Monday, October 26, 2009

random thoughts about blogging

when i sit down to blog, i type away. my thoughts spew out of my head and onto the screen. although sometimes i've thought about what i was going to say, i never quite know how it's all going to come out until it does. as soon as i finish typing, i publish. i don't reread and obsess about how it all sounds, or if i've offended anyone, or any of that. sometimes i think twice about writing certain things because i'm afraid someone out in blogland will take offense, but i think i should just write what i want to write because it's my space. so i do. sometimes i am impatient and let it all spew out without giving all the thoughts and background that i feel i should.

some of the blogs i read are so well thought out, and seem to cover all the bases of the topic at hand. most of you are much better writers than i, and some of you spell things wrong and it drives me crazy ;)

so tell me, what is your blogging style? do you edit, review, reread?do you let things sit in the draft folder for a few days? hold back for fear of coming across in the wrong way? i'm curious...


13 comments:

Just me said...

I write what I'm feeling, but do think about it a lot too. Of course, I think about everything a lot... too much most of the time. I generally know what I want to write about because my brain is so constantly going-going-going, but sometimes things come out when I'm writing that I didn't realize before I started.

Since I've acquired readers, I do worry about offending people. It makes it a little harder to just 'dump'...

And I do reread, but only because I want to make sure I've explained it right and that my spelling is correct. ;)

Courtney said...

I tend to have some sort of topic in my head to start and sometimes the post goes that way and others it gets COMPLETELY derailed! I guess I type where my thoughts go.

S said...

Most of the time what I post is written "on the fly," and I don't go back and edit it thoroughly.

Occasionally, though, I have posted on topics that I have given much thought or that have a higher-than-usual potential to be hurtful to some readers. Then I usually let the post sit and re-read and edit it before posting.

One Who Understands said...

I do read through each post before I publish it. I have OCD with grammar and spelling. (Not that I am perfect at either all the time.) I never hold on to them for days. What i am feeling in the moment needs to come out. So I type, edit, and publish. I enjoy your writing. I think we should be able to post here without worrying about everyone else. Isn't that what we do IRL all the time!!!

JB said...

I don't typically save drafts; once I have a thought and begin to commit it to a blog post, it's on like Donkey Kong within minutes. I tend to edit as a I type (I am a writer by profession, so it's habit) and will usually end up re-editing once or twice right after I publish the post to correct spelling or grammar goofs. I am a word nerd. But I definitely don't worry too much about offending people. They are free to comment (with my moderation, of course) and/or unsubscribe anytime. And I agree, if there are tons of misspelled words, grammatical errors, or formatting mistakes on a blog, I do tend to avoid it. I guess I equate clean writing with eloquence, which I value in at least small but detectable quantities.

Amy said...

I usually have a topic that I've thought of for a while before posting. I think that for me the act of posting helps me work out my thoughts. So, I have my topic, and sit at the compute and just let my thoughts flow.

I do a bit of a re-read and hit publish.

Finn's Mom said...

I usually have a quick topic in mind and then I blather on and on about it, making the post 5x longer than I meant it to be. I'll proof-read it once, more for spelling and grammatical errors than content, and fling it out there. The only times I've found myself editing my writing is when I feel like I put something more personal out there than I meant to -- not feelings or emotions, you guys can have all of those, but something that my neighbors or co-workers might be able to recognize.

Unknown said...

When I started my blog I gave my family the address. Many of them still read it. I think that makes me a much less honest and interesting blogger. I'm always thinking about what my family would think or I don't post/vent about things because I know they are reading. I've thought about starting a new blog, but have yet to do so.

Aside from that I basically just let things flow. I do 'publish' and then double check to make sure that I didn't f-something up. But that's about all.

Lin said...

I usually have good intentions about writing drafts and polishing them before publishing. I did that the first month. Since then, I haven't been able to find the time! Some days posts are better than others for me...better thought out, more coherent.

Writing is cathartic for me, so I write mostly to get it out and coagulate my own thoughts. But, I also hope that our experience is helpful for others which is why I share it versus journal it.

So, most days, I start with a topic in mind and free write from there. Other days, I've had something brewing in my head for a long while...my own internal Drafts Folder, I guess! :-)

(I love your blog, by the way! ;)

Hillary said...

First of all, I think you are an amazing writer! :)

I blog much like you do....on the fly. I try to re-read to catch grammar and spelling errors, but HATE it when I go back to an old post and find some glaring mistake. Grr.

Sometimes I do have a thought that I mull over in my head and start to write in my head, but it often comes out in the post differently. Some posts take more thought, time, and effort while others are purely throwing emotions out on the screen.

Interesting topic!

Michelle said...

I publish, then re-read at least once.
Like everyone else, my blog starts out as once or 2 sentences and turns into something much bigger than that.

irrationalexuberance said...

I usually go in with an idea and then type until its done. Sometimes where I end up is not at all where I thought I was going to, so I revise a little bit. And always spell check.

I'm sure that I should be more careful about offending people, but I'm so careful about that IRL that here I just consider it my safe space and hope that people realize I didn't mean any harm.

Beautiful Mess said...

I am pretty sure my blogs is one of the ones that drive you crazy with spelling mistakes ;o) I don't edit myself, I do check my spelling, I SWEAR!) but if I say something wrong, then I say something wrong. If I offend someone, that sucks becuase it wasn't my intention. But if it came out of my head and onto the screen that way, then that's the way it stays. I NEVER have anything in my drafts. I do put up a little disclaimer if I'm being extra pissy, whinny, moody, or whatever. Cause sometimes others don't really feel like reading my whine/bitch fest. Ya know?
*HUGS*