It's tough staying caught up, and it's even tougher not beating yourself up about it. I'm talking about posting, of course (altho the same could be said about my personal yoga practice, these days). I've been thinking about this ever since I read an article about "slow blogging" in the NYT a few weeks ago, and I was reminded when I read that our dear Nadine is taking a break.
The article compares the many-posts-a-day model of blogging to eating at McDonald's (fast, fun, full of fat and salt), while the rest of us who choose to spend quality time crafting posts are more like Slow Food aficionados--lovingly creating delicious salads from the heirloom tomatoes we grew ourselves (yeah, that's what it is). This may be changing, since the update-every-hour crowd can now join Twitter, while the rest of us muse in fully-realized paragraphs on Blogger and Wordpress.
Whatever...it's nice to hear that I'm not the only once procrastinating until I have a full hour to think and write (which seems to be about--oh, once every 8 days). I've tried some quickies, but they just don't feel right. I like to come up with an idea, tumble it around in the hopper for a few days and then write. Guess I'll keep doing that and visualize delicately shaved parmesan nestled on a bed of organic greens, etc etc.
I'll get back to the Asana Project..meanwhile, let's hear it for Slow Blogging--and support good, clean, fair blog! (apologies to Slow Food USA)
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11 comments:
I only write when I feel like it....I do not feel any obligation whatsoever to blog. I've done LYJ since 2005 and once I took a whole year off.
For me NaBloPoMo was an interesting experiment in this topic. I don't think I posted a whole lot of junk, and writing every day made it easier to write every day if that makes sense. But there were definitely days that I would not want to re-read what I posted.
Linda--when I say "we" in GTTSB, I'm not sure it ever includes you...the (purple) cat who walks by herself. ;-)
Heather--I've found that just trying to keep up with this blog and the other has made me feel like writing more. I once read the suggestion that if you wanted to be a writer, you had to force yourself to write a bit everyday and in a couple of weeks it would become a habit. This was in the days before blogs...if anyone can imagine that (1997).
I definitely land in the "Slow Food" category, both literally and figuratively. I love to take time to make my meals and I honestly can't tell you the last time I ate fast food.
And I think like my blogs like that as well: thoughtful, well written, insightful. The everyday posts are okay, but they are kinda like that ice cream cone from DQ, tasty but quickly gone and forgotten. And personally, I don't have time or interest to be checking in daily/hourly to see if someone's posted.
By all means, "let's hear it for Slow Blogging--and support good, clean, fair blog!"
And I've heard the same thing about writing (more in regards to novels) that if you want to write, you *have* to sit down everyday and put words on a piece of paper. Doesn't have to necessarily good words - editing comes later - but it needs to be words.
Thanks again, Brenda, a lovely, thought provoking post.
I often think of blog post ideas when I'm practicing. Then I have to be careful not to start mulling it over too much so that I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing right then.
Probably 10% of those practice-arising posts actually make it to the screen.
I always enjoy reading your posts, Brenda. But I too am a firm believer in personal blogs being primarily for the writer, not the reader.
I would much rather read a quality blog post than a poor one. Likewise with food. Speaking of which, I'm just off to eat my homemade cous cous salad for lunch.
"when I say "we" in GTTSB, I'm not sure it ever includes you...the (purple) cat who walks by herself. ;-)"
huh? sorry, I'm confused! :(
M-Much of my practice these days seems to end up with a post idea. Maybe the blogging is yoga, too.
A-I like blogging, instead of journaling, because I always have an audience in mind. I find it easier to write if I feel like I'm talking to some one else...
L-I think Rudyard Kipling's "The Cat Who Walks by Himself" sounds a little bit like you ("He is the Cat that walks by himself...he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone.")...and didn't you once do a quiz that labeled you as the color purple, or something like that?
yes....DUH!
Thanks for that article link. I appreciate the naming of the phenomenon.
Not only have I felt the pressure to post - I also like to read others blogs so when I "fall behind"- it gets to be 2 pm and I'm still in my pyjamas reading!
Lately I'm enjoying putting up short posts delving into one topic - that I write in one day then schedule to go out over a few days.
Great post, as always, Brenda!
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Go slow blogging!
It's funny, I find that the more I teach (and the longer I blog) the more I keep coming back to the same central themes, and, sometimes, I fear this is repetitive for readers - so it becomes hard to keep the blog interesting! My little break has helped though. Now if I could just fiugre out how Linda manages the pace she usually sustains...
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