Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the seventeenth day of the month is "Method."
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This is my third month doing this writing project with Bestest Friend and I still haven't developed a good method for approaching the prompts.
Do I plan what I'm going to write about ahead of time? That has worked fairly well for a handful of prompts - on day five I am going to use a drawing app on a local landmark (although I don't know if there are NINE more landmarks in town) for the "drawing" prompt, on day ten I'll write a book review for "judgment," I'll write up my library list on day nineteen for the "library" prompt, and I'll write up a post about the last photo message I wrote for day twenty for "message."
But there are so many other days and so many other prompts and I don't want to be too rigid about how I approach the themes because sometimes I want to be able to just talk about baking cookies, my job search, or how the sun hasn't come out in days. But I also don't like the feeling of an empty screen and a blinking cursor and me without a single thing to say about a topic.
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| I saw this toy truck at the base of a tree at a park when I was walking Hannah. There's nothing else to the story except I hope that there's not a child wondering where his car is. |
I'm not a natural writer. I have to force myself to sit down each day and crank out a few hundred words and it's even harder when I really feel like I have nothing to say. I like this structure of a writing challenge because the constraints of the themes do keep me on track, but tomorrow I have to find a winner and right now that's seeming truly daunting.
Do you write every day? Do you plan it ahead of time? How do you find the motivation?
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To see what Bestest Friend has to say about method, go visit her at Too Legit to Quit.
I don’t write every day, and sometimes when it seems that I do, I have queued some posts up in advance. Sometimes I think of a number of posts, so I get them ready. At other times, I can’t think of any at all. I don’t force the issue if I am uninspired. I don’t think I could do a prompt like you do, even in photography, which is what Sue does.
ReplyDeleteSue's themed photographs are so interesting. I do like a good theme project, it turns out!
DeleteWhatever you're doing is working, because I've been enjoying seeing how you interpret the prompts each day. It does seem like a really good project. The constraints of the prompts give you some guidelines but also force you to be creative. I'll bet if you just mull over tomorrow's word while you're going about your day, something will come to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right that something will come to me. As I'm rereading this, it sounds so whiny to complain about a project I've chosen to do! No more complaining from me about it!
DeleteHalf of the fun of these posts is seeing what you do with the prompt. I'm still giggling about "stranger danger" and Hannah seeing the fox (context: the fox in my neighborhood is cute not vicious).
ReplyDeleteWriting is REALLY HARD. I don't think that anyone is a natural writer, some people are just better at practicing than I am. But even though it's hard, you're writing good stuff, so keep it up!
Well, I appreciate all the compliments from this post. I'll keep plugging away and hopefully no one will get bored with me writing about the same things repeatedly.
DeleteI write almost every day, but not on my blog. I keep a journal--a real paper-pen journal--and I try to write in it every day. My blog suffers. I have been thinking of stealing your idea of using a random word generator and writing a bit every other day to jump-start my blogging again. If I do, I'll grab the word for that day, think a while, and start writing.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with Birchwood Pie, above, that writing is hard, I disagree about Natural Writers. Some people are more adept at writing and for some people, no amount of practice is going to help them attain the natural flow and voice of a really great writer. I taught English and Creative Writing for more than thirty years, and this was always true. If practice were all it took, anyone could be poet or novelist. Do we really think that Toni Morrison or Edgar Allan Poe just practiced more/harder?
This is an interesting debate. I don't know where I stand on the issue. It's an interesting thought experiment and I wonder if it really just has to do with volume of writing. Poe has some great stuff, but also some real stinkers. It is just that he was so prolific that we can pick out the examples of greatness? It's an interesting conundrum, but I am no Poe or Morrison so I'll just duck quietly out fo the conversation!
DeleteI don't write every day, but I do think about writing every day; I often jot down ideas or think of things I want to write about. How long is your blog project, like how many months?
ReplyDeleteThe intention is to do this for twelve months with these prompts. I'll probably do a wrap-up on the thirteenth month in which I put together a collage of the twelve photos from each prompt and discuss themes within themes. Right now, though, I'm just trying to get through this week!
DeleteIt shocks me -- SHOCKS me -- to read that you don't consider yourself a natural writer. I think you have a very natural, easy style that has ample moments of humor, sometimes wry, sometimes outright, and poignancy. But maybe what you are saying is that the words don't come easily? I certainly understand that.
ReplyDeleteI do write every day. Whether it's a blog post or part of my other projects, or an email to my parents or long distance friend (these are detailed emails that try to present my -- and my kid's -- day in a vivid and pleasant-to-read manner), I write daily. But that's not to say that all of it sees the light of day. I haven't posted anything but dinner plans on my blog lately because all the posts I've written lately (and I've written... six? Totaling nearly 7,000 words -- I just counted) seem dumb or unfinished.
I sometimes plan what I will post, but often I'm just writing about whatever occurs to me in the moment. It's a very undisciplined way to write.
I really don't think of myself as a natural writer at all. I do not live for writing the way I do for reading, for example. If a day goes by and I haven't read at least a chapter, I feel unsettled. If a day goes by and I haven't written a word, I don't even notice. I mean, that's super unlikely to happen because I write in my line-a-day journal daily at the very least, but it's not necessarily super uncommon that I don't write anything else in a day, particularly on a weekend.
DeleteOne good thing that does come out of daily posting on my blog is that I'm not precious about posts or post ideas. Even if it's a really dumb/lame/non-thoughtful/unfinished post, it'll be replaced the next day! But if I only posted once or twice a week, I think I'd want every post to be more polished.
I'm a mix of both; I write some days, but tend to have "spurts" where I'll draft 3-4 ideas all at once and get them in a queue for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't write everyday, but I love the days I do carve out time to write. Like Nicole, I think about writing almost every day. Since I can't always fit in time to act on what has crossed my mind, I have blank pages at the back of my planner that I use to jot down ideas for future blog posts!
And I agree with Jenny: you're a great writer and this "prompt" series has been so much fun! I love how you interpret the words so creatively <3
Oh, I do have spurts, too! And those are great because I can line posts up ahead of time. I'm just in a bit of a slump right now and struggling with topic ideas. Hence, a photo of a toy truck!
DeleteYou write very well, I enjoy reading it! :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the compliment. I'm happy that other people are enjoying this project.
DeleteI write many days, not all. I am very much a blogger who writes whatever pops into my mind, basically, that morning. Occasionally I'll think of a random topic I want to cover/ discuss, so I'll jot that down and write about it when I have time or nothing else on my mind to write about. But otherwise, I just totally fly by the seat of my pants with blogging. I am sure if I had more time, my posts would be more polished, but it's already a stretch to fit in the writing I do. So I just sort of type away, hopefully read it over once, publish and done! I have never pre-written a post to say, publish later in the week. Never ever! I really like my posts to be representative of whatever I'm thinking and feeling in the moment I publish them. Pre-writing would feel a bit more like I were writing an essay or article, I think. Not wrong, just would be different!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow that you've never pre-written a post! I definitely pre-write ahead of time, especially if my schedule is going to be busy and I'm going to be out of town. I also pre-write my book posts because no one wants me publish them all at the same time if I write three in a day! That's amazing that your posts are always published the day you write them!
DeleteI couldn't write daily on my blog. It would drain me. I need days away from my screen so
ReplyDeleteI only post when I have something on my mind that I want to share. I even take days where I don't read any other blogs because, It feels like I'm spending too much of my time with the keyboard. Does that make sense? I rarely plan a post, it's usually off the cuff.
You're a great writer and I'm always drawn into your posts. Also, the toy car pic is pretty cool. ;)
I have a mix. sometimes I have something that pops up that I want to write about, and other times I'll work on sometihng that I have queued. I fell like a really slow writer, but I'm hoping writing more will speed me up.
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of the all the writing you do and now I know you it doesn't come effortlessly even more so.
I think having a mix is probably the best approach. As long as something is getting written, I guess it doesn't matter WHEN that happens.
DeleteI do not write every day. Most weeks, I publish a max of 3 posts. I do a mix of writing ahead/scheduling the posts and writing in the moment. I enjoy writing on my blog, though! It's way different than writing for work! I write a decent amount for work but it is a lot of 'type type type deleeeeeeeete' over and over again. I probably overthink things but I'm usually writing about confusing topics but am trying to make them understandable to a retail audience which can be very very tricky!
ReplyDeleteOh, sure, writing for work seems like a different category of writing to me. I have to be more careful about it. I definitely overthink things for work, too, because I want to be careful about tone and intention. On my blog, however, my style is much more relaxed. Perhaps I should check my tone more carefully, but that sounds exhausting!
DeleteI am amazed that you're still going strong on this challenge - month three! Are you sure you're not a natural writer? The fact that you've been showing up here suggests otherwise. I do write every day but I don't always get to the point that it's anything worthy of publishing... so I definitely do a lot more "planning" for posts that I want to share... but I kinda like that you just sit down and write for some of them.
ReplyDeleteWell, not all of these posts are gems, that's for sure. But hopefully at least one or two a month is pretty good - that's always my goal. It's interesting what posts get interaction and which posts don't; it's not always the ones I work hardest on that resonate with people!
DeleteI believe that in a second! It's interesting what gets people's reactions!!
DeleteI don't write everyday. I used to write a lot more when I was a content writer (and I honestly worried I'd write LESS on my blog when I got the job, but it turns out, writing for work and writing for my blog are totally different - who knew?! ha). When it comes to my blog, I don't like blogging in the moment because I like to take my time and revise as needed. I'll usually start working on a post, take a break, and then add to it bit by bit. I'm also really bad at writing short blog posts! I need to get better about that.
ReplyDeleteYes to all of this! I, too, struggle to write short posts. I feel self-conscious about this...but then I remind myself it's a hobby and I get to do what works for me! Still...I feel self-conscious.
DeleteAnd yes to liking to revise. I almost NEVER start and finish a post and then publish it in one fell swoop.
It's so interesting that people have such different takes on it. I've definitely written and published a post in fifteen minutes! I've also spent months crafting a post just so. Meanwhile, Kae has NEVER pre-written a post! Crazy. Everyone's style is their own.
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