Avoiding Pumpkins

You can't move a letter without putting forth the effort.

The one thing that people keep asking me with regard to my blog is how do I find the time to write and post every day? Well it is quite simple really, I work the graveyard shift. Being that I am the only one up in the middle of the night it is easy to find some quite time to sit at the computer and jot a few notes about what is going on that day, what happened yesterday, or what happens to be on my mind at the time.

Finding time isn’t hard but figuring out what I am going to write about can sometimes be a challenge. I have a few weekly topics/series that provide plenty of fodder but they don’t account for every day of the week. Every week I know that there will be one Rotary related post, one travel post, and a “quote” of the week. Other regular topics include the Mason related postings, occasional networking events, and genealogy centric posts will soon become more prevalent. That leaves a lot of days to fill in.

In this instance I am fortunate to have some OCD writing tendencies. I have an excel file with all the ideas that rattle around in my mind. Most of the time I am able to get them scribbled down on something before they evaporate. To date, I have been diligent about this so that I have a list of topics that will take me through October. With that said, when a time sensitive subject or if the mood strikes me to write about something else, this digital calendar allows me to easily shuffle around the scheduled content. Every once in a while I can even get ahead and take a day off here and there.

Obviously, that has not always been the case as I have taken some postings down to the wire. But, knock on wood, I have yet to turn into a pumpkin and the slipper has always fit even though it sometimes causes blisters. And, fortunately, there has only been a few times where someone has reacted like I was Gus yelling “Happy Birthday!” I guess that is bound to happen when you share your opinion and limit the amount you allow yourself to be censored.

On the flip side of my OCD writing tendencies is the fact that I am constantly struggling with the internal editor yammering on and on about limiting repetition, eliminating clichés, over-saturation of adjectives, and just being long winded in general. I am making a concerted effort to silence that voice when writing this blog but it is a daily/nightly chore. This is designed to be an open, free flowing, sometimes rambling forum with the simple purposes of production, routine, and discipline. Hence, the daily posts.

During this time of transition and uncertainty, blogging on a daily basis forces me to focus on one thing for at least a small portion of the day. Sometimes I reflect on the good things in life, sometimes I vent about the annoyances, and sometimes it is simply a matter of recording experiences so that I can recall them in the future. Regardless of the reason on any given day, I am focused on writing and trying to free up my overly rigid creative process.

This is why I chose to write every day and why I force myself to develop content. What motivates you to write? Do you have a specific area where you write? How do you find the time? From where do you cull your content?