Have you ever felt like it’s hard to stick to a writing schedule for your blog?
You want to get content out consistently, but even when you find the time, you struggle to determine what you need to do.
Research? Writing? Outlining?
It can be an overwhelming business. That’s why many of us give up after a few weeks.
But then we risk missing many of the business benefits that come with blogging or creating any type of content, really.
Blogging establishes authority in your field and can drive traffic to your site, though that may be part of a longer game.
Even better, frequent content creation forces you to think about your business, industry, and, customers. It helps you articulate your value and convey your business offering with great clarity.
William Zinsser, in On Writing Well, puts it like this:
“Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly, about anything at all.”
But even if you don’t need any convincing about the merits of blogging, you may still struggle to find a way to create content consistently.
Now, think about any fairly routine task you do for work. Chances are there’s some kind of process involved – a sequence of steps you follow to achieve your desired outcome. Writing for your business is exactly the same.
Process Makes Perfect
A process is the most important tool in your writing kit.
It’s a way of doing things, a writing system that guides your efforts.
When I worked in the newsroom we had very different ways of engaging our contacts and writing our stories.
Some took notes in shorthand.
Others typed as sources recounted events.
Some worked best while listening to music.
Whatever the method was, these all formed part of our individual system -our approach to gathering stories.
For most articles, I’d usually follow a specific process to get my article to the paper, for instance:
- Get idea from contact, meeting or reading
- Pitch to news editor
- Research before interview
- Interview sources
- Write story
- Send to the news desk
Then I’d be on hand for any queries. That’s where my involvement would end. From here the story would be subbed and go through a set of proofs.
For most of us, it doesn’t matter what field we work in, there’s some kind of process we need to follow to get our work done.
Now, when I started blogging, I had no process.
I had an idea and would document it… sometimes. Then I’d start writing. Other times, I’d start with research. When that was done, I’d publish. Other times, I’d add images and then publish.
It was unruly, and it’s easy to see why I never maintained any type of consistency.
Then I discovered James Clear and the power of processes and systems. Soon, I applied it to growing my freelance writing business and secured a client I still work with today.
Now, I have studied other writers processes to learn more about how they applied these techniques to write regularly.
Ernest Hemingway would start every day by rewriting his previous days’ work.
I tried this tactic and made a major breakthrough: I found I was most creative early in the morning and used this peak energy time to rewrite first drafts.
But here’s the thing, you don’t need to pour over every great writer’s process diligently. What you can do is explore how other writers have worked. Then, assess whether it’s a good fit for you and your lifestyle.
The important thing about processes and systems is that they remove a lot of the resistance to writing. And if you ever get a free moment you can use to do some writing, you know exactly what task you’ll be tackling.
Now, this takes some effort to set up at the start. But it will save you loads of time further down the line.
Fortunately, there are all sorts of tools you can use to document your process until they become second nature. I used Trello to document my processes but a paper notebook works just as well.
How I Write Client Posts
To get you thinking about your own system, here is my typical process for a client post:
Conduct Initial Research
Once I received the brief, I perform an initial round of research. This can vary from 45 mins to 1h30 depending on the topic and how much existing knowledge I have about the subject.
Outline
Based on the research, I come up with a basic outline, including headings and points I want to make in each section.
Stitching
I first heard Joanna Wiebe talk about stitching copy together and found it described this stage of the process perfectly. In this phase, I stitch together the observations, figures, and quotes I’ve found during my research. That’s the structure of the post and sets how my arguments will flow.
First Draft
When I’m writing my first draft, I’m not thinking about style. All I’m doing is writing what the statistics and case studies mean. This is by far the most tiring part of the process for me. But I know that once it’s done, I can move to the part of writing I really love. I always do a mini celebration when this part is done.
Rewriting
David Ogilvy joked that he was a “lousy copywriter” but a “good editor”.
Many writers agree that rewriting is one of the most enjoyable parts of writing. For a brief moment, I feel like an artist: examining each word to make sure my meaning is clear. Rephrasing to paint a more vivid picture and working hard to rid my piece of jargon or generalities.
Here, I try my best to “omit needless words” – advice from the Elements of Style.
If you’re keen to see what the rewriting process looks like in action, here’s a 1973 piece from the Harvard Business Review that illustrates how rewriting can refine our arguments.
Now, when I’m writing for own blog, my process is slightly less involved.
- I always have a bank of ideas, so I select one and complete my outline.
- Here the first draft is much quicker – I’m writing what I know.
- The next stage is to add statistics and quotes
- I finish off with a rewrite
- Source an image from platforms like Pexels or Pablo by Buffer
- Format in WordPress and publish
The entire process for my personal blog takes one week.
A Note on Processes
When you’re trying to figure it all out, remember that what works for me, or any other writer, may not work for you.
Seth Godin has published thousands of posts on his blog and written more than 18 books.
Here’s what he has to say about processes:
The biggest takeaway for anyone seeking to write is this: don’t go looking for the way other authors do their work. You won’t find many who are consistent enough to copy, and there are enough variations in approach that it’s obvious that it’s not like hitting home runs or swinging a golf club. There isn’t a standard approach, there’s only what works for you (and what doesn’t).
Seth Godin
And don’t feel discouraged if you get demotivated by some part of the process along the way.
Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher novels, leaves us with some comforting advice
Everybody hates some aspect of writing. Some people absolutely love the unfettered freedom of the first draft, then they come to the rewriting and hate that, or when they come to the promotion and publication they hate that part; some people struggle to do the first draft but absolutely love the rewriting. Nobody loves the process from beginning to end.
Lee Child
Featured image courtesy of Wocintech
