THE IDEA
Sometimes, I'll be curled up writing in a notepad or browsing the latest news online and an idea for a post will come to mind. It could be when I'm participating in a Twitter chat or when I catch a random snippet of conversation whilst out with friends. A current world issue or a simply a comment can form the foundations of a new feature for the blog, or give me the basis for a quick post that can be pieced together in a few hours. When considering some of the posts I have written in the past, it can be surprising to pin-point what, exactly, made me want to write it in the first place.
The planning process I follow usually comprises of a few hours, a whole evening set-aside, where I'll just write a list of possible post titles or discussion topics. Never is much thought given to what I will actually write. There will be almost a page crammed with ideas for what an upcoming blog post could include - but no real content at this point. I've realised it can take weeks for me to return to one of these ideas; that single spark of inspiration may not ever result in a full-length post.
THE BRAINSTORM
This tends to take the form of another bullet-pointed list or mind-map, and I begin with the post title or question(if writing a discussion post). I have a bound blue notepad that I have adopted as a blog-book, and this is where all the planning takes place. Inside, the pages are crammed with incoherent notes that - at a later stage - I have to attempt to decipher. Brainstorms can be a few bullet-points, a basic outline of what I will write about in each paragraph, or a mind map branching out onto multiple other pages. It's a creative mess - but I love it.
At times, I'll scribble down some sentences or phrases that I know I want to include in a rushed list, a form of planning I favour when it comes to discussions. I've found that writing out an outline of the first paragraph is also perfect when planning, as when you sit down to write the post, that first line is almost set-in-stone. Personally, I find a blank page a daunting sight, and knowing the first sentence helps kick-start the post as a whole. When I'm feeling productive, a brainstorm can manifest into an almost finished draft of the post(which is what happened when I sat down to plan this post). Or include a few rough doodles like a childhood diary.
Somehow, I have to deconstruct the illegible notes that have been scrawled in my scruffy-handwriting and create fully-formed sentences(or something that can be described as
'half-decent'). Unless a draft has already been written in its entirety, this can prove to be quite a difficult task. I can spend hours at this point re-writing sentences and perfecting paragraphs that, once read through, I delete regardless. At other times, I'll just become immersed in the writing of the post, and won't move from my desk until it is almost finished. I can be so desperate to just write at times that a whole post can come together in what seems like the spur-of-the-moment.
Whilst typing, I will usually navigate between Twitter and the open draft, watching as the amount of unseen tweets slowly increases.
Let's face it: procrastination is always part of post-writing.
THE INNER-CRITIC
Once the clicking on the keypad comes to an end and a draft is done, the editing begins. This is the point in which I would take out a red-marker pen - if possible - and start striking out sentences and marking changes. My own inner-critic is ruthless. I'll admit post-writing always involve a huge amount of self-doubt, and I have to fight the urge to delete what I have spent hours working on. For reassurance, I will constantly hit the 'preview' button, checking that it at least looks presentable(...but then looks can be deceiving!).
I have spent hours complaining about and correcting the grammar and spelling errors of others, so I try to make sure my own posts contain as few mistakes as possible! I was accustomed to hitting publish without checking through a blog post when I first began blogging, and now can't help but cringe when I read through those first book reviews. Even to avoid embarrassment, I find it impossible to edit the mistakes I mad; it's cringe-worthy, but I might be a little nostalgic!
At times, I'll scribble down some sentences or phrases that I know I want to include in a rushed list, a form of planning I favour when it comes to discussions. I've found that writing out an outline of the first paragraph is also perfect when planning, as when you sit down to write the post, that first line is almost set-in-stone. Personally, I find a blank page a daunting sight, and knowing the first sentence helps kick-start the post as a whole. When I'm feeling productive, a brainstorm can manifest into an almost finished draft of the post(which is what happened when I sat down to plan this post). Or include a few rough doodles like a childhood diary.
THE WRITTEN WORD
Somehow, I have to deconstruct the illegible notes that have been scrawled in my scruffy-handwriting and create fully-formed sentences(or something that can be described as
'half-decent'). Unless a draft has already been written in its entirety, this can prove to be quite a difficult task. I can spend hours at this point re-writing sentences and perfecting paragraphs that, once read through, I delete regardless. At other times, I'll just become immersed in the writing of the post, and won't move from my desk until it is almost finished. I can be so desperate to just write at times that a whole post can come together in what seems like the spur-of-the-moment.
Whilst typing, I will usually navigate between Twitter and the open draft, watching as the amount of unseen tweets slowly increases.
Let's face it: procrastination is always part of post-writing.
THE INNER-CRITIC
Once the clicking on the keypad comes to an end and a draft is done, the editing begins. This is the point in which I would take out a red-marker pen - if possible - and start striking out sentences and marking changes. My own inner-critic is ruthless. I'll admit post-writing always involve a huge amount of self-doubt, and I have to fight the urge to delete what I have spent hours working on. For reassurance, I will constantly hit the 'preview' button, checking that it at least looks presentable(...but then looks can be deceiving!).
I have spent hours complaining about and correcting the grammar and spelling errors of others, so I try to make sure my own posts contain as few mistakes as possible! I was accustomed to hitting publish without checking through a blog post when I first began blogging, and now can't help but cringe when I read through those first book reviews. Even to avoid embarrassment, I find it impossible to edit the mistakes I mad; it's cringe-worthy, but I might be a little nostalgic!
THE EXTRAS
If I'm piecing-together a book haul, I would have probably begun by taking all the pictures I needed, attempting to colour-match covers or to find the correct lighting. Before I even start to write the post, I will check through the pictures I have taken, not wanting to find a collection of blurred-images later on. Having forgotten to change the camera setting in the past, there have been times I've abandoned a haul!
Before a post is published, links such as those to an author's website(if it's a review) or images of a book I've featured are added. Then there's also the labels, to add the slightest bit of organisation, and the likes of the title. In fact, the one thing I've always struggled with is knowing how to end a post. Do I sign off with my name? Do I ask readers a question - trying to generate some discussion in the comments? Return to the sparkly Sophie name tag I used in those early days?
What does your post writing process involve?
Any procrastination?
Tell me in the comments!
Sophie
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That sounds incredibly meticulous! I'm interested in the way you use Twitter - is it just to procrastinate? When blogging, I tend to "hear" phrases in my head and scribble them down, and then just write it straight onto the post, playing around with headings/pic sizes/links etc and checking Preview loads of times until I'm happy. Then publish! Were you at the UKYA Extravaganza?
ReplyDeleteI just seem to be able to open a new blog post and just moan about everything! Ok, so I don't moan all of the time, there are some positive things in there somewhere too. I use my blog like a diary, to record thoughts and feelings as the day progresses, so I just write what's in my head, and what pops into it as I'm writing. This means my blog can be a bit random at times! :)
ReplyDelete