Beat the clock

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been blogging now for eight years. I was thinking about why I’ve enjoyed it so much. The answer has been an interesting one for me to analyze.

On one hand, I love having a blog because I enjoy the constant need to come up with a new idea or a new piece of content. I love the process of being creative and coming up with new worlds or thoughts that didn’t exist on screen or paper in the past.

Image by Christina Morillo by Pexels.

At the same time, I love how blog writing engages my planning and editing gene. To keep up with a blog, you need to be constantly in edit mode. I love the trimming that you do as a blog writer. I would never say that I’m grammarian, because I’m not, but I am a puzzle lover.

I love seeing how one piece fits here, but doesn’t fit there, all while the clock is ticking down to the time when I need to hit publish. It’s like a real life game of Tetris and I’m falling behind. I need to catch-up or the clock is going to do me in.

Yes, yes, I love that blog writing brings together all the different things I love about writing. Of course, I want to know, why do you blog? Do you love it? What about it do you find appealing?

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47 thoughts on “Beat the clock”

  1. As a writer, and like many other writers, I too have a skull perched on my desk. It’s a stark, yet profound reminder of our fleeting time on this earth. Each glance at it propels me to pour my thoughts and ideas onto paper, seizing every moment to express myself. It symbolizes the urgency and the finite nature of our existence, urging me to write fervently, capturing the essence of life before time slips away. This skull, a silent yet powerful muse, constantly nudges me to embrace my creativity, leaving behind a legacy of words that outlive the ticking clock.

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    1. Nicely said. We have finite time, we need to embrace our creativity. I’m going off on a crazy tangent, but it reminds me of why I like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton and the song Hurricane so much, especially where he talks about Hamilton writing his way out of turmoil in his life. “I wrote my way out, Wrote everything down far as I could see, I wrote my way out, I looked up and the town had its eyes on me….” Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I started blogging because I was at a place where I discovered I had a muse, who was waxing eloquently about thoughts inside my head that I had never shared before. I continue to blog even though I don’t see my writing as eloquent any longer, mostly because it is a safe place for me to be genuine about myself in ways I can’t be without the screen in front of me as a barrier of sorts. I also continue to blog with information to share and because, just perhaps, something I write will be of some kind of help to someone who reads it.

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  3. I definitely love blogging. I started (nearly 11 years ago) as a way to practice writing, but what I’ve come to love about it is the fun (and sometimes challenge) in deciding what to write about and especially the unexpected connections with people from all over.

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  4. For me, blogging and writing has always been a way to see my thoughts: to distil the abstractions in my mind into concrete truth. It’s been an outlet and a way to share. In short: Expression and community.

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  5. We so do not blog in the same way, my friend. There is no clock ticking for me 🙂 Of course, if I had a sense of urgency, maybe I’d have less posts in my draft file!! It feels that I start some posts, get distracted by something I have to take care of and by the time I get back to the post, it feels dated. Oh well. I won’t stress over it because I want it to keep being joyful.
    I love the blogging community. The ones where there is give and take. I usually lose interest in those who don’t acknowledge my comments. (I’ll give them a couple of chances, first.) I don’t expect to be followed back just like I don’t automatically follow back those who do follow me. There is nothing worse than seeing a blog pop up in my inbox and my first thought is: “sigh… oh no. I hope it doesn’t go on and on… ” Or, worse, My inbox contains six from the same blogger. Mind you, I change the settings for the ones I do like so I get only one email per day (I hate the Reader, you see) with a link to 2-3 posts only.

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      3. That’s right. And the multi-posters have to understand that most of us can’t just read them all day 😉 I can’t even fathom once per day, never mind many times a day!!

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      4. I know there are some multi-posts a day folks out there. I would suspect that WordPress doesn’t meet their needs all that well. I would expect that Instagram or Twitter would better meet their writing needs. I’ve posted six days a week this year. It’s been interesting to seeing what effect it’s had on my writing. I’m thinking about posting two or three days a week next year. If I keep up my Saturday quotes, I would be posting four days a week. I’m not sure I count that as a blog though since it’s just including a few quotes. We’ll see.

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      5. What blows my mind is those who write many long posts per day! A quote, a photo, a short poem, is one thing – those you can spew out easily… but long stories? Whoa. Twitter or Instagram would not work for these peeps, methinks.
        A few years ago, I did a sort of Advent calendar. 24 days of posting in a row – and I still did a couple FF or other challenges so I was – gasp! – posting more than one per day here and there. I couldn’t wait for Christmas Day! It was way too much for me.
        But, as you say, to each their own.

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      6. I think the thing to remember is that they have to be working ahead, meaning when they have time, they’re working on many different posts. I try to work a little ahead. I have a few posts in the can that I’ll run later this week and early next week. Thanks to work and other obligations, I’m never able to get too far ahead. And that’s okay. That’s what works for me. For someone else, it may be enough to write it out and publish it all in one sitting. I try not to compare myself to others. They may have less demands. They may have help writing. Who knows. I’m me, this is what I do. If it’s not fun, then I’ll stop.

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      7. That’s the main thing, isn’t it? It has to be fun (unless it’s a job and all jobs are not always 100% fun) and you have to enjoy it. Some people are very organised and yes, plan ahead, others, like me, are more stream of conscious (which may or may not take more than one sitting!)

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  6. As I explained in my first year of blogging, I do it to say things I can never bring myself to say out loud. I’ve always been more comfortable expressing myself through writing, plus it allows me to go back, edit and rewrite when I want. What is said aloud, unfortunately, can’t be unsaid.

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    1. Oh yes, I can relate. I’m much better expressing myself via writing than verbally. I have time to be creative or to think of a comeback. On the spot, I feel so limited. But writing, I feel I’m much better able to get to the heart of an issue. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I write real time too Brian and although stressful because of the clock. it keeps me honest. Although those edits that we’re so lucky to have don’t always get updated as quick as I like. The first day I didn’t preview, I later saw I posted Edwards review twice.. Yikes. Oh well, all is not lost, I fixed it. With that said, posts could be perfected if I planned ahead but then maybe they’d never make there way out. ❤️🥂

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    1. I schedule most of my posts, but I don’t get caught up over the the clock. It’s there to help, not constrain me. If time becomes too much of a problem, then, okay, I just don’t post that day. The goal of blogging is to share and have fun with others. Thanks so much for sharing Cindy. You’ve got a lot to say and say it so eloquently!!!

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      1. Oh i should start trying for that more, like today.. WTH am I sharing? lol. and I don’t have all day. ha. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I love the community we have which is the gift. hugs and love❤️🤗

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  8. I’ve been blogging for a bit longer. I think it’s about 12 years. It started out as a time set aside to search God’s Word and find stories in life that related to the Word. Practical application, I guess. I’ve been fortunate to have a husband that allows me that time, even though I am trying to direct most of my attention towards him these days. I’ve made some amazing friends through the process. I’ve learned that I’m very much of a caregiver and through these friendships I’ve been able to share words of healing and encouragement. I also love poetry and have dabbled in that through my blog. I always enjoy reading the other blogs too. I truly enjoy your posts.

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    1. You enjoy my posts? Ha, ha, they can go in some crazy directions some times. I apologize for that. I didn’t specifically start out with a religious theme in mind, but I do hope my posts come off appreciative of God’s blessings and offer positive thoughts and hope to others, mixed in with a little sarcasm and humor too. And yes, I’m lucky too. I wouldn’t be able to blog if my wife wasn’t forgiving of my time. She knows that when I’ve been able to write, I’m much more relaxed and less anxious. I’m calmer and more myself. But I wouldn’t blog if she didn’t give me the time. Thanks for sharing!!!!!

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  9. I have taken my fair share of time away from blogging since first starting one years ago. I enjoy reading other blogs, and sometimes I spend way more time reading and commenting on those sites than “tending” to my own. I love all the friendly connections made, and having just returned from a recent “walkabout” of nine months or so away from the blogosphere, it’s so nice to see so many folks are still active – like yourself! Life events also dictate how much time I can devote to blogging, but it is time well spent when I do.

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    1. Yup, life does tend to dictate sometimes, how much time I spend on my blog and how much time I spend reading other blogs. I do feel bad sometimes, because there are times when I don’t have a ton of time to read others. I feel bad about that, but read what I can.

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  10. I love that you look at blogging as a puzzling sort of challenge Brian- keeping the gears turning and creativity flowing. I hope that keeps things fun and interesting for you for a long time to come 🙂

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  11. I started blogging in 2014 after a friend kept bugging me to start a blog. She knew I loved to write and was working on manuscripts and magazine articles. I find it a great way to express myself which I don’t find bogged down revising a manuscript that may never see the light of day. I also enjoy the blogging community that is so supportive.

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      2. I get frustrated with my schedule, with myself, when I can’t read everything that I want. I know it’s not tit-for-tat, but I think I’m a better writer when I’m reading. Sometimes it can be hard though. You’re so right though. I didn’t start blogging to read other blogs, but I’m convinced that it’s made me a better writer. Ha, ha.

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  12. Perfectly described. Even I live randomly stringing sentences like puzzles until they fit and make sense- and it’s something that comes naturally. It’s really fun to watch how the final sentence falls into place. 😊

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  13. I just love writing, and blogging gives me the creative outlet lacking in my professional day-to-day SEO-focused work. My blog also serves as a time capsule of my life, one that dates back 20+ years. It’s great to look back sometimes and see how much my life has changed for the better.

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  14. Before I began working in ecommerce, writing has always been my muse, even if I didn’t do anything but write. You have to have a passion about the craft and what avenues that craft takes you. While I am still writing in and for other areas to intensify SEO as Mark alluded to, you have to have a joy for doing what you do. ✍🏼 Look honey, no matter what, that clock is going to keep on tickin’, whether you write or not! ⏰⏳⏲ Cheers! 🥂

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    1. Writing for me for the most part is always fun . . . it only gets difficult at times. Usually in a corporate setting when I can’t be my authentic self or when a collaborative give-and-take exists. I created my blog originally because I was having a of run bad reviewers who were leading by analysis by paralysis and were overstepping their roles, forcing grammar errors into my writing. Hence, I started the blog to give me an outlet. Ha, ha.

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      1. Oh honey, I can understand those “EXPERTS” who can be idiots sometimes. 😝I agree, you have to have an outlet to keep from losing your grip! You are doing marvelous my Comedic Improv MegaStar! 🎭

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  15. I blog because I’m passionate about teaching and want to help parents and fellow teachers. The unexpected joy has been making a community of good friends. Two fellow bloggers have even visited my classroom.

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  16. Your comment about being a puzzle lover is so interesting. I never thought of it that way but what a great observation. Yes, puzzling through the writing, puzzling through life – blogging keeps me present.

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