To Blog or Not to Blog
Here’s a quick thought I just want to share with you, in case you’re wondering whether you should start a blog (or even if you’re currently blogging and are thinking you need to up your content level).
Stop thinking about it so much. Stop analyzing every single word you’ve just written. Stop holding your finger from the Publish tab. Stop trying to find that perfect phrase to say what you’re thinking. Stop giving yourself reasons not to post.
Instead, offer the one single reason why you should post – because it’s not perfect.
Raw is human. Raw is personal. Raw is exactly what you want to say at that given moment, and that makes it what you should say.
By all means, if your blog is corporate-minded and you need it to be “just so” for legal and other reasons, then do take more time and care.
But for the rest of you (and that includes me), forget the perfection. Forget the reasons not to. Your readers want your voice, not fabricated perfection.
Ready to blog?
photo credit: Sarah Nitt
54 Responses to “To Blog or Not to Blog”
Great post Danny.
If I didn’t force myself to push the ‘publish’ button within immediately after finishing a blog post, I’d never get anything published.
Have a written some bad stuff? abso-freakin-lutely. Good stuff? I think so.
Stop worrying and jump in and start writing. It’s the only way you’ll get better at it.
.-= Eric D. Brown´s most recent blog post …Three words for 2010 =-.I love the “abso-freakin-lutely” comment, Eric. I wish more would take your approach and share the warts and all posts – I bet there would be some amazing ones.
Thanks Danny.
I don’t have enough time in the day to fix all my messes…so I do what I can, say what I can and try my hardest.
Sometimes trying my hardest doesn’t quite get the job done perfectly but it gets it done.
Nothing will ever be perfect so why waste time piddling with a post to make it so?
.-= Eric D. Brown´s most recent blog post …CIO as Leader or Manager? =-.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Danny. I’ve had a few people approach me about starting a blog and invariably there comes that remark about a fear of not ‘getting it just right’. I think whether you’re starting to blog or have been for awhile, it’s important to remember that writing is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets and tasks that felt herculean soon seem effortless.
Besides, it’s the imperfections that give a blog its character and unique voice. And in this every growing blogosphere, that’s an incredibly important feature to have.
That’s a theme that I saw on a couple of blogs yesterday, Tanveer – that the “same old, same old” doesn’t cut it any more, and it can be easy to get sucked into that when you over-analyze and try compare to someone else.
Tell a story, in your voice, in your words, and I’ll be more a fan of you than the most perfect blog post around.
Funny, some of my more “popular” posts always seem to be what I like to call the “throwaway” posts. You know, the ones you don’t put a lot of time and effort into. The ones you just rip off in 10 minutes flat.
Plus, one of my goals this year is to blog at least three times a week–every week. I’m not quite at Superstar Danny Brown status yet, but I’m coming for you!
@arikhanson
Haha, you and your funny way with descriptive words
I agree mate – the ones that just flow and go out the publishing door without a thought can resonate much more than the polished ones.
Danny, You’re on a roll here. Like Arik my goal is to blog more often this year. One way is to type, review once and publish without sweating every quote or link. The more I write, the more inspiration I find in every little thing and if not better, it’s somehow getting easier.
.-= Davina K. Brewer´s most recent blog post …Like a Bad Neighbor: When Direct Marketing Fails =-.Ah, but it’s the little things that can make all the difference, Davina – look forward to seeing what you come up with
Hi Danny,
First time over here at your blog, saw this post through a retweet on Twitter. I love it! Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of your stuff.
As for this post, just want to say that I love the raw element this post has in itself. No frills. I agree that some of the best posts might just be the ones you write in 10 minutes or less.
Thanks for pointing this out.
- Sam
.-= Samantha´s most recent blog post …SJOgborn: About time. Avatar Hits $1 Billion In Ticket Sales In 17 Days, Already No. 4 All Time Movie http://is.gd/5LTNH (thanks @stacykinney) =-.Hey there Sam,
Welcome – delighted to have you, and thanks a lot for dropping by! Hope I can keep you entertained, and feel free to share your thoughts anytime – it’s where I often get the best inspiration from.
Cheers!
“Your readers want your voice, not fabricated perfection.”
That’s just awesome, Danny. Perfectly said!
.-= Tim Jahn´s most recent blog post …Flashpoint Academy =-.Great post Danny!
One that I am still working on, and you’ve read some of posts and know that I am not perfect, don’t care much what people think of me etc. But we all need a reminder like this. Thanks for that!
.-= Bill´s most recent blog post …Overly Complicated? =-.Glad to read this post. Well said.It is our imperfections that make it all real. Say it in your own voice.
.-= Felix Diamond´s most recent blog post …Jacob Zuma, A True Man =-.Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good!
I’ve even gone so far as to recommend that people create “throw-away” blogs if they’re not sure they want to do this. Make a blog on a free service, screw around with it for a while. If it’s good, graduate to the big kid’s table with a self-hosted WordPress blog.
Just jump in. Life is boring otherwise.
.-= Michael Martine´s most recent blog post …The Ultimate Guide to Blogging Income =-.Love this Michael.
Harry Beckwith said “Don’t let perfect ruin good”….that’s a motto I have to live by.
.-= Eric D. Brown´s most recent blog post …CIO as Leader or Manager? =-.Oh, yeah. This really resonates with me.
Sometimes, good enough is good enough. Law of diminishing returns, and all that.
Great stuff, Danny.
Funnily enough, that’s one of the reasons I created an account at Posterous. There are times when I think of stuff that’s a little too long for Twitter, but maybe not long enough or “right” for here. It seems to have been received well and has led to longer thoughts here, so it’s definitely been a bonus for me.
That’s why blogging is great even for those who speak English as a second language. We can see past all the imperfections and get the soul of the message.
.-= Gordie ´s most recent blog post …Old Tianjin Is Destroyed. =-.I’d completely agree – writing what you think, when you think it at a time when it is most relevant is the most important thing. Loads of people get completely blocked because they desperately try to get the perfect blog post, then by the time they publish, it’s old news…or someone else has already said it.
Very True Danny. Last time I tried that though I got alot of people complaining about the two spelling er-ors I made, and one of them commented with an error as well. (see what I did there?)
Nearly broke a rib laughing.
Anyway, to the point, you are completely correct. Editing, editing and editing can make a post sound like some corporate press release with no heart and soul. Its the little mistakes that make the piece real sometimes. Though, I am not condoning spelling and grammatical errors, that can just be lazy, but Im human, so these things will happen and I hope I will be forgiven form them in light of the effort made to write the post in the first place.
BTW, I’m still waiting for that Christmas present you promised me to arrive Danny. Where is it eh? EH??!
.-= Justin Parks´s most recent blog post …WordPress Security Plugin Login Lockdown =-.What did I promise for Christmas??
Funny you mention corporate press releases – I see some PR blogs that appear just like that, and I wonder if it’s the culture of the agency or the culture of the blogger. And does that dryness come across to clients, and if so does it help or hinder.
Oh great – now you’ve set my mind off about a follow-up post… cheers!
You didn’t promise me anything for Christmas to be honest, I was just hoping to pressurise you into sending me something small but expensive, like a Bugatti Veyron.
.-= Justin Parks´s most recent blog post …WordPress Security Plugin Login Lockdown =-.
I’d add one more point: don’t get hung up in mid-post because you can’t get that perfect sentence. Keep going, and come back to it later (or just let it be).
I say this as I’m writing the middle of my next column because I haven’t figured out how to start the darn thing yet. If I were to wait around for the perfect opener, my editor would never see anything.
Great point, Daria – it’s almost like the “Pass” option on a quiz question. It doesn’t mean you’ve lost – just that you have the option to return and improve on your score if you really need to.
I just found myself taking a deep breath and letting it out. Why? Because this post is permission, from someone I respect, to be imperfect.
And that makes me breathe better.
Thanks Danny.
Cheers Frank, that means a lot fella – imperfection is perfection to me.
Hi Danny,
Sharing, commenting, participating is what this social media stuff is all about (I should do more of it).
Advice: Don’t try to be a Danny Brown, Chris Brogan or Jim Connolly – (a few to mention) Trying to measure up will only prevent you from writing and posting. Everything you have to say is important and if it’s from your heart, it will resonate with others and people will learn about who you are and what’s important to you…
Thanks for the inspiration Danny – wishing you and yours the best in 2010 and looking forward to learning and being inspired by you in the new year
You make a great point about being yourself, Mark. That’s really going to separate bloggers even more this year and beyond, especially with some bloggers turning more to books as a source of sharing their thoughts. The space is ripe for new voices – make sure yours is one of them.
hehe, yeah, absolutely right you are!
I will be prolific this year – finding ones voice and plowing ahead is the best way to improve after all.
WojtekWell said sir – at the end of the day, YOUR voice, YOUR perspective is what sells, it’s what’s compelling and interesting. We have to stop worry about what EVERYONE else is doing and start worrying about how we can be unique and share a little innovation. Great post my friend.
Cheers Matt – looking forward to seeing what you’ve come up with for next week.
The over-analytical, always-striving-for-perfection people like me need this kind of reminder. Much appreciated.
.-= Nikki Stephan´s most recent blog post …Test Shows You How Creatively You Think =-.I write, give it a once over and publish! Then I find myself looking back and finding a crap load of typo’s…so I fix them and move to the next thing on my to do list, which is usually to write something else.
I try not to sweat the small stuff, just write and publish is my modo!
Thanks Danny
“Just write and publish is my modo” – love it, Owen, cheers!
I kindly disagree with you. I’m a writer. A serious writer who writes comedy. Comedy is one of the most difficult things to write. Especially if dealing with a serious issue. If a person does it well, then the work behind it appears effortless. Still serious, but easier to digest.
I say ‘appears’ because it takes focus and care to ‘appear’ effortless.I have worked with many writers over the years as their editor. The ones who turned in rough and raw, caused me the most headache as I painstakingly combed their pieces to make sure it connected and it rarely did. They often used the wrong words, causing confusion. They often left out sentences to backup the points they set out to make. The ‘unknown’ editor steps in and helps them along. That is the editor’s job, but in my opinion it should be the writer’s job.
Bloggers don’t have editors. And it’s often quite obvious.
If a writer disregards the editing process that writer is more than likely a sloppy one. Editing does not mean ‘censoring’ your words, editing means tightening up what you’ve written and cutting out the excess that doesn’t further the piece or add to it in anyway.
There is no reason to have a 1000 word blog ‘IF’ you can actually make your point in 500 or less. Brevity is golden. And it’s more likely to be read by more people if it’s short, concise.
Adding flourish is fine, it’s lovely and some are great at it, others are not. That of course is the same in every art form.
There is no such thing as ‘perfection’ however some people have high standards for their own creations and those standards are first and foremost to please ‘themselves’ before presenting something to the public with their name on it.
The best writers are considered the best because they have created a ‘structure’ to play in and creating that structure actually gives them more freedom to break down the walls they themselves created. Starting out amorphously isn’t how everyone works. Even Bukowski, who appears to just whip it out, had a ‘structure’ and it’s the same with every novelist I’ve enjoyed in my life. The ‘structure’ is rarely noticed by a typical reader (a.k.a. a non-writer reading the work.) And that’s how it should be.
Most of the ‘raw’ words I read via blogs are navel gazing rants. Train wrecks. People love those but don’t respect them. Is a writer seeking respect? Pretty much everyone would like respect for their art, yes.
RAW? Many do envy that someone will put themselves out there and spill the beans on things they hope to never hear in person, sure. Some folks wish they could be so ‘open’ … but we need to define ‘open’ I doubt my definition of ‘open’ is the same as others definition of it.
I recently guested for you.
Had I wanted to throw out a malicious rant judging the masses for behaviors that I too sometimes exhibit, sure I could have done that. But I chose after the first draft to instead do something entirely different. I’m happy with my choice. I was able to make the same point but in a more accessible way using rhetoric and misdirection. Whatever labor involved is behind the scenes. I may make a joke about it, exaggerate the labor, but if I do it’s only for “affect”…typically if I do it’s my brand of self deprecating humor.Regardless, after a work is done it sits there up for interpretation and there is nothing one can do about how another reader will take in the finished words. Except that the writer can try to actually convey them, lay them out lucidly before hitting ‘submit’.
This comment is 783 words. And it is raw. And it has my name on it. I won’t rework it even though I know I’ve missed a few points or reiterated some more than necessary, plus I could probably chop it down a great deal. Would I post this on my own blog ‘raw,’ absolutely not. Why? Because I write comedy and none of this is funny. See how easy it is to be serious? Great, but the world is already too serious in an unfunny way. That’s why we need goofballs like me and the others who prefer to turn life’s grueling day to day into humor. And Danny, that takes hard work to do. I’m glad people enjoy what I do, but not as many would if I did it ‘raw’ and frankly I write to be ‘read,’ and out of respect to my readers, I cook my raw and I’m glad I do.
.-= Ct Kingston´s most recent blog post …How To Comment Blogs =-.Hey there Christina,
Thank you for such a thoughtful and insightful comment. I agree completely with what you say as it attests to writers. However, I’m a firm believer that blogging and writing are two different mediums. Yes, you could say that you’re writing words so that makes you a writer; but very often a blog will offer a far more personal insight to someone than a book or magazine article will.
You make a fantastic point about writers having editors, and agreed, this is needed. Yet it’s the fact that bloggers generally don’t have editors that makes me enjoy blogs more than “normal” written prose.
Blogs are free; often written prose isn’t (books, newspapers, magazines, etc). You expect more “professionalism” then, which is where writers and editors will differ from bloggers. That’s not to say that bloggers aren’t professional either; many are.
I definitely hear and agree with what you’re saying, but as I say, I see them as two different beasts and my personal choice is always raw and personal blogging over perfected prose.
But, that’s the beauty of choice and opinion
Thanks again for such a thoughtful comment, really appreciate you stepping in from a writer’s viewpoint.
Absolutely! I agree that blogging is more a free-for-all, much freer than a novel or a magazine article! When I mentioned that I’ve been hired as editor (former jobs I’m glad I no longer have to do) I actually was editing blogs. Almost exclusively and for heavily trafficked websites. But of course there are even popular blogs, heavily trafficked w/out editors, many of them, and they include rawness. But again, sometimes what seems ‘effortless’ was indeed worked on, worked over before posting.
I do think some blogs have prose. A few of them are in my Google reader
I also think that whatever it is I am ‘reading’ is considered ‘writing’-but just not the kind in books or magazines or newspapers, absolutely. agreed yes yes!Absolutely!!!!! And thanks for the Danny Brown blogging!
.-= Ct Kingston´s most recent blog post …How To Comment Blogs =-.
Thanks Danny
Found you via Jim Connolly,and like your take on things. This takes the pressure off….Thank You!I try to sensor my posts about as carefully as I sensor my casual conversations with people. Our minds are amazing.. set them free… Fagaddsake, just say what’s on your mind! Thanks!
I like how you said, “raw is human” we’r not perfect, and i agree. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Appreciate itSome of tips is true. Thanks
Danny:
I am so thankful for this post! I am fairly new to blogging and I can’t tell you the countless times I’ve stared at my screen, evaluating every darn word! I’m my own worst critic apparently. My philosophy has been to write as I would speak…which is about as raw as I get.
Looking forward to more great posts.Missy
.-= Missy Jensen´s most recent blog post …Over the Top Direct Marketing =-.That’s exactly how I blog, Missy, by writing what I’m speaking inside. Seems a good way to go
Great post.Thanks for sharing your post with us.I felt really good after reading it.Thanks again !!!
We “met” in #sbt10 chat tonight. As I was browsing and reading, I stumbled upon this post. No truer words on blogging. It took quite a while pondering on starting a blog. At first, I started blogging just little newsy items that caught my eye and about my day in Colorado. My blog is simple, the way I like it.
Soon it was apparent to me that “unemployment” was trending and a topic that I could and still can relate to. Blogging is my way of relieving the stresses faced every day. Surviving in the recession is just what it says – how to make a dollar stretch, where to find assistance, ways to convince Senators & House Representatives to vote for their constituents – well I could go on and on but you get the idea.
Happy blogging everyone!
Elaine Murszewski recently posted…. Detroit Michigan August 28 – Rally-March
Hey there Elaine,
First, it was great to see you at #sbt10 last night, look forward to more thoughts from you!
That’s a part that many folks overlook when it comes to blogging, the de-stressing factor. Even if you don’t publish, just getting the things that are bothering you off your chest can be a great stress reliever, like you say.
And less stress can only be good for everyone.
@Elaine Murszewski Your wording leaves me curious!
You wrote,
” I stumbled upon this post.”
So the question is—did you? SU it? I’m silly. But can’t help wondering!
Well, I seem to be late to the game here! Not sure how I got here, but I’m glad I did.
I’ve read through the comments and have come to a conclusion: You are so damn right!
My blog/site is terribly unpopulated right now, yet I’ve got 50 posts drafted and (maybe) ready to go.
This is a terrible waste of energy, space and time! What was I thinking? That I could make them better? No, I’d be much better off to post them and write more! That way I’ll move the lamer early posts down the line in my “recent posts” area! Soon they’ll virtually disappear, unless I want to dig them up, or if someone happens to “like” them.
I disagree with Christina for the same reason you do. Blogging and writing are two very different things. I am a writer, so maybe that’s what’s been clogging up my output line.
I’m going straight to the dashboard and hack a couple o’ those babies out right now!
Thanks for the permission.
@PaulaLeeBright Better late than never, Paula (and another reason I don’t switch comments off after a certain period of time has elapsed).
Sometimes I think we get too enamoured with perfection. And, as David Siteman Garland says, perfection is imperfection anyway.
Looking forward to seeing your sudden influx of posts!
Absolutely, some of the most interesting blogs I have read are just quick updates from people with those perfect little slices of life.