I started blogging in college with the intention to make it a frequent part of my life. I’ve enjoyed writing for a long time, and I set out with great intentions. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I was missing the mark in several ways, the least of which has been inconsistency in posting. Every once in a while, I begin posting with a “renewed commitment” to post every day, or every other day, or once a week, or twice a month…..get the picture? My writing and posting continually becomes more infrequent, until I stop altogether.
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’re probably laughing at the idea of me writing a post about consistent blogging. Please understand that I’m not claiming to be a top-notch blogger like several writers that I read often. I’m just like many of you who will read this post: a well-intentioned writer struggling to learn and grow in my ability and blogging practice. Lately, by using a few helpful ideas and remembering some important things, I’ve done much better at making my posting more regular. Here’s how:
1. Make it your goal to write posts that add meaning or value to your readers.
For quite a while when I first started blogging, I was writing about my day: about things that I laughed at or that annoyed me, things that I did, things I had to do tomorrow, etc. It was all very self-centered writing, focused on topics that were really only interesting to me and maybe a few people who really were interested in the inner workings of my life (thanks for reading, Mom). Over the past few years, the obviously struck, and I realized that by writing posts that focus on topics that are interesting to my readership and that add value or meaning to their lives, I create a stream of people who will come back more and more often to see what’s new. My goal is to write each and every post with YOU in mind. At the end of each post, I would like for each reader to have learned or heard or understood something worth the time it took them to read what I took the time to write. I promise you, you’ll find that if you make it your goal to do the same, you’ll invest more of yourself into your blog, and it will create a feeling of accomplishment and worth in you that will help motivate you to be a consistent blogger.
2. Keep a log of ideas and inspiration.
One of the reasons I skip a day (or a year) between posts is that some days, I just don’t feel inspired to write. It’s blogger’s block, a condition that befalls even the greatest writers. To help eliminate this problem, I’ve started keeping a short list of ideas for useful and meaningful blogs in my office. On a day when I just can’t get into a groove with a new idea, I can refer back to that list for some ideas of things that recently inspired me, and that tends to spark some creativity to help me get going.
3. Utilize your blog platform’s “drafts” feature.
If you could see my WordPress admin panel, you would see that I’ve already started more than 10 or 15 blog posts. Some are nothing more than a title, some have tags added (this is often to remind me further about why I started to write the post), some have a picture, some even have some text. I even have one or two that are nearly or fully complete. I could probably publish 3 or 4 posts a day and clear that folder out. But by utilizing the “drafts” folder when I happen to have a day where I am motivated to write several posts, I can save them for a day when I’m not so motivated. I have a list of posts already in the works that I can put some finishing touches on and then I’m good to go. This is a great way to avoid missing a day. If your blog platform doesn’t have a drafts folder or option, or if you’re blogging straight to a website without that feature, just create a folder on your computer and use your text editor or word processor in the same way. Save each post as an individual file and pull them out on a “rainy day.”
4. Write posts that encourage comments.
Nearly any writer in the world will get discouraged and eventually stop writing if he or she feels like no one is reading their material. By writing posts that encourage readers to leave comments, you’re killing two birds with one stone: you’re getting valuable feedback that should help shape your blog and writing in the future and that will help you get to know your audience, and you’re creating a source of encouragement to continue writing simply by the fact that you know someone is listening. One of the most effective ways I’ve ever seen this done is by Pete Wilson on his blog, WithoutWax.tv. At the end of each post, he writes a sentence or two in bold lettering asking a question or encouraging comments on a specific thought or topic. You can probably see, if you’ve read my blog, that I’ve modeled this part of my writing after him.
5. If you aren’t passionate about something, don’t waste your time writing about it.
One of the fastest ways to kill your consistency is to “pander” to an audience. I’ve seen many bloggers who write about things they don’t really care about just to attract readers. DON’T DO THIS! Write about what moves you, what you enjoy, and what you care about. Don’t try to write outside of your base of knowledge or understanding, or you’ll come off as shallow and uninformed. Write from your heart, and you’ll find it’s a much more rewarding and enjoyable experience. Yes, it’s important to keep your audience in mind, but remember that the audience you want (that is, one that shares things in common with you) will seek you out if you’re true to your passion.
I hope these few ideas help to shed some light for you. What helps you avoid this trap? What have you found helpful to make you a consistent blogger?
