I’ve often read that to become a great writer you should make time to write everyday. I don’t know about you, but I have found it is quite impossible to be that consistent with my writing. I really have to get into a writing state of mind before I can produce anything remotely resembling something of quality. The writing process is not a hit and run exercise for me. I cannot sit down for twenty minutes and fire off three pages and feel content about it.
Sometimes you just don’t have that hour or so to concentrate on your story. I don’t care how many times you hear someone tell you to “make time”, you just can’t make something out of nothing. I believe a blog is an ideal alternative so you can continue to write while using only a fraction of the time. You may not finish your screenplay or novel anytime soon, but keeping a story blog can be extremely useful in a number of ways. While it may not be typical to use blog to develop a story, it can certainly double as your place to put down your story thoughts when you’re short on time.
- It can help keep your writing fresh. Even a couple short paragraphs of your story, random notes, or personal dribble is better than closing the door completely on writing. Like anything else, in order to stay sharp at something, you have to remain active so you can continue to produce at a higher level.
- Short posts relating to your story can serve as an outline for those times when you do finally get to sit down and dedicate substantial time to your project. Stringing these smaller entries together will at least keep you moving forward instead of the other alternative of complete writing abandonment.
- Writing about your story in small increments keeps you in the story. You may have your plot all mapped out and your character motivations memorized, but certain details are forgotten when your manuscript in the making is collecting dust. When you’re away from your writing for too long, you lose your train of thought, your direction, and your focus.
It’s great to be able to keep your story alive through short blog posts, but the primary use of a blog is also extremely beneficial to an author too. If you’re a brand new author without a following, a blog (coupled with social networking profiles) is probably your best shot at connecting with potential new readers. This is especially true for the author attempting to travel down the self-publishing route. If you’re an established author, chances are you already have a blog and you are aware of the advantages of being able to increase your fan base and interact with your readers.
Although there are ample rewards to the blogging author, there is also one major pitfall that can be a detriment to writing your story. Blogging. Yes, blogging. Just as a blog can help you continue writing, it can also be a major distraction and impair your writing nearly as bad as writer’s block. Blogging is quicker, it’s easier, and it requires less thought and concentration. It’s a lot easier to blog than it is to settle in for a few good hours and put some serious words to paper. Blogging your story should be the exception or a temporary solution when time comes at a premium. If blogging does become the first choice of writing for the aspiring screenwriter or novelist, then this solution has now become part of the problem.
Related posts:
