Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Thursday, October 13, 2011

End Result

Besides the fun projects in previous posts, my days were filled with dog sitting, vet visits for sick dogs, and dinner company. I most definitely was not idle during the blogging break.

I have been almost daily blogger since I began writing in July 2010. And I have loved every moment. The brainstorming of ideas, the writing of postings, getting the pictures, launching and reading the comments ... all great fun. And the social and emotional needs that lead me to blogging were met.

Blogging, however, is very time consuming. I don't know how others write, but for me it is a multi-step process. It goes something like this:
  • Ah - a possible idea idea!
  • Drop the idea in a draft post.
  • Write free form whatever my fingers and brain decide.
  • Read it - it is crap ... what were my brain and fingers thinking?
  • Re-write.
  • Read again.
  • Edit, edit, edit.
  • Take pictures
  • Organize and name pictures on my computer.
  • Upload.
  • Edit some more.
  • Pick a date and "Publish."
  • Edit daily until the publish date arrives (shouldn't be necessary but I still find ways to simplify, correct, fix grammar ... right up to the end).
I knew blogging was time-consuming, but when I took a break, I became so productive in the house with other stuff, I was a bit embarrassed by the time I had spent on the computer.

So the long and short of this posting is that my blogging schedule will slow a bit. I can't spend so much time on the computer.

I know that most successful blogs publish everyday, sometimes several times a day. I will try to blog 4 times a week.

We will see how that goes. And maybe I will have time to catch up on reading all your blogs as well.

Cheers!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I follow some bloggers who are extremely sporadic...weeks pass with nothing...don't worry about it. This is supposesd to be fun not worrysome. If you force yourself to post when you really don't want to, you will eventually drop out. We don't want that to happen.

Retired Knitter said...

Oh my ...

I NEVER have to force myself to blog. In fact, backing away from the computer will be very hard to do a few days a week ... I am sort of a blog-a-holic!!

But what I discovered was that some much needed other stuff got done.

No, no, no, no, no! ... I am not going to drop out. And I have about 12 draft postings sitting in the wings calling my name, and the A to Z Challenge just lunched their own blog and I have to keep up with that, and I still have about 125 backlog blog posts I need to catch up on, and I was thinking of re-orging my blog a bit, and ... and ... and ...

See what I mean ...

I probably need an Intervention ... but I am also trying to pull up my grown up panties and take care of this growing obsession myself first. LOL

happyone said...

I just sit down and write about my walk when i get home. I save it and write again later in the day about my day. I would say it takes me about 1/2 hour to write. I don't really think about it much.
I spend most of my time reading other peoples blogs!!!

Anita said...

And I find myself thinking, Oh I've been online way too long, I'll just scan the blogs I follow....but I know that I should leave a comment now and then, so i'm taking time right now to do that here! I am still following your blog and I am still finding it interesting, and I thought I'd better let you know!

Retired Knitter said...

Thank you Anita. I follow your blog as well.

And Happy One, the formula for your blog works beautifully for sure.

Noofy said...

Wow, I never thought you put so much time into blogging. Is it me doing it all wrong? I'm more like Happyone, I write about my day. I skips days when I don't have anything to write about. I too spend more time reading my fellow bloggers than I do on my own blog. I love sharing our lives, especially the comments!

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Blog when YOU feel like blogging and don't spin your wheels so much. We'll be here when you appear!...:)JP