Blogging on Blogging Part 3: Revision and Publication

Scott’s comment on part 2 of my Blogging about Blogging series reminded me that I never wrote about the revision and posting process.

Originally, I was going to go back to my draft from Part 2 and re-write it as a demonstration of the revision process.  Seemed like a great idea at the time.  After  messing around with a bunch of strike-throughs and trying to explain why I was moving things around, I realized that I wasn’t really explaining anything about the revision process.  Plus, it was becoming impossible to read.

Which is exactly why revision is so important.  It’s not just proofreading.  Revision is as much about refining ideas and tightening up arguments as it is about grammar and syntax.

But, at some point, you have to get to the grammar stuff.  I know enough about my own writing to look for some of my common “mistakes” and writing “clutches”
For example, I’m quite fond of starting sentences with clauses (see below).  This isn’t necessarily wrong but it does get annoying when every paragraph starts the same way.  Here are some examples from  Part 2: Drafting.   I’m sure you can find plenty in this post as well .  (What kind of clauses are these, anyway?  I’m  lacking in  proofreading vocabulary)

• Like any kind of writing, the process of blogging
• According to this incredibly helpful article from MIT, the drafting process is supposed to be writer-centered.
• For the most part, the process I use for writing blog posts
• As I’m drafting, I don’t worry much about structure

Another area I always look out for is the length of my posts. Writing for the Web 101 tells us that shorter is better.  And it is.  But I have a lot to say, damn it!

Since short, pithy blog posts aren’t my specialty, I focus a lot of my revision time on cutting the text.  I go through and try to reduce redundancies where possible and shorten sentences if I can. My posts are still long in the blog world, but I try to keep them at a manageable length.

After I cut out as many unnecessary words as possible and look for those annoying introductory clauses, I re-read the post one final time.  I go through and add in links, run a spell check, add in tags and categories and click  “Publish.”

The great thing about blogging is that even after the post is published, it isn’t done.  I often go back and edit posts once they’re published.   I usually change one or two things post-publication and then call it done.  Although revision is an ongoing process, at some point it has to be finished.

Much like this post.

Blogging about Blogging, part 2: Drafting

I’m back from New Orleans and I promise to write a re-cap post once I have a couple more photos to include.

For now, however, let’s re-visit our earlier conversation about the blogging process.  Like any kind of writing, the process of blogging can be broken down into four steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.   Choosing topics falls into the pre-writing category, so let’s look at the other steps.

Drafting: According to this incredibly helpful article from MIT, the drafting process is supposed to be writer-centered.  Get your ideas out, they tell us, and worry about going back and revising later.  To a certain extent, this is exactly how I compose my blogs– I write out everything I want to say in one fell swoop and then I go back and revise. 

But I also revise as I go along.  Sometimes I’ll have a good idea in my head before I start, and sometimes it comes later.  At other times, I get deep into my “drafting” zone and whatever brilliant nugget I thought of earlier never finds a “place” in the natural flow of things. 

Sometimes I don’t even make full sentences or paragraphs.  I’ll simply type out the “nuggets” and build paragraphs around them.   The transitions will come later, I tell myself.  Sometimes they don’t.

For the most part, the process I use for writing blog posts isn’t that much different from the other types of writing I do.  I try to think a little more about what the audience might want to read, but that’s about it.  I try to keep my tone more conversational than I might in work-related copy and I try harder to keep  my posts more on-topic than in personal emails, but the process itself is pretty much the same.

As I’m drafting, I don’t worry much about structure, unless I have a clear-cut idea of what I’m going to say.  If it’s a top 10 list of my favorite books, for example, the structure/organization will be pretty easy.   If it’s just a rambling post about my latest idiotic adventure, I might go on and on and on for ages before I figure out where the “good parts” are.

Zach Morris Moment: If you can’t tell by now, I’m intentionally writing this post as an example of a “draft.”  The more I write the more I realize I’m rambling and I need to revise.  For illustrative purposes, I’m fighting the urge to cut, move, and refine the text above. 

Sometimes I have an outline.  Either in my head, on the screen or occasionally, on paper.  Sometimes I have almost all of the post written before I even open up my laptop.  It just depends on the type of post and the complexity of the subject.  

There is no outline for this post, for example, because even though I knew I wanted to write about the blogging/composing process, I’m not sure what I want to say about it.  In fact, I was originally going to write just one post about how I blog, but the first post was so long I decided to break it up.  Had there been a pre-determined outline for the first post, the subject of actually writing the blogs night have just been a sentence or two.

Zach Morris Moment: At this point in the “normal” writing process I would realize that this post has become too long and rambling and is not yet ready for publication.  I would also realize that it’s 11:15 p.m. and Mad Men comes on in 15 minutes.  I would normally hit “save” and re-visit this post at a later date.   Instead, I’m going to hit “publish” (without even spell-checking) and hope that my explanation that this is just a draft is enough to keep the hecklers at bay. 

(Seriously, people… I know this isn’t a well-composed piece of work. Go easy on me)

Blogging on Blogging: Choosing Topics

Inspired by this post from the always-entertaining FilkBlog, I decided to reflect upon my writing process for this blog; From how I choose my topics to the actual writing and editing of my posts.

First up… Choosing Topics

My topics tend to fall in one of these categories:

• Posts inspired by other blogs, websites, etc.
  (see: this very post; Wordle, I’m Looking At, Five Finger Discount)
• Regular features like Website Wednesday and Foto Friday
• Events– trips, parties, etc. (aka: here’s what I’ve been doing, usually with pictures)
• Reviews–movies, tv, books, restaurants, etc.

Even within these broad categories, however, choosing topics is kind of hard. 

I always struggle with what is and isn’t blog-worthy.   For each post you see here there are probably 4 or 5 posts I was going to write, but didn’t because I thought they were too lame or boring.

How I “manage” my blog ideas is quite unique:  Sometimes I’ll start a post with just a title (My Summer Staycation, for example).  I’ll save it in WordPress and I’ll come back to it.  For the time-sensitive stuff, I will sometimes pre-write them and set them to publish on the appropriate day (Wednesday or Friday).

I also have a running list of possible blog topics saved as a draft email.  That list is much vaguer more vague than the list of unpublished posts sitting in my WordPress queue, but sometimes when I’m in the mood to write and I can’t think of anything, I’ll refer back to this list to jog my memory.

For the other bloggers out there, I’m curious to hear your process for choosing topics.  Do you keep lists of ideas?  How do you edit yourself and decide which topics are “ready for prime time?”   Do you force yourself to blog at pre-determined intervals or just when the mood strikes you?

Blogroll… please!

(Get it? Like: “Drumroll… please!” I’m witty) Since I can’t seem to think of anything interesting to write and I’m riding the wave of high blog stats the last couple of days, I figured I’d introduce you all to the sites on my blogroll. Share a little bit of the love:

• Blogging Project Runway
  I’m a huge Project Runway fan. And, like any crazed fan, I like reading the blogs as much as actually watching the show. And sometimes more. This is the best Project Runway site on the web. It’s well organized, easy to follow and has GREAT writers and contributors. Best of all, it’s well established and many of the designers/producers/models from the show allow access to behind-the-scenes stuff.
• Meanderings by Bonnie Schuenemann
  Bonnie is a friend of mine from college who has a job that takes her around the world. On her blog you’ll find write-ups of her travel adventures, including logistical debacles, local color and loads and loads of pictures. It’s not updated very regularly, but grab a cup of coffee for one of her posts and prepare to be entertained, amused, and (I have to say it) a little bit envious.
• Dispatches from the Island by Jorge Garcia
  Garcia plays Hurley on Lost. I love Lost. I love Hurley. I love this blog. Mostly because he’s such a regular guy and posts regular-guy stuff. There aren’t Lost theories or spoilers on here, but it’s fun to check in and see how the “real life” Hurley is doing.
• illini_girl
  illini_girl is a friend from high school. Her blog inspired me to start one of my own. She proves that the everyday can be interesting and has quite the following. You’ll see frequent comments from me there as well as posts that are interesting, inspiring, and sometimes downright hilarious.
• Pop Candy
  It’s the USA Today pop culture blog and one of my top 5 daily “must visit” sites (along with myspace, facebook, yahoo, and now wordpress). Whitney Matheson is the blogger there and links to the best stuff– music, movies, web sites. Although it’s pop culture, it’s not really celebrity-driven. You’re more likely to read an interview with Joss Whedon than the latest Britney/Lindsay/Paris scandal here. Which is why I like it. Plus, I might have a teeny girl crush on Whitney.
• The Fink Link by Lisa Fink
  Lisa is a friend/coworker of mine. Her brand-new blog is all about her family houseboat trip this summer. I’m hoping she’ll continue to blog now that she has returned.
• Scott Filkins’ blog
  Scott is another friend/co-worker who started his blog as part of the inaugural National Writing Project site at the University of Illinois. Most of his posts center on literacy/teaching kinds of stuff, but you’ll find the occasional post about his family. Much more cerebral and deliberate than many blogs, you’ll find Scott’s is full of substance and ideas. And Baseball.  Scott is a Cubs fan, so it’s not all serious!
• Stuff White People Like
  Just a funny blog I like to read. Lately it’s become more of a promotion for their book. Apparently, lots of bloggers are signing book deals. Not me, though. Damn. Maybe we should find a way to spin “Kristi’s last flingus” into the next big thing in blogging.
• Post Secret
  Again, nothing earth-shattering or new here. Also turned into a book. I like to periodically check in and read other peoples’ secrets. One of these days I’m going to submit one. But I’m so vain I’d probably have to link to it from here for bragging rights :)

So, consider yourself introduced. If you have a blog or a favorite web site you think I should add, let me know. I’m always looking for more ways to waste my time!

Here We Go, Again…

Goal: To blog every day this week (yes, I know it’s a holiday), starting with this Monday morning freewrite.

I got out of bed and had a million things running through my head: my review today, the work I need to get done, the laundry I didn’t fold. Then I took the dog for a walk. Ideas there, too… I even thought of a brilliant title for the blog I was going to write.

I get inside, give the dog a treat and open the computer. I remember that I need to check something for work. So I do… and get totally sidetracked. I’ve forgotten all the stuff I thought of first thing this morning and the witty blog title is gone. I guess this means I really should write FIRST THING in the morning. Like, before doing anything else.

Oh, and now I remember. The blog I was going to write was all about fear. It’s a recurring theme, but for some reason it’s not in my tag cloud. Maybe later.

I’ve also been thinking about different ways we can use the Web 2.0 technologies. Everyone is assuming we need to build everything into OUR site. Would it be so bad if we were simply a feature of another site? What if we developed a facebook app? Or simply a group? What if we used Ning to create our own social network instead of building it from the ground up? Could we use Yelp to get members to rate conference sessions? Journal articles?

I’m making it my personal duty to research these and make some reccomendations. I’m a user, after all… not a developer.

15 mins are up…

For Reals

We’ve established that I’m horrible at blogging. In an effort to get better, here are some random happenings:

• Some bratty kid kicked my dog at the pet store the other day.  Just walked right up and kicked her.  Then the parents SORTA said “sorry” before picking up the kid, hugging her and telling her it was okay.  Um, no… it’s NOT OK!  As my friend said: “that’s how serial killers start.”
• I’m thinking about getting a bike.  There’s a local bike co-op. I think I’ll go tomorrow and see about getting a bike.  I want to bike for a number of reasons:  exercise, transportation, saving the environment.  Those are good enough reasons, dontcha think?
• We’re learning to write for the web at work.  I’m trying to use the tools to start an intra-staff blog. We’ll see what happens.  It’s amazing how little people know about this crazy new internet thing.  Even the developers.  Weird.
• I’m hating that WordPress took away the “insert image” link.  Now I have to add it as “media”?  WTF?  I liked it better when I could just steal from someone else.  I guess that’s the point, huh?
• I finished a book this month.   Which doesn’t sound like it should be THAT big of an accomplishment, but I’m still reading On the Road from May.  Just can’t get into it. I really want to like it.  It’s got sex.  It’s got drugs.  It’s got counter-culture.  But I’m just not as into it as I want to be. 
• I’m also reading a book about Web 2.0 (or Web Twenty as the cool kids are calling it).  Very interesting.  I’ll post a review when I’m done.

If a Tree Falls in the Blogosphere…

Does anyone hear it?? I’ve completely neglected this blog. Not because nothing interesting has happened. In fact, TONS of interesting stuff has happened in the last couple of weeks. But in a bad way.

No, I’ve been absent for a number of other reasons a) i’ve been dealing with other stuff that I’m not sure I want to share with the world, however anonymously b) it appears people are only coming to the blog for photos and c) I just haven’t felt the need to write.

When I decided to start this blog, I thought it would be a fun way to write about stuff I didn’t feel comfortable sharing on my mySpace blog. For that reason, I didn’t promote it to my friends and family, I don’t have pictures or links to the “real” me… I guess I (vainly) thought blogging was like Field of Dreams; If you blog it, they will come.

But I realize now that having a successful blog takes commitment… daily writing, interesting posts, promotion. I guess I could do that. If nothing else, I need to get back to posting every day. But do I really want to go through the work to promote my blog? Especially since I don’t know what I’m writing about? Or why?

The other challenge is how much personal stuff to share… 99% of the things I want to write about have to do with friends/family/coworkers…. but I don’t want to give too much away.

Anyway, this is a long meandering post. . . with very little resolution. Maybe I’ll figure it out one day.
~Peace

Let’s Talk about Stats, baby!

I was going to do another morning freewrite when I logged onto wordpress, checked my blog stats (as I do obsessively 3 or 4 times a day!).  So I decided to scrap the freewriting idea and focus on the sexiest idea I could think of–blog stats!!

Even before logging in, I was anticipating what I would find.   I’ve been getting really high hits because  I “borrowed” a couple of photos: one for a post on Lost and the other for a poetry post.   A poetry post describing my dislike for poetry, nonetheless. Yesterday was my “best day ever” in terms of blog stats.  Funny, ‘cuz I didn’t post anything yesterday.  Go figure!

Now, I’m happy that *anyone* is coming to my blog.  And I’m thrilled that people are looking at my Lost stuff, if even for a moment.  But that poetry post was a complete throwaway… Yeah, the image is super cool, but I just don’t get why people are coming to it.

I know that in the blogging world, it’s all about the numbers. How many hits, how many subscribers, etc., etc. But that was never my intention, which makes it even more ironic that I’m obsessed with that little bar graph.  I doubt that I have many regular readers.  I get more comments on my mySpace blog than I do here, but what tickles me is when I open my blog stats and see REAL stuff.  Yeah, it’s only 4 or 5 hits, but I think it’s cool that:

• There is a Yahoo group devoted to Henry Ian Cusick, and they were talking about my blog, if only for a day
• The guy at SF Signal agreed with my reasoning for loving Lost
•  At least a few people are reading this from their Google readers and myYahoo feeds

I’m not really sure I want to “market” this blog.  Yes, I love to see that little line spike high, but this blog is a mismash, it doesn’t have purpose, it doesn’t have a defined angle.  Hell, it doesn’t even have good writing most of the time.   But I do love it when people stumble upon me, so I think I’ll go ahead and link to those uber-popular images again, so maybe–just maybe– someone might read this as well!

I’m Thinking Of…

My friend who lost his dad…  He was only 60 years old. An alcoholic, but a good guy.  And his mom died years ago.  Now my friend doesn’t have *any* parents.  What’s that like at 29? I mean, my MOM still has a mother.  Yeah, she has Alzheimer’s and is in the hospital right now.  But she’s still alive.  Shit, my DAD still has a mother  and he’s almost 65.  Why does my grandma get to live until she’s 90 while this guy’s dad kicks the bucket at 60????

What’s it like being 29 years old and an orphan?  Especially when you don’t have a very close relationship with your sister?  As a side note, my brother just said: “and it’s not like he’s close to his sister.”  That kinda made me all warm and fuzzy inside.  Like my bro realizes what we have is special.

Back to what I’m thinking of. Mortality. Death. The futility of life.  But, it is what you make of it, right?  I don’t want to turn out like that poor soul.  Alcoholic and alone.  But, what am I right now?  Alone and drunk with 3 dogs running around and my *mom* delivering me Taco Bell!  Is that pathetic?  

I don’t usually sit around drinking by myself, but I figured I had nothing better to do.  Does this mean that in 11  years my kids are gonna find me passed out in a diabetic coma?  Are the papers gonna get my survivors’ names wrong?  What will my legacy be?   Let’s hope it’s not this.

Wow… that’s some deep shit.  All because of drunken web surfing. 

I’m looking at…

I stole this idea from http://simmonssays.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/writing-exercise/.  I’ll totes give her credit.

I’m looking at 30.  Yeah, that’s right. I’m getting fucking old.  One of those legendary stories growing up was how, at the age of 3 or 4, I said that Madonna should retire from being a singer because she was 30. Because she was ancient.  And here I am… 29 years old… turning 30 in a mere 9 months.

I don’t feel ancient. In fact, I don’t feel grown up.  I have a house. A dog. A mortgage. Shit, I’m dog sitting my moms pups tonight.  But I’m plowed.  Ruby Red Absolut + Fresca + Top Chef = One Hell of a Wednesday Night in my book.

So, if we take the question more literally, what amI looking at?  Well, the computer screen, obviously.  And my reflection in the mirror.  Since I was a little girl I’ve always been obsessed with my own appearance.  Not too bad, I say… maybe a little pale.  Definitely a little pudgier than I was last year.  But I’m a cute girl… or so I tell myself.

What else do I see?  I see a futon.  I see purses.  I see a room that needs to be cleaned.   I hear dogs in the other room playing with something they’re not supposed to.  Maybe I should go check on them.

So the dogs were in their crates. Good puppies.  Then my brother called to say he sold his house. Yay!

Now I’m looking at my dog and the black dog fighting.  This isn’t as interesting as I thought it would be.  I’ll try again later.  Maybe when I’m sober.