Saturday, July 12, 2014

My Blogging Writing Process



after last week's storm

Since I came back to blogging in March after a month off, I've toyed with the idea of shutting down Betsy Transatlantically - or, at the very least, making it dormant, a static scrapbook of four years of my life.  The friendships I have made through blogging have transcended this medium and, thanks to Twitter and Instagram, I've realized that you no longer need to be an active blogger to be a part of the blogging community.  In some ways, blogging has become about so much more than just having a blog, which in this case is a good thing.

However, it is how I define blogging at its most basic that keeps me from quitting: blogging for me is about writing.  I've enjoyed the other aspects of blogging over the years but, at this point, I'm secure in the knowledge that the sort of readers I want are those who come here for my writing (and for occasional text-light posts about my life).  Where else would I be able to flesh out my thoughts on the role that music plays in political activism or my feelings about finding a home in the Anglican Church as a Jew or my musings on what it means to be a good wife?  The place for that is here.

A few weeks ago, Lisa tagged me in a "My Writing Process" blog tour - this seems like an appropriate time to dive into those questions, so here goes!

1. What are you working on right now?
I'm drafting a few posts on making my apartment feel less like a rental.  Unless Jon gets a job somewhere in the DC area that requires we move for commuting ease, we've decided that we'll stay put, saving money in our studio, until we can buy our first home.  Now that I've been in the apartment for over a year, I've figured out what works, what doesn't, and what investments of time and energy are worth making the space feel like ours more permanently.  Believe it or not, these posts are turning out to be composed of more text than images!

2. How does your work differ from others of its genre?
My voice is the only way my writing differs from that of other bloggers I admire.  (That sounds supremely arrogant - I hope you know what I mean.)  I'm not as colloquial as some and I'm not as funny as others and I'm not as motivational as yet others, but we're all blogging from a place of deep respect for the craft of writing and, at the same time, from the heart.

3. Why do you write what you do?
A theatre director once told me that he thinks it's crucial for new work to be developed in front of a paying audience because it can only truly evolve when it's public and when people who aren't affiliated with the show have chosen to participate in its growing pains.  I feel the same way about writing; it's why I blog rather than keeping a journal.

4. How does your writing process work?
My more nuanced posts usually go through several drafts, sometimes spanning a few weeks, before I hit publish and even after they're out in the wider world I'm tempted to constantly refine them.  But my "lifestyle" posts are often written in a flash as inspiration strikes!

A huge thank you to Alicia for her Jaybird Community Facebook page, which hosted a discussion about Manda's fantastic post on her own blogging; that post and comments from Erika, Amanda, Ashley, and Erin were in the back of my mind as I wrote this post.  I tag all of you to continue the tour  - let us know if you do!

Edited to add: Erika wrote her post the other day - she was originally tagged by Lisa, too!

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27 comments:

  1. I love the idea of writing publicly as well, I love reading comments to see how my ideas were filtered through a new lens. It helps me to define my ideas in a more solid manner and to help me hone how to more accurately get my ideas across to others which is something I have struggled with throughout my life.

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  2. oh YES half of the benefit to publishing posts is the writing but the other half is absolutely the comments - your thoughts need that feedback to mature!

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  3. Really interesting into a look into other bloggers and why and how they blog. I feel the same, at the heart of my blogging is because I love to write and I love the community. Can't wait to see more on your apartment!

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  4. Really interesting. Especially that question 'what makes you different?' I like your response.

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  5. So glad you didn't decide to close up the blog!! I come here because I enjoy your writing and your unique perspective. The blogs I love most are blogs that I can read and see how someone lives differently than I do. It's a shame that so many have started to sound alike because it's the uniqueness that always drew me in!

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  6. *adds a post to my drafts queue for this Writing Process tag* :D


    I've thought about quitting blogging too (as you may have gathered from my most recent post) but, like you, I realized that I keep coming back to blogging because of the writing. That's why I started blogging, after all; I'm a writer first and foremost, not a marketer or SEO expert or what have you. And that's why I'm going to be sticking around the blogosphere :)

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  7. I really would be very sad if you quit blogging. I think your voice is very unique, and you add a lot to this community. I did a writing process post a few months ago. You probably saw it :) I obviously don't know everything about blogging, and everyone is different, but I think if we stopped trying to post a certain number of days and post about a certain thing and write a certain way, blogging would remain a fun hobby and not something we always had to justify or keep in the back of our minds as something we might quit.

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  8. I love your blog! Obviously I enjoy your lifestyle posts, but it's so refreshing to read another blogger who doesn't mind stating strong opinions and getting a little controversial. :) Your writing process is so much more organized than mine is!

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  9. I feel like in the best possible world, the community will go above and beyond blogs - the catch 22 is that you had to have met somewhere you know?

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  10. I'm really surprised to hear you say that you considered closing up your blog, because it seems like you really enjoy being here and sharing your experiences. At the same time, I understand it completely, especially that part about social media engaging people just as much (I have a post drafted on this, actually!) as blog writing does. Blog writing is a time-consuming task, and it takes some effort to be creative, which can become a drag sometimes, but the engagement of the community, I think, is what keeps us going, plus as you said, a desire to write and share. I'm glad that you decided to stay with it and continue to enjoy the journey.

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  11. thanks! I don't know that it needs to be more complicated than that, you know?

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  12. WOOP! thanks for kicking off this conversation in the first place :)

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  13. haha I swear I didn't mean to fish for compliments! but thank you :)

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  14. More and more, I seem to be hearing this type of sentiment about blogging from the bloggers that I've been following for a year or more... I think we've all cycled through the "how much do I want to put into my blog?" struggle and it seems like the ones who love the craft of writing are the ones that decide to stick it out... but maybe in a different way than they used to. Part of the challenge is that we all see a lot of potential in our blogs and want to "get them out there" to as many readers as possible and there are ways to do so... but they require a lot of work and on occasion, selling your soul in a way that just doesn't feel right (I'm looking at you, Pinterest-whoring posts and such). As other social media channels have gotten to be so engaging, I like to think our blogs have had to evolve a bit - become more about the voice and the story. A more intimate channel, so to speak. I think it's a good revolution to go through, even though it feels like an intense love/hate relationship with blogging.


    Anyway, LONG COMMENT. Sorry. Haha thank you for contributing writing of strong value and intellect to the blog world - don't stop! :)

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  15. I'm glad that you're sticking around! It does seem like you put a great deal of care into your blog, and I've enjoyed reading your thoughts and ideas so much. You've put out a very authentic space, and I love that you are so real here. This isn't a blog about perfectly "curating" and photographing moments that took hours to put together. Instead, it's a place where you seem to just share who you are and what matters to you, and that's what resonates so much with me and, I assume, with some of your other readers. It's real life, eloquently written. :)

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  16. Eeek! I go into a bit of a panic whenever favourite blogs of mine say they may stop! So I'm glad you're sticking with it. And I enjoyed reading about your process too. Someday I may develop a process other than: hastily typing something out, closing eyes, publishing and never reviewing it fully for needed edits because it frightens me. x

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  17. We all seem destined to have a love/hate relationship with our blogs. It's time consuming, it's tedious, it's a struggle to find the rewards that keep us blogging, and yet for the love of writing and discussion and that online internet conversation over coffee that just makes us smile, we keep blogging.


    The last two years have been an endless cycle of highs and lows for me, blog wise. I'm still trying to reconcile what I love to write about and love to do with pressure to balance that out with my professional life and use the blog as a professional asset - and I don't even know where that pressure comes from. There are so many times when I just want to be like, "Everyone else is professionally blogging and here I am, writing about chocolate and DIY projects." But that would just make me so happy. Still, I've received a ton of really cool professional collaboration opportunities because of what I write...and the cycle continues.


    Keep being you. You're an inspiration to those of us having identity crises!

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  18. As I go through some things in my personal life, I've found that I read fewer blogs and comment even less for whatever reason. I could probably process through it and write a huge comment, but that's not the point of this comment. As I read less (blogs, not in general) and comment less, I still come to your blog regularly. I always appreciate your posts and your voice.

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  19. Totally fascinating to hear how others write. I agree with your personal view on blogging as a way to practice writing; that's what it is for me too. Sometimes I feel like we're now in the minority, amidst thousands of blogs full of pictures of perfect peonies - and I've certainly wondered about whether that means my blog won't be considered of value or whether it's worth keeping it going. But I take heart everytime another blogger I admire admits they find this tough too, but still see the value in it. So thanks, Betsy!

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  20. haha that's sometimes my problem - I need to step away from editing and just PUBLISH!

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  21. I do enjoy it, I really do! I just often don't enjoy what's involved in "growing" my blog. I love it when it's organic, you know?

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  22. YES totally agree. and I think part of the reason we all have been struggling with it is because it's hard to grow your blog/readership using commercial means when it's a more "intimate channel" because that's sort of counter to the mission but then how else do you do it if you want to reach more people and YARGH.

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  23. oh thank you! that means so much. thank you thank you :)

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  24. haha I'm here! you should be glad I rarely just type things out and hit publish - most posts would be 2x as long as nonsensical! haha

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  25. thanks, name twin. that means a lot! I notice that I'm commenting less, too, which makes me rethink my role as a reader... hm, new post topic? haha

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  26. Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I would like readers to come and read and comment and engage. I don't want to do sponsored posts or have ads from people I don't know. I guess I'm just never going to be one of those people who can blog for money.

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  27. Thank goodness you blog, Betsy. Of course you should do whatever feels right moving forward (ahem, I originally spelled that as "whatever feels write") but you truly have a fresh perspective, an honesty and intelligence in your writing that many blogs do not. I know I can come here for a unique level of thoughtfulness. I've got writing this post on my to do list and I look forward to sharing!

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I love reading your thoughts and suggestions! Please do leave a comment so we can get to know each other better.