The Bloggers With The Most To Say
How much time do you spend on a blog post?
When I read an amazing novel, I'm cognizant of the months and years of blood, sweat, and tears that went into that work.
But when I read a blog post-- even a long, brilliant one from The Typing Makes Me Sound Busy or Starting Over at 24-- I think I subconsciously assume that the blogger just sat down and spit out the thing in twenty minutes.
There's something about the medium of blogging that seems instantaneous and disposable. A blog isn't like a novel that people read front to back, over and over. Some readers do go through my archives, but for the most part, you're only as good as your most recent post.
For me, I would say it's rare for a blog post to go out with less than three solid hours of work on it, often more like four to six. That includes writing, image selection, and editing (which is probably the biggest chunk of time). That time is usually spread out over several days, which is why I only post a few times a week, but I see that some folks hammer out multiple (quality) posts a day. I wonder if I'm an extra slow writer or if I'm on the far end of the 'perfectionist' scale. Or maybe some people take even longer than I do!
How do you approach your blog? Do you agonize over every semicolon or do you hammer 'em out and move on?
But when I read a blog post-- even a long, brilliant one from The Typing Makes Me Sound Busy or Starting Over at 24-- I think I subconsciously assume that the blogger just sat down and spit out the thing in twenty minutes.
There's something about the medium of blogging that seems instantaneous and disposable. A blog isn't like a novel that people read front to back, over and over. Some readers do go through my archives, but for the most part, you're only as good as your most recent post.
For me, I would say it's rare for a blog post to go out with less than three solid hours of work on it, often more like four to six. That includes writing, image selection, and editing (which is probably the biggest chunk of time). That time is usually spread out over several days, which is why I only post a few times a week, but I see that some folks hammer out multiple (quality) posts a day. I wonder if I'm an extra slow writer or if I'm on the far end of the 'perfectionist' scale. Or maybe some people take even longer than I do!
How do you approach your blog? Do you agonize over every semicolon or do you hammer 'em out and move on?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by TJ on -
I don't usually spend long long amounts of time on posts, actually writing them. A lot of things I dash off quickly, and even my longer posts are one long stream that comes right out of my fingers. However, for most posts, I have spent a significant amount of time THINKING about what I'm going to write, on my commute or in the shower or before I fall asleep, so a lot of it is "pre-planned" which makes the actual writing go that much faster.
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Permalink Reply by Jossie Posie on -
My posts take about 20-40 minutes on average. But I usually know what I want to write and I tend to write posts in my head as I fall asleep at night so the next day I sit down and it just pours out of me. There are days that I have too much to say so I write them and save them for later. I subject my readers to way too many posts as it is.
I sometimes wish that I would be able to really put more time into each post but with me it kind of comes out in one massive brain dump rather than after hours of careful thinking. If I tried to force it any other way it wouldn't be me.
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Permalink Reply by Mindy on -
I think I write so infrequently because if the blog doesn't just flow out of me, I'm not going to be happy with it anyway. For me to write - and this has always been the case except for my job - I have to be highly motivated or triggered by something particular, which makes it possible to knock out a piece of work in 30 minutes or less.
Do I spend the extra time reading what I've written and ensuring punctuation is correct, the sentences mean what I actually meant, etc.? Definitely. But if a blog post takes me a long time to write, a lot of the passion behind it diffuses and it ends up being product I'm simply not as happy with in the end.
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Permalink Reply by Your Ill-fitting Overcoat on -
But if a blog post takes me a long time to write, a lot of the passion behind it diffuses and it ends up being product I'm simply not as happy with in the end.
For me there's some kind of window. If a post sits in my drafts folder for two weeks, it's never going up and I know it. But there are few things I love more than really savoring a writing project-- spending an evening in a coffee shop, poring over every line, reworking jokes to make them stronger, etc.
But there have been times when I spent weeks tinkering with a post and that really does suck the joy out of it.
It's so interesting hearing these responses! It seems like, for many people, blog writing is its own unique kind of writing.
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Permalink Reply by Courtney on -
it depends.
if i'm writing something really long, i usually have to go back and reread what i've already written a few times because i tend to lose my train of thought otherwise, so that tends to take longer.
Still, those are the ones I tend to overthink. I bet my best ones are written in 20 minutes or less. I don't time myself or anything, but that's my estimate.
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Permalink Reply by Chris on -
It depends on how easily it flows. Recently I spent a couple hours on one post. Then I cranked out an even longer one, on a whim, in less than half an hour and it seemed to garner more attention. It's usually the posts I plan that take the longest. The ones that just "come to me" seem to just fall together.
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Permalink Reply by Your Ill-fitting Overcoat on
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"It's usually the posts I plan that take the longest. The ones that just "come to me" seem to just fall together."
Me too, definitely.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Robinson on -
It depends.
On a "Segments" post, I literally sit down, type out the small things I want put out, and publish. I actually don't think I've ever put more than thirty minutes into one of those.
On other posts, while the actual typing/editing phase may not take that long, I often wrestle with how I want to convey an idea. This all stems from my way of speaking in comparisons--I have to find a mental image to help people better understand what I'm talking about.
I never go anywhere without some index cards and a pen, so I'm always jotting down ideas. My goal is to build up a two-week surplus of blogs, and set them to auto-post. This will allow me to stay active in the blogosphere if I want to go out on the town for a night, or take a weekend trip or vacation or something.
Long story slightly less long: I do agonize on some posts, but others are posted in a matter of minutes.
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Permalink Reply by Your Ill-fitting Overcoat on
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"My goal is to build up a two-week surplus of blogs, and set them to auto-post."
I would love to do this! I haven't managed yet. I always either take too long to write or I get too eager to publish it and can't wait.
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Permalink Reply by Angela on -
To YI-FO,
You and I are a couple of the most epic bloggers around here, I think. It takes a special kind of person to do long-form blogging regularly.
I often will start a post and come back to it later. As for the amount of time it takes me to write one, well, I guess I write until it's finished. I wouldn't say that I agonize, but I do certainly choose my words.
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Permalink Reply by Your Ill-fitting Overcoat on
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You're totally right. We both write pretty lengthy posts with, like, themes and shit. Can I say 'shit' on 20sb? Anyway, those are intense and can take awhile. And I do the same thing with starting and coming back-- I almost always have to do that, sometimes over several days. We're a strange breed, but I suspect it's therapeutic for you like it is for me. After writing a post, I often like I just vomited after two days of food poisoning. But the relief is fleeting, and then it's time to write again. :)
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