When I started blogging, my thought was that it’s an exercise in writing to an audience, in addition to garnering some attention and, dare I say, cred in the industry that I’ve now worked in for a decade. Blogging is a marathon, and the results are most evident in the compounding of years worth of posts.
Along the way, I discovered that I
- wanted to practice writing at least a little bit1, everyday
- didn’t want to devote the time to edit my writing unless there was a reward in getting feedback and engagement, i.e., I had a lots of people reading my pieces
- oftentimes had little to talk about, and believed that it’s better to remain silent than to generate unnecessary noise
- have ideas and topics that come in spurts and bunches
My solution has been to bifurcate my writing into two buckets. This blog is still a creative outlet, updated ideally once a week, but those posts are written well in advance and are timed for release every Tuesday or Wednesday. Adhering to a schedule of pre-writing does mean it’s harder to be topical, but I find myself actually preferring to let current events sit for a bit before reflecting anyway; the heat of the moment sometimes burns away needed perspective.
On top of blogging, I’ve been keeping a digital journal via Day One (which my wife reads unsolicited every other day). It’s an outlet that is low commitment – though I commit an entry daily – which serves the purpose of keeping the habit of writing, without the pressures of capturing and enticing an audience, and is something that I can consult months or years later for nostalgia. It takes 5 minutes to type out a short, personal entry in Day One, while my posts require anywhere from 1/2 an hour to 2-3 hours to weave.
So if you’re in a similar boat – wanting an excuse to practice your art of writing but find blogging time-intensive and intimidating – give diaries and journals a shot.
