Next

 87 Comments on Next 0 822

With bloggers wanting/needing to crank out new articles on a regular basis, how to accomplish that can be a real feat.to schedule a blog post or not

Some bloggers are organized, use a blogging calendar and know exactly what will be published when.

I admire their organizational skills.

Today’s Lesson

I don’t plan my posts.

In fact, until just a few hours ago, I didn’t know what today’s lesson would be, so you might say my lack of planning was the motivation for this post.

I like to write when the mood strikes and when a topic moves me. Unfortunately the two aren’t always in sync.

If I see a story on the news, it may be the basis of a post.

What you shared in your comment may be my topic of the day.

Or maybe I see a photo or a post by a fellow blogger.

Surfing online gives me ideas, as does reading.

Unfortunately I never know where my next idea will come from and although it might be easier if I was organized and knew in advance, I’ve come to enjoy this spontaneity.

What about you?

Today’s Assignment

Do you plan each of your posts? Have a blogging calendar?

Or are you like me and fly by the seat of your pants?

Care to share?

~Barbara

Photo credit: Double Happiness

87 thoughts on “Next”

  1. Hi Barbara .. I’ve got lots of posts planned, they’re in piles around the flat!! The brain works overtime .. and I only post once a week or so now .. however like you I sort of plan, and then change my mind … my next post will come from an email I got from an 11 year old blogger last night .. be out later today .. totally inspiring!

    Cheers – yes – articles, pictures, ideas, tv, radio .. etc etc – the great outdoors .. all creativity waiting to be discovered. Hilary

    1. Hi Hilary,

      Isn’t that the truth? Inspiration for blog posts is all around us. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly thinking, “I could turn that into a blog post.” Sadly, if I don’t write it down, I forget. *sigh*

  2. Hi Barbara – I have a big fat notebook full of clippings, a bulging Evernote account with items organized by topic category, and a written task list that includes titles. My posts are better written when inspiration strikes. Like you, I’ve found it’s a challenge to integrate that writing style into a regular schedule. The spontaneity is what keeps things vibrant. I do admire bloggers who maintain a more disciplined schedule.

    1. Hi Betsy,

      I hear you. Spontaneity does keep things more vibrant. Plus, it seems like not only does the post seem to “write itself”, but I worry less about the details.

      I think the spontaneity can also bring us closer to finding our blogging voice.

  3. Hi Barbara!

    Like you, I just write about whatever inspires me at the moment. Having and writing about kids means you have a never ending list of topics to choose from.

    Blogging is my way to relax and find something positive about my day. Or maybe to share some dream I have about doing something. But, my blog is very generalized so I have a lot of topics I can choose from.

    I think if I had a specific area that I was blogging about, I’d have to have more planning. When I’m putting a painting collection together for a show, I think ahead and find a theme. It takes a lot of planning. I guess it’s the same for niche blogging.

    1. Hi Maddie,

      I can imagine your blog is a great place to go to at the end of the day (or when the kids are napping). A lot of parents like how having a blog not only gives them a place to vent/share, but to also meet others in the same position.

      P.S. Painting collection? Are you saying you’re also an artist? If so, I’d love to see some of your work. 🙂

      1. Hi Barbara!

        You’re right! At naptime or after the kids go to bed, blogging is like having grownup time. And I’m really starting to meet other people too!

        The painting and artist thing is my day job. (I know how to pick jobs that don’t pay!) See my comment luv link for a few of my sketches. I’m mainly a portrait artist so I tend to do people more than anything else.

  4. Hi Barbara,

    I would say that the majority of my posts are written on the fly. My last post in a good example, and some days it does feel like I have holes in my head. Sometimes I have a few written ahead of time, especially when I’m vacationing and still want to post. Also, a my travels provide good blog material. I take lots of pictures and fall back on picture posts when my creative side is taking a break. Not everything that gets written gets posted, though. I look back at some drafts and decide they don’t suit.

    1. Hi Linda,

      I like your idea of having photos to fall back on when the words escape us. And I know EXACTLY what you’re saying about looking at drafts which at the time we thought were good ideas, but now, not so much.

  5. Hi Barbara,
    I write my post depending on the need of my friends or what I think is relevant. I also check the SERP before writing to know the how much competition and traffic I will get. Usually I ask my friends or if I did something great at the office I blog about it. Mostly tutorials though.

    1. Hi Sanjay,

      That is a good idea – to check how much competition we will have on a given topic, especially if we’re trying to get some of that search engine traffic. Ideally I know I should do that too, but instead I (most of the time) just write and hit “publish”. 🙁

  6. I try to post on my personal blog a couple times a week or so. I generally have a number of photo or video blog posts scheduled for publication in advance. Then, if something else comes up, I either post it on one of the days where nothing is scheduled or bump one of the pre-scheduled posts to the end of the line, which I did for my current post on unusual winter weather in New Zealand.

    I am currently working on a series of posts with videos created from photos from our first big trip after I retired. Each video has an audio track with music selected from the YouTube audio swap library (there’s some good stuff there!). The videos will be posted over the next several weeks.

    Of course, for my civil war blog ( http://dotcw.com ), I am posting way in advance. With so many diaries and other sources, if I didn’t stay ahead, I’d get overwhelmed. With that blog, I have posts scheduled as far as 40 months in advance.

    1. Hi Mike,

      You’re busy. I can see why having a set plan is necessary, especially for your civil war blog, which I see has a great following. 🙂 Interesting stuff there.

      I like you new idea of incorporating audio tracks with music. I look forward to seeing those.

  8. Hi Barbara,

    I’m kind of in the middle. I keep a text document on my desktop and every time I’m inspired I try to note it in that document. Like you said though, you’re not always in the right place to “remember” it.

    I wish I were a little better organized as far as that goes. I need to work on that.

    1. Hi John,

      Good intentions, hey? I know for myself, the only posts I “schedule” are the ones I do a lot of research for (usually link posts), but most of the time, I’m publishing that which inspires me at the time.

  9. I’m another seat of my pants blogger, ideas occur to me all day long and I find I have to make notes or I tend to forget what they were. Apart from that, most days I have some idea what I am going to write, but then whilst writing I might get distracted by another item in the news or somewhere else which appeals to my interest.

    1. Hi Jo,

      I hear you. It does help to write our ideas down, or even get started on a post.

      I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’ll just write down a title, but when I go back to it, I forget where I was going with it. Haha!

  10. Barbara,

    I guess I’m a combination. I have an editorial calendar with some posts planned a year ahead. Many of my posts are time-sensitive (holidays, contests and other writing events, Lent and Advent Scripture posts), so I try to schedule them to be sure I write about them at the appropriate time. Also I schedule book reviews, guest posts, and author interviews with the guest, usually a month or two or three in advance. I try to tentatively schedule ideas I have for future posts, both so I don’t forget the topic and so I’m not faced with a post to write and no idea of what to write. However, other times I get an idea and either post about it immediately or write a post and schedule it for a blank spot in my editorial calendar. And, of course, changing circumstances require changes to the schedule. I bumped the post I had scheduled for yesterday so I could announce that two of my clients were finalists in the Global eBook Awards. I try to post twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. However, I adjust the schedule to accommodate time-sensitive topics.

    1. Hi Lillie,

      You’ve raised a good point. Even though we may use an editorial calendar, if new ideas pop up, we’ll have to adjust the calendar accordingly.

      Thank you for also raising the issue of time sensitive posts. For those who want to publish something specific for a holiday, it’s necessary to plan for it.

  11. Hi Barbara.

    I sit on the seat of my pants when I’m blogging and I fly by the seat of my pants too! Hehe.

    I admire your style and your consistency where blogging is concerned. The key is knowing what works best for you and working with that. This is what I see you doing and it’s great.

    When I first started blogging I would have a few posts planned ahead of time, but over the past few months I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants.

    I changed my blogging focus and that has a lot to do with it. I will be bringing back some of the old Shades of Crimson in the months ahead, throwing more personal musings into the proofing and editing mix. I’ve missed the creative writing big time!

    1. Thank you for your kind words, Davina,

      Isn’t that interesting how we change over time? And now you’ll be reverting back to what you do so well – creative writing. I’ve missed your creative writing/magical words, and am looking forward to seeing where you’ll go next. 🙂

  12. I blog when the spirit, inspiration and mood strike. I have a little coil scribbler that holds all sorts of ideas, quotes, references, but when my soul gives me the nudge, it takes priority. I shed the world and pour myself into the post.

    In earlier days, I forced myself to write. It shows.

    I also see posts where I had a little gem and I thought it had to be made into a crown. It could have stayed a gem and stood on its own perfectly.

    I’m learning to write from the heart and let my heart tell me when to stop.

    Thankfully, I do not feel my consistency has to be daily or every other day!

    For some reason, I do not automatically receive the “check out” option when I comment. Please forgive me for adding my last post, Barbara – it’s http://souldipper.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/apathy-needs-healing-not-a-spanking/

    1. Hi Amy,

      I hear you. It’s like there’s a post inside of us that begs to be written and if we ignore those nudges, like you said, it shows.

      I like what you said about gems that stand on their own, and don’t need to be made into a crown. 🙂

      No worries on adding the link. I think CommentLuv has been having some issues and doesn’t work like it should all of the time. Hopefully it’s fixed soon.

      1. I SO agree here! I can only think of one post that literally wrote itself and that was when I wrote about my Greek grandmother Yia Yia. It seems like somethings just want to be written.

  13. Planning for me can help me organize my task. Know what to do next. I am used of taking notes because I have this issue in forgetfulness.

  14. I suppose if blogging were my business, I might assign it a particular schedule, but so far, I let the inspiration come, much in the same way as you do. Meditation often gets the creative juices flowing when I’m in a rut.

    1. Hi Letempspasse,

      That’s a good point. Anyone who is blogging for business needs to be more consistent with their posts.

      Meditation. I’ve heard it’s great for creativity building, but I’ve yet to try it. Thank you for the reminder.

  15. Hi Barbara,

    I’m much like you – I need inspiration to write. I jot down ideas as they come, then fill in the content when I find time. On certain days I can have any number of inspirations while at other times there’s zilch. I try to schedule time for writing and that’s when the ideas I saved come in handy. There’s no real guarantee that at those times I’ll actually be creative.

    1. Hi Chris,

      I know what you’re saying, Even if we have dozens of ideas and/or half written posts, there’s no guarantee that just by sitting at our computer we’ll receive the inspiration to finish them.

  16. Your approach is very similar to mine. I tend to look for inspiration around me, my daily interactions and see what happens.

    If I’m “stuck” for an article, I will do certain things to collect my thoughts.

    But other than that, just let it come naturally!

    1. Hi Barry,

      That’s true. If we just let the inspiration come naturally, we’re more apt to produce a good post. I think it’s when we try to force the words, it shows and our blogging voice gets lost.

  17. we have a weekly schedule – different categories assigned for each day of the week. however, we don’t strictly follow that schedule. some days we are productive and create a number of articles. those days, we try to write up as much as we can – then, we schedule the articles for future publication.

    however, on uninspired days, it helps to have the schedule to follow – sort of like working.

    1. Hi John,

      I like your idea of using those creative times to our advantage and write as much as we can. Then, as you mentioned, we’ll have something to fall back on when we’re lacking inspiration.

  18. I just writing down ideas and special topics I want to cover in the future, but I´m using them more if I got no inspiration what write this day!

    That way I got enough time to cover actual topics If I like, but there is something to write whenever I have some time for it!

    1. Hi Benjamin,

      Yes. Writing down our ideas is a great way to create a resource for when we’re not sure what to post. Plus, like you said, it is a good reminder of other topics to share with our audience.

  19. Always interesting to hear about other bloggers’ processes. I find that I blog more consistently when I plan out the month in advance. Unfortunately, I usually do that for a month – then just go off the cuff for the next 4 months!

    1. Hi Larry,

      I agree. When other bloggers share what works for them, we get more ideas for ourselves.

      That’s funny what you said about being organized for one month, and not for four. Give yourself credit for trying. 🙂

  20. I think planning can be good – it offers sense of balance. I like to plan the subjects of my posts, but of course my list remains opened in case new, and more interesting ideas come up.

  21. I just write whenever the mood strikes. I do have quite a few scheduled posts, because the mood tends to strike a few days in a row, then disappear for weeks. 🙂

  22. I never used to plan my blog posts but now with my new one, I’m really thinking things through as I’m trying to go for a specific niche and go for more quality than quantity. Revising a few posts now, scheduling them to be posted sometime this week or the next.

    1. Hi Stocksicity,

      That’s a good idea and niche blogs seem to need more planning. I like you idea of quality over quantity. To me, that’s the basis of a site which can become a hit.

  23. Heh, I do have blogging calendar :)) But this really annoys me sometimes, but then again – it helps to get things done 🙂

  24. Barbara,

    Part of my purpose for blogging was that I have amassed so much reading and research material it was a way to start sifiting through that, so there are many topics or takes on articles that can be done.

    However, your suggestions above have also worked for me. Some LinkedIn group discussions have generated ideas, other blogs, occasionally the main news.

    Some questions I ask when considering the above for topics are:
    Am I going to add a perspective or a take on the topic that has not surfaced?
    Are my thoughts too long to just comment on directly in the discussion or the other persons blog?

    Thanks for the post!

    1. Hi David,

      We never do know when those ideas will pop up, do we? I like the way you ask yourself questions about whether you can add a different perspective or if you could turn a potential comment into a post.

      What I’ve see some bloggers do is comment on a post and then copy and paste their comment and make it into a post on their own blog. In their post they also link to the author who inspired their thoughts.

  25. Barbara, I’m with you on this one. I don’t plan my posts and I write as and when the topic is out there for me to grab. I did think of organising and all that jazz but have never managed to do so. I guess I can never plan anything in life.

    Cheerio!

    Joy always,
    Susan

    1. Hi Susan,

      I know what you’re saying. Planning is probably a great idea, but we also have to make time to plan. If inspiration hits, I don’t know about you, but the planning goes out the window. 🙂

  26. Normally i used to put schedule for each and every thing for my day-to-day life. But while at my blogging hours sometimes my mood seems to be blind and no idea strikes so i felt to blog whenever new idea strikes not mind upon the schedule for blogging.

    1. Hi Family Meal Planner,

      I hear you. Blogging/writing can be based more on our moods than on a plan. Plus, there’s nothing worse than sitting down to blog with the intent to publish something and the words don’t come.

  27. It’s an interesting concept, to run a blog where you need to constantly come up with articles, and the articles you write are literally about the process of coming up with articles for a blog. Very meta!

    That said, waiting for inspiration to strike and forging ahead with no plan is the only way some people can work, while its absolutely toxic for other personality types! Personally I tend to fall on the former side.

    1. Hi Freddy,

      If we ONLY wait for inspiration to strike, we could get ourselves in a position where our blog lacks material, however what I’ve found is if I have the blog in the back of my mind, ideas will emerge throughout the day so all is good. 🙂

  28. I took a week blogging vacation so I scheduled three older posts. When I came home I checked my stats. It was educational to learn that my readershipe actually DOES increase when I write a real fresh post. I suppose my readers are getting to know me and see when something is new or recycled.

    As far as where I get an idea from? Heck, I’ve been known to rewrite for hours.

    Thanks for your great topics. Barbara, I think you are a natural teacher.

    Julie

    1. You’re welcome Julie and thank you for your kind words.

      You’re right. Although “recycling” older posts is a good way to revive those old topics, our regular readers do catch on.

      I hear you about rewrites. Some of my posts never see the light of day.

  29. I haven’t tried using a blogging calendar yet but I do plan what to blog about and when to start but i don’t really have some exact planning on when to complete everything. i just go with the flow. But I guess this is a good idea. To have a plan so that you have to set your goal on when to complete everything and start another post.

    1. Hi Tina,

      True. Having a plan works well for when we have projects stacking up and we can check each of them off the list upon completion. My problem is I keep adding to the list. *sigh*

  30. I rarely plan my blogging. I just belt out a few posts when I have some time free from my wife.

  31. Barbara,

    The majority of my posts are unplanned and inspired simply by my day and night’s activities. I might share a quick snack idea, or a cost effective craft that I did with my kids that day, or share my chore routine or grocery planner.

    When I have a great idea pop into my head that I might want to cover later, I start a draft post and complete it later when I have time to take photos of the activity or food.

    I will often be sitting in bed and have that magic lightbulb go off in my brain, but I just can’t justify crawling out of bed to start a post 🙂

    Unplanned writing, to me, has a more genuine quality, one with a little less planning and polish. I like to hear what people say when it’s a little more off the cuff. My life is far from neat and tidy, its not edited or polished, therefore neither are the majority of my posts. It rolls off my brain and into the computer it goes.

    I hope to be approachable and friendly…too much editing and refinement sheds a far different light on me.

    Best Wishes,
    Brittany

    1. Hi Brittany,

      You’ve raised a great point. If our posts seem too structured, we could easily come across the same way.

      Like you, if I get an idea I’ll try to at least get some sort of a draft started. Unfortunately, what I’ve found is sometimes when I go back to the draft, I’m not as excited about the idea any more.

  32. As if I don’t have enough deadlines and “committments” in my everyday 9-5 job. The last thing I need to do is bring more scheduling into my life.

    So no…I never plan my blog posts.

  33. I schedule post times for each blog…I schedule writing time 6 days a week – much of that time turns into posts. I schedule studying and reading times into each week..

    Right now I am up to my eyes in veggies and apples and am here alone…I just get done what I am able to do and I would like to take a couple of days of rest/ play…I could use some “down” time…

    for 40 years I had to write papers every week – formal papers and then for 8 of those years lectures and study guides each week…I am trying to relax this pace and make more room for living life 🙂

    1. Hi Patricia,

      WOW! You are SO organized. I don’t know how your do it.

      Your closing line holds a lot of truth, not just for you but for a lot of us bloggers; we do need to make more room for living.

  34. I love to have a schedule and plan out what I am going to write and when. However, my muse isn’t all that cooperative. Lately, I’ve noticed that my most brilliant blog ideas come streaming out of my head while I’m at work stuck in a board meeting. It is amazingly frustrating when that happens. Regardless, I’ll start scribbling down on the pad of paper in front of me all sorts of ideas and topics for my next blog post. I think my boss believes that I am a really good note taker.

    1. Hi Aidan,

      That’s funny – about you making blogging notes at a board meeting.

      Yes. We are dependent on our muse and as you know, when they show us, we need to pay attention. We never know when they’ll return.

  35. When I started blogging, I always had my best ideas when I was trying to sleep. Was kind of annoying, but because I wrote down my ideas on a notepad on my night stand, I always ideas for the follow day’s blogposts.

  36. I used to plan out a schedule on when to write and which topic to cover but I found it to be very time consuming and stressful because I wanted to keep my fan base happy and entertained. I realized that life was too short. Now I only write about 1 to 2 articles a week and I find them to be a lot better because I write what inspired me or peek my interest now.

    1. Hi Loc,

      Sometimes the planning part can be more stressful than if we just go with the flow. Although we all want to keep our readers, I believe they want us to be true to ourselves even if that means publishing less often.

  37. You’re blogging without a blog! How can I do that?.. lol

    Btw.. I like the way you wrote every article in this site.. and I love comments section. It made me took time to write something here. 😀

  38. In terms of what I would write, that’s pretty spontaneous for me. I write on the things that I find interesting. But since I also need to spend time with work, I schedule when I write and upload it on my blog.

  39. I get ideas by subscribing to various RSS feeds on my topic and although I like to keep a few posts in draft ready to use I frequently make one on the fly when the time comes.

    1. That’s a great source of ideas too, Dave.

      Reading others’ content similar to my own is a common source of inspiration. I was writing for a comedy blog for a while, and every time I browsed theoatmeal or hyperboleandahalf, I got pumped and wanted to make something awesome. 😛

    2. Hi Dave,

      That’s another good place to get inspiration – RSS feeds. Not only to we get to read what someone else feels about a topic, but we can take the same subject and put our own spin on it.

  40. I’m actually more like you. My blog is seldom updated because I don’t have ideas nor stories to share everyday. At the same time I’m busy doing stuff outside the virtual world that I don’t have enough time to sit in front of my computer and think of a good post to write. That’s why I never got my own domain because I’m afraid it will be wasted since I won’t be able to update it anyway. But I guess I would have to ride by your tips. I had no idea that this kind of attitude could still get me ideas for something to write about.

    1. Hi Stomach Hurts,

      When real life keeps us away from the computer, that does make it difficult to keep a blog updated. You could always use one of the free blog platforms and that way, you haven’t put out any money.

  41. It’s very obvious that your posts are very inspiration drive and that every one of them has a real and genuine idea and a question behind them.

    I like that, but I have to push my inspiration a little bit by scheduling my posting. If I was to leave it all to that moment, I think I wouldn’t write more than a post per year!

    1. Hi Ana,

      Although a lot of my posts are inspiration driven, I do have days when I’m inspired to write more than just one draft. (I love those days 🙂 )

      Scheduling posts, as you do, can actually be inspiring, too. Although we may have days when we draw a blank, making ourselves accountable can draw out inspiration too.

  42. You’re welcome Milena,

    Have fun digging through the archives. There’s lots of information here, and don’t forget to read the comments, too. What others share can benefit anyone on their blogging journey.

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