I love to write, especially fiction stories for children. I use to write regularly, full of new ideas. Then demands of work and my family started taking over and my writing slowly got left behind.
Recently decided to try blogging, thinking that would be a great way to get myself back into writing again. And it has, sort of. I do write on my blog fairly regularly. But now I seem to spend all my writing time working on my blogs (this one and the one at Everythingmom.com). And when I’m not writing on my blogs, I’m writing articles.
Beyond just sapping my writing time away, blogging also seems to have decreased my attention span. My mind seems to now be conditioned to write short concise pieces. I think that’s why I’ve moved into writing articles too.
Blogging also has a deadline I need to work towards. It’s sort of an unwritten deadline but if I want to keep my blog readers coming back or grow my readership from just my mom then I know I have to keep writing regularly.
I think the other reason I’m drawn to blogging over my writing is because blogging is easier. I blog based on an idea or thought. It’s just about me. Writing, even a short story or children’s picture book takes so much more work. First there’s the idea and you need characters as in more than one (most stories I’ve read don’t rely on just one character). Then you need your storyline with conflict and resolution, peeks and valleys.
And maybe I’m just tired. Maybe I’m feeling really tired lately and frustrated because I’m not spending more time on my writing. Maybe I can’t do both or maybe I need to have more discipline for both my blogging and my writing.
I’m curious what other writer/bloggers do. How do you manage your blogging time versus your writing time?
Trying to balance life at home with my 3 kids (all under 7), while building my business and developing my writing. Oh and throw a load of laundry in and a dinner that isn't burnt. Wasn't working from home suppose to be easier?
Another day, another thought...or two. 
Posted by Maureen on July 13, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I had just gotten back to writing a novel (that had been put on hold for many years) when Erica asked me to write for her. I haven’t looked at it since.
Ia m enjoying my blogging so much right now that it’s not an issue, but I will have to get back to it eventually if I ever hope to get published.
Posted by Tatiana on July 13, 2009 at 4:07 pm
First, I REALLY eased up on myself about how often I post to my personal blog. I used to spend every night agonizing about what I’d post for the next day, and force something out, or feel guilty if I didn’t — now if I have nothing to say, I just don’t say it.
I also (accidentally) took two weeks off from my EverythingMom.com blog — didn’t mean to, but it happened. But maybe if you only post there once or twice a week (I see recently you’ve posted every other day), that’d help you out.
Remember that the big things that bring in readership are quality of writing and word-of-mouth. A lot of people view blogs via readers these days, so if your feed doesn’t pop up in their reader they won’t notice as much as if they come to your page (old school!) and there’s no new post for a day or two — or at least, this is how I feel!
Because I have a newborn and she is pretty demanding on my time, I have to squeeze my “work writing” (blogging, articles), my “me writing” (stories, non-work emails), and my playtime (husband, video games, television) into her schedule. So I carry around a notebook all the time to scribble notes and thoughts in when I can’t get to a computer and I find that’s really helping. I’ve also allocated odd nights to “work” and even nights to “play”.
Blogging DOES make you kind of think in short-term bursts. Maybe you could try writing several posts at once and then scheduling them to auto-post during the coming week, so you give yourself more time to work on non-blog stuff.
Sheesh, I should write a post about this! 😛
Posted by Jill on July 13, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I’ve been thinking lately too about whether it’s Twitter or my marketing material for my Real Estate work or raising an extremely active almost 6 years girl that has made me feel like a humming bird flitting from one thing to the next. I can’t manage to make it through many things without wandering off to do something else. Life overload maybe. My attention span is shot and I’m way more easily distracted than I have every been in my life. I feel the same way you do….. oh look a butterfly……
Posted by Next Steps – July 13/09 « Another day, another thought…or two. on July 13, 2009 at 8:07 pm
[…] pm Tags: My writing process, Writing for Children So I’ve had some time to think about my writing/blogging dilemma (and I’ve received some great feedback and advice from people too). Instead of pitting one […]
Posted by J. Kaye on July 15, 2009 at 3:45 pm
LOVE this post! I get up in the morning and write 1,000 words before anything else. It’s only then I allow myself to play blogger.
Posted by Foto Friday: A Missing Piece « Another day, another thought…or two. on July 16, 2009 at 10:12 pm
[…] And the moment came, the last piece. I placed it in and stood back looking at all my work. And what should I see staring back at me? One glaring empty hole where a puzzle piece should be. Oh crap! It might be hiding in the dining room somewhere, but it’s more likely that it’s been sucked up by the vacuum yesterday. And the worst part is I want to do another puzzle. Between blogging and doing puzzles I’ll never get any writing done. […]
Posted by dizidaisy on September 28, 2010 at 1:23 am
oh my goodness! I scrapped a blog some time ago for this very reason -but I thought it was just me!!! I’ve just started researching my first novel, and decided that it would be a good time to get some writing exercise with blogging and try again!