What To Write When You Don’t Know What To Write

by | May 28, 2015 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo

We are going to step back in time a few days.  1keyboard

It’s Sunday afternoon.  This is the day that I write several articles for this website.  But I have a slight problem.  The time I was going to be doing a bunch of writing, I got a phone call and had  to stop.

We needed to help a friend.  She wasn’t feeling well and we could not reach her on the phone.  So I packed up the laptop and we drove over to her place.  Turns out she is doing better and has a plan in place to continue to do better.

We ended up taking her dog for a walk.  90 minutes later we are grocery shopping.  After that we watched the final ten laps of the Indy 500. Finally at some time in the afternoon we both go off to our corners of the house and chill.

For me, that was going to be writing a few articles.  But first I decided to check out a few emails and ended up watch some old Letterman episodes.  Meanwhile, my wife is making a sandwich and I do the same and then once again, it’s back to writing.

But I have one problem.

I have one day that I need an article for and I don’t know what I want to write about.

See, I have the article for Monday done.  Tuesday and Wednesday too.  I did those a few days ago.  The article I was going to publish on Thursday, I move to Friday and that leaves me with a hole.

That hole is for Thursday.  The day I need an article.  I start digging through the ScLoHo archives.  That’s a collection of stories I wrote years ago on another site that I could republish here.  But nothing catches my eye as I read.

That was Sunday.  And then I had an idea.  The idea was to simply start writing about my day.  Each word, each sentence, just sort of flows from my fingertips to the web as I write this article on what to write when you don’t know what to write.

And then I was done. If you’ve read this far, you’ve read it all.

Another article is coming Friday and each weekday next week too.

Why Write Every Single Day?

by | Mar 20, 2015 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo

An article about habits today, excuse the rambling.

Why do we do things over and over and over again?

Some things are for survival.

We eat, drink, sleep and depending on who we are, we find ways to fill the 24 hours we are given each day with what matters most to us.

I was reviewing some old blogs started by people I know and was disappointed that so many are no longer active.1keyboard

Some of these people are local, from the Fort Wayne, Indiana area and others are from the other side of the planet.

Each of them started writing and sharing and then eventually stopped. I guess about 95% of the individuals I used to follow online as little as 5 years ago are no longer writing the way they used to.

Some of them were really ambitious and wrote several times a week. Others once a month.

Some started out like gang busters and then fizzled out.

Maybe life got in the way.  Or maybe they were looking for some kind of financial reward.

There are a few who have kept at it, even if it’s a twice a month article.

Me?  I’ve been writing for 11 years online.

By 2008 I was sharing every single day.

In 2011, when I went from being a blogger to actually having a permanent website (this one), I had shared over 15,000 articles.  Some of those I imported to this website for future use. There are currently just under 3,000 articles in my draft folder.  A handful will be published on this site, like I have a couple of times this year when I say that something is from the ScLoHo archives.

But I made a promise to myself to publish regularly.  Usually that means five or six days a week.  Every Single Day.

I was gone for a week this month, vacationing with my wife, but you didn’t notice because I planned ahead and scheduled ahead. What you are reading right now, I wrote two weeks ago.

For me this is a commitment.  Sometimes a challenge.  Sometimes a pain.  Often it is fun. Always it is fulfilling.  And as long as I am able to, I will continue to write, publish and share.

 

Getting Over Writers Block

Getting Over Writers Block

by | Mar 7, 2012 | ScLoHo's Web World

A couple days ago, I was having a conversation via Twitter about writing a blog.

They didn’t know what to write about.

I noticed that so far they had 2 blog posts, one in January and one for February this year.

It’s a good start.

But it’s a slow road.

Imagine if you had a destination that you wanted to get to, but you only moved a few feet at a time.

It would be pretty easy to get discouraged.

My advice is usually step up your pace.  Get moving.  Make some commitments.

I used to post nearly 50 articles a week on a part time basis, spread over several sites.

Last year I refocused and launched this site which is now updated 20 to 23 times a week instead.

I do not write 20+ articles.  I have my sources which I use for many of the articles but everyone of them is selected, edited, tweaked and published by hand, by me.

(I have written permission to use the sources, and I promote those sources.)

But that’s what I do.

What about you?

I urge folks to start by following their passions.  Write the way you speak.  Don’t worry about perfection.

Decide how often you are going to post a new article.  Some do it weekly.  Some do it daily.

Maybe 3 times a week is your style.

There is also a difference in who often you write vs. how often you post.  Most blogging programs allow you to schedule in advance.

This is very helpful when you are on a roll and want to crank out a few stories but save them for the future.

But back to the question, “I don’t know what to write about…”

It’s okay.  I didn’t know for sure what I wanted to write about when I started 9 years ago.

Just start and you’ll find your voice.