I have taken to writing my entries for the week as drafts and then publishing a new one each day. I actually really like this compared to sitting down and writing each day as once I get going, I get on a roll (Starting a post seems to be the hardest part) Im curious what other people do and if they add anything more to their process to combat any writers block they may get.
I normally have 2 or 3 topics brewing in my mind and when I have some time on a weekend I just sit down on knock one out. A good one normally requires some degree of research so I like taking my time but I just start it and finish it there and then. Don't really use the draft system, besides saving off a big one in increments before publishing it. No multiple posts simultaneously.
I actually wrote an article about this some time ago. I think this method helps prevent blog burnout, which eventually happened to me anyway. If you like to maintain a high post count, it is especially crucial you do this. I normally compose my posts in Word, to help with spelling/grammer etc. then save it. I keep a word document called "desktop notes" that keeps all my unpublished blog posts, code snippets, etc until I'm ready to use them.
Lol...Do you mean grammar? I actually find that in the case where T0PS was talking about, research, it is even more helpful to prewrite a lot of it. I was constantly thinking of things after I published so I just decided to let them sit for a day or two and keep tweaking them.
I guess I'm more of an impulse blogger then. I do have ideas about topics but it's normally only when they are triggered by something else that I actualy go write about them. If I wouldn't knock it out right away I think I wouldn't post them. I'm in the ad hoc camp. If I have to research it over days, it feels more like an essay. That would take the fun out of it for me. That will look great out of context.. Thanks PS You've got to spell my nick correctly though. Zero first then an ooowww.
I use the draft function of wordpress A LOT. As soon as an idea for a post comes in to my head I write down what I can. If it's presentable as a post I press post. If not it goes into draft status til I can be bothered to finish it. I've got some drafts hanging around that will never get posted I reckon, but unless I'd written down as much as I had I wouldn't know it wasn't worth doing... and I'd probably be still thinking about posting the post now. Damn, sometimes I don't even understand myself. Anyways. Yes, I like having a few posts lined up ready to go and some "rainy day" posts. Each blog of mine has a draft called "Ideas for the site" which I sketch out future ideas from. So during a dry patch I can dip in there for inspiration. I forget things easily so now I write down as much as I can.
I'm just in the process of setting up my "blogging workflow", but I use outliners a lot, the main one being KeyNote from Tranglos, combination of text processor with outliner, and it stores, in a structured way, all the ideas I get, shall it be in the stage of two word title, or two paragraphs draft written. The main problem I see is that when I want to or have time to blog, there are no ideas floating around. Yet most ideas are floating when one is very busy with all the other things and there is no time to write. That's why I find outliner very handy. Storing each separately in a draft section of each blog wouldn't work for me, as I prefer to keep all the notes and ideas in one place.
I am a big procrastinator, so usually when I finally get started I knock off 2 or 3 posts in one sitting. Ideas-wise, sometimes I think of some out of the blue and I have to write down the topic that I want to write about and then will wind up writing about it a week or so later - for ex., after yesterday's salsa class I thought of an anecdote about the eventful session we had. Also, last week while discussing NYC restos with my bro, recalled the time I had olive oil ice cream and how much I missed it - another potential blog entry
Yfs1, yeah, its in a semi-new resto by mario batali (who appears in the food network a bit, i think) called Otto. you can view the menu at menupages.com. the goat's milk is also good, as well as caramel.
Saving posts to draft form is the best way for me to get anything done. I sometimes have ideas (or just work really hard) to create several posts at a time. But then I have nothing to give for days. By saving some of the posts till later, I can keep a flow going on my blog, which I believe is important to my readers. If I just posted several posts in one day, then 'ignored' it for a few days it really wouldn't work for me.
I tend to post to my blogs in batches, writing and researching several posts at once, and then setting them to be time-released.
I have done this many times, very nice if you will be out of the office. Just takes a minute to publish posts instead of doing the writing inline. HINT: Make sure to set the post date to current date to get the correct sort order if you are placing drafts to publish and doing straight publishing.
I wrote my own blog, password protected for friends only, from scratch in php. I set it up so that if I can't blog on certain days, there is a bunch of entries in the drafts folder that automatically get published when their time comes. Blogger attempted this but failed.
I write the topics at a sms in the mobile phone, when i get home if i don't have to study i write the posts and post them at the blog! That's because i don't find many topics a week
I have to say I find that absolutely amazing. It takes me like half and hour to write a two line text using a mobile phone. If I had to write my blog entries that way I would have one every six months. Im pretty impressed
I don't explain my self very well, i just remember or see something to write about and pick up the mobile phone and write the subject, just a few words so that i remember at home what i thought it was good for a post... Did i make myself clear now?
I have so many topics floating around in my head so I tend to write down a brief synopsis of each one as it pops into my head on a piece of paper next to my PC so I don't forget. I then write a post on one or two of the ideas as I have time though my blog is new so I still have most of the ideas that caused me to start the blog in the first place. Just hope that once all my initial ideas have been posted I can come up with some more.