I’ve been blogging since 1999 so my workflow is a very finely honed precision process.
Not.
I do have one, of sorts, and it has changed many times over the years. When I decided to refocus on my blog, I took the time to figure out the best way to get thoughts into words, and those words onto my blog.
The inspirations
My ideas don’t come from one source, they come from RSS feeds, news articles, conversations, or just thoughts that occur to me throughout the day.
This post was inspired by Michael (who was inspired by Mike).
I’d say about 80% of my posts are inspired by something or someone. I suspect most bloggers are the same. Even back when I started, I was reacting to newspaper articles and things I’d read online. Blogs have always been conversations as much as they are opinions.
The ideas
As I’ve mentioned before, I have many draft posts, and this is how I collate my ideas. I have tried using lists, notes, and all sorts of other ways to capture things but it’s just as quick for me to open my writing app of choice, create a new blank sheet, and dump in the topic, the link that inspired it (if there is one), and a few lines of text to capture my initial thoughts.
Sometimes I’ll write a line or two, sometimes I have the time to just start writing and let myself waffle on for a few paragraphs and, when I come to a natural stop —usually when I start to get unsure of how to continue or finish the post— I step away from it and it sits in my Drafts folder until I’m ready to revisit it.
I currently have 39 posts, although one is a set of ideas on a theme so likely closer to 50 posts waiting for me to revisit them.
I’ve found that my best pieces benefit from a period of fermentation, typically I’ll read something else later on that reminds me of the draft and upon revisiting it with fresh eyes I can see the weaknesses and flaws. It’s the part of the writing process I enjoy the most.
Yes, I do sometimes delete drafts when I realise that they are not as interesting to me in hindsight as I thought at the time.
Of course, sometimes I get an idea and complete the writing and editing in less than an hour. When the muse arrives, we simply follow her lead.
And remember, I write this blog for me, these are my rules.
The writing
I do try and post a longer musing once a week (currently on a Tuesday) and so from about Sunday onwards I start looking through those drafts and reading what I wrote, seeing if any of them still grab my attention and, if they do, I dive in and start fleshing them out. I tend to challenge myself to improve the flow of the text, as well as to look for different opinions and thoughts that might be opposite to mine, and seeing what else that prompts within my writing.
I guess the editing part is fun —sometimes, when editing something I drafted months ago, I find myself questioning if I actually wrote it (in both good and bad ways)— I find reading through the post in my head the most efficient way to capture the flow and cadence of what I’m writing and, whenever I edit, I find myself returning to the advice William Strunk gave more than a century ago:
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid detail and treat his subject only in outline, but that every word tell.
William Strunk, Elements of Style, 1919
The weekly cadence —which I only hold for my longer musings— gives me enough structure without turning blogging into another obligation. Tuesday is more of a gentle target than a deadline, so if I miss it, I miss it. C’est la vie.
The posts
Ulysses can post direct to WordPress, so once I’m happy with a post, I hit the Publish button, add the categories there, and make sure it’s set to Draft.
Then I head to WordPress to add a featured image, make sure any links work, and either publish or schedule the post.
For a long time I didn’t bother with images in my posts, but I find it more appealing, visually, to have something on the website rather than just a wall of text. Finding the right image isn’t always easy, although Unsplash usually has something that captures the mood I’m looking for.
The summary
As you can see, it’s hardly a sophisticated workflow.
I’ve tried various systems but none have stuck, so instead I work with a folder full of half-finished thoughts that I hope one day I will find enough interest in to finish.
Despite what every new productivity tool promises, there isn’t a perfect blogging system. Most of us are just fudging our way through and making things work. Whilst there are some things I may look to change about my process in the future, what I have right now works for me.
All I really want from a workflow is something that quietly gets out of the way so I can spend my time writing instead of thinking about writing.
Ohh and coffee. That is a key part. Obviously.
What are your thoughts?