Time For a Change?
The Blaugust 2022 blogging event is entering its final week and the writing theme for this climatic period is “lessons learned”. According to the event schedule “this week is a reminder that the goal of Blaugust is to refresh the content creators out there for the coming year, and not to burn them out in the process. Some folks are going to cross the finish line and immediately go dormant and others will want to process their thoughts about the proceedings. This space is reserved as a bit of a cooldown lap so that you can share your own experiences”. For me Blaugust has not only reinvigorated my enthusiasm for blogging it has also improved my writing schedule. Furthermore it has given me an opportunity to consider some potential changes to Contains Moderate Peril. Changes that I now need to decide whether to implement or not.
Ten Philosophical Questions
I’m not sure where it came from but I have a page of allegedly philosophical questions bookmarked in Google Chrome. As it’s filed under “blogging” I suspect that these may have been saved as an emergency source of inspiration if I were in need of a writing prompt. Well I’m not exactly brimming with ideas today, so I’ve decided to avail myself of this list. I selected 10 questions randomly and shall now proceed to answer them. I am not claiming that my answers are as philosophical as the questions. I shall no doubt be flippant, sarcastic and possibly a little scathing, but I’ll endeavour to answer the questions properly (if they merit it). As I’ve said before about previous internet questionnaires that I’ve completed, sometimes what at first glance looks like lightweight material can inadvertently lead to some interesting discussions.
Motivation and Being Realistic About What You Can Achieve
I’ve written posts in the past that take quite a “scorched earth” approach to the subject of motivation and maintaining a regular writing schedule. You can come at this subject from numerous angles, offering advice couched in psychology, gentle encouragement or cold hard logic. However, I find that blogging comes down to one thing and one thing only. If you want to do it, you’ll find a way. And believe me, I don’t say this out of some misguided sense of superiority or smugness. I have skipped numerous days of blogging because I chose not to. I wasn’t too busy or strapped for ideas. I just couldn’t be bothered or wanted to spend my time on something else. That’s not to say that the encouragement of others and events such a Blaugust don’t have any impact upon people’s writing output. I believe they do. But the biggest factor determining when you do and do not write is you.
You Are Your Own Brand
I’m sure I’ve written directly or indirectly about this subject in the past but some things bear repeating, so here goes. You are your own brand when it comes to blogging, streaming or podcasting (other forms of content creation are available). It doesn’t matter if you write exclusively about some niche market subject or produce videos solely about a single aspect of fandom, your personality will inevitably bleed through into the content you post and your audience will sooner or later pick up upon it. Humans are social creatures and we are naturally curious about each other. I certainly am. I follow numerous blogs and a substantial part of their appeal is their individual and unique styles and personalities. I will happily read blog posts or watch videos about subjects I’m not especially interested in because I like the content creator and the way they express themselves.
The Blogger Tag
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a sucker for an internet questionnaire. Yes, I know such things are considered in some quarters as somewhat lightweight content. But not every blog post needs to be an insightful analysis of crop rotation in the 14th century or a searing indictment of the latest internet outrage. Sometimes answering a few simple questions in a light hearted fashion can be quite illuminating. Plus readers like to get to know something about the bloggers that they follow and internet questionnaires are a means to that. So without further ado, here is a set of questions known as “The Blogger Tag”. I first encountered this over at A Geek Girl's Guide care of Michelle. Do go and check out her take on these. Also feel free to use them yourself, as that is the idea behind answering them.
Draft Posts
If you write in any sort of capacity, you will no doubt have a virtual folder somewhere that is filled with draft posts. Posts containing ideas that either ran out of steam or never quite coalesced to your satisfaction. Such posts may be just a few words long or a fully developed article. A list of bullet points, a lone paragraph devoid of context or an unedited stream of consciousness. Yet whatever the posts format it remains incomplete or unpublished. Sometimes the reason for abandonment is clear. The premise was wrong, the moment has passed and things have moved on. Perhaps the subject has been sufficiently elsewhere. Hence these posts languish in blogging purgatory. Undeveloped but conspicuously not deleted. Who knows, maybe you’ll return to one or two of them some day. Sadly, the reality is quite different. Once a post is consigned to the draft folder, it seldom escapes. Just like people from poverty.
Getting Your Writing Environment Right
For my first post of Blaugust 2022 I am returning to the subject of your writing environment, as I believe it has a significant bearing upon one’s writing (or whatever other content that you create). This is the third time I’ve tackled the subject. I initially wrote about my new desk in 2016, when I first tried to set up the spare bedroom as my office. This plan was partially thwarted by the arrival of my twin granddaughters, who needed to use the bedroom when they stayed overnight, resulting in a logistical compromise. I published a second post four years later and by that time the children’s cots had been replaced by a single spare bed allowing me to use the room as a proper office. As of today, my desk is now pretty much how I want it and provides a suitable environment for me to write and conduct research. It also accommodates a lot of my leisure activities as I am a PC gamer.
Get Ready For Blaugust 2022
Yes, it's that time of year again. When our community of bloggers, streamers and podcasters come together for Blaugust 2022. The event is intended to celebrate independent content creators and their work, as well as encouraging those who are new or and returning to the field. Blaugust 2022 is all about offering a helping hand, sharing each other’s work and having fun. It is an event I participate in every year and one that I find personally very beneficial. It is a great way to meet and support new writers and make friends. I also find that Blaugust is key to revitalising my own enthusiasm for writing, which flags from time to time. I’ve been blogging in some shape or form for over 15 years and like any hobby, my relationship with it ebbs and flows. At present I’m not writing as much as usual and finding it harder to find subjects I wish to explore.