The tyranny of the blank page
Bloggers occupy an interesting position within the larger world of content creators. Neither fish nor fowl, a blogger is an interesting hybrid of opinionated editor mixed with junior journalist. Bloggers, generally, are free to shift their voices when it suits them, from table-banging invective to breaking news. Further freeing the hands of bloggers, there exists no credo of blogging standards (currently anyway), no ethos which constrains the direction a blogger can take. And bloggers have a large, low-cost distribution channel popularly called “The Internets” that stands to potentially be one of humankind’s transforming achievements - even if the traffic about the Spears family (Jamie Lynn too!) and Lauren Upton remains disproportionately high. It’s all about potential, after all.
At first blush, this whole blogging thing and its concomitant freedom sounds like a creative paradise. For creative people, though, this can sometimes create a syndrome known as “the tyranny of the blank page.” To wit - you can write anything you want! Now… what will that be? Fortunately, your particular muse comes through occasionally… letting your writing take flight. But what happens when the muse fails to report for duty? Do you have a process of any kind which allows you to generate good content when needed, outside of inspirational bursts?
If you don’t have any kind of process, but find yourself locked into a staring contest with a blank text field from time to time, I recommend that you create a process - one that will work for you. This week, I’ll be focusing in on the importance of laying out a process, and I’ll also share some creative methodologies that can be employed within just about any creative endeavor, and should be helpful when you find that the muse is long gone.
Why it matters
Unless you’re a “pro blogger” (in which case, you may well have your own methodologies, because you are likely under the gun yourselves) you may find that there are effectively no consequences for having a low or uneven posting frequency. After all, it’s your blog… what does it matter, aside from potentially disappointed readers? From within the framework of Blogburst, I can certainly say that if you have a higher posting frequency, it goes a long way toward your odds of successfully appearing on a publisher’s page. Our editors are looking for fresh content, twice daily if possible, for our our publishing partners. I know, for a stone-cold fact, that there are certain blogs that are successful in the eyes of the publishers because they provide constant, high-quality content. If you want to know how to get the attention of our publishers, having a posting frequency of twice daily (or more!) is as close to a golden ticket as you’re going to get. Believe me, it’s an enviable position to be in, and a strong regular posting frequency is a great way to get there.
Outside of Blogburst, the memetic popularity of NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo has led many a blogger to try their hand at one or the other of these mini-marathons. I think any honest participant in one of these will tell you that there were times when the well ran dry - or at least threatened to. Of course, that’s all part of the fun of participating (pride in accomplishing a difficult objective) but it is somewhat frustrating if you don’t make the finish line. Having a creative process can make the difference between finishing or not.
With that, I’ll sling some juice to some of our fine bloggers, with links relevant to NaBloPoMo posts in particular - check it out:
Mommy Instinct’s take on NaBloPoMo
Crafter By Night crosses the finish line
Born Again Bird Watcher breaks the tape
Next post, I’ll start digging in to the ins and outs of generating your own creative process. Until then, feel free to comment away - do you have a creative process of your own that you’d like to share? Any great creative breakthroughs that helped you turn a corner? Let us know!
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