to you in your blogging goals! 🙂