How I Blog (Which Is Different Than Why)

Every blogger is different.  We all have our own way of doing things, and our styles vary just like our topics do.  No two bloggers are the same, unless one is ripping off the other's material (which is a BAD thing to do!).  I blog in my own way, and I'm sure it's probably different from some and similar to others.

For starters, I usually write my blog entries two days before they are published.  Some blog posts are written the day before, and sometimes in a rare case the posts are written that day.  I do this because I want to have some time to go back and reread what I wrote before it's published.  I delete things that are too much, I try to think about how others are going to read the post, and sometimes just the act of walking away is helpful for the whole process.  I have a whole folder full of blog posts that need work because they aren't quite right yet.  I may never publish them.  But the stuff I do publish has usually been read, edited, and fixed a few times.  Sometimes when I have extra time I make stock posts for when things get pretty nuts in my life and I don't have time to blog.  These posts I find tend to be the best.

After I write the post, I reread it.  And then I try to come up with a picture.  Some days I have more time than others, which would explain how some of the pictures I use are amazing and other times I just post random pictures that I find on my camera because the post is going out in a few hours and I don't have time to find a better one.  Or the topic is so nuts that it's nearly impossible to find a picture.  Or my brain stops working and I'm not being creative that day.  The last option is most likely the cause ;-)  Then I look at my Labels.  I try to use the same ones if I can, but sometimes I like to make up new ones.  It's a control thing.  I'm getting better at Labels and I've been trying to update my old posts.  It's not perfect but I try.

Once my post is published, I go back and reread it again.  I check the links because preview doesn't let me check them.  Even though I read them a bunch beforehand, this is usually when I find mistakes.  Go figure.  So I try to read them right at 9am if I can or shortly thereafter.  So I fix the spelling errors if I catch them, fix the links if I notice they are broken, and I sit back and wait.

A little while later, my Twitter feed picks up the new post and posts it to Twitter.  I don't post to Facebook because I don't have a separate profile, but I'm thinking about getting one just for my adoption stuff.  I really like the new Timeline feature for my whole adoption thing.  But for now, I'm not dealing with that.  Another project for another day.  So anyway, I make sure my Twitter feed is updated because I'm trying to keep tweeting.

Then I just wait for the comments if I'm going to get any.  I don't always get them and that's ok.  I try to respond to as many as I can, but I usually sit down and respond to all of them at once across several posts.  Doesn't always work out that way, but it seems to more often than not.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

So that my dear readers is my blogging process.  Hope you enjoy!