Great Tweet this morning from Jeffry Pilcher:
Everyone wants a blog. No one wants to write one.
The tweet linked to his blog post and one of the most wonderful visuals ever for why people don’t blog:
Reality Check: You don’t walk into your garage, pick up a hammer and then roam through your house looking for something to fix.
I find it super easy to blog because I’m very interested in the art and science of marketing. I have this thing that I want to fix. I’m not trying to sell stuff, or be clever, or fake being excited about something I’m not (like the features and benefits of a free checking account). And I think that’s why a lot of people say they want a blog – but never do it. They don’t know what to write about. They haven’t figured out what makes them tick and gets them out of bed in the morning…..so they say……..I don’t have time.
We are all granted 24 hours each day to do with as we please. No one can buy more time, no one is punished with less. It’s God’s little equalizing gift to us all. What you choose to do with those 24 hours speaks volumes of your priorities and your passion.
Most of my posts I write in one take. I know my grammar and sentence structure would sometimes prompt Sister Rose Dolores to pull out her ruler but I don’t care. It’s my little corner of the world, and I write like I speak.
I am both honored and humbled that I even have readers. It actually changed the way I feel when I sit down and write. Like now. I realize someone might be reading this – besides me. Hi. Thanks for stopping by. I hope I don’t disappoint you.
If you want a blog, and you don’t write one, because you don’t have time, what you’re really saying is you won’t make the time and you don’t care enough to give up something. If you’re spending hours each week sitting in mind numbing meetings, then racing back to your desk to wade through stacks of mundane emails, feeling no progress whatsoever, well……you have a choice. I know that pisses some people off, but it’s basic time management.
I’m really close to finishing my second book. I should be writing it now. But I choose to blog instead. See how that works?
And now I’m going to pour me a second cup of coffee and assemble my new printer stand. I may even shower. Then I’ll get back to that book.
12 comments
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March 2, 2010 at 9:32 am
Carla Day
“They don’t know what to write about.”
I think this is the main reason people don’t write. It isn’t time, though that may be a factor…sometimes. Mainly, it is an issue of what to write about. What is interesting to the writer and also a question of worrying about what people want to read.
For me, it is a combination of what to write about and that I over-think my posts sometimes. I am working to get over that and take the advice I first heard on a Twitterqueen radio show (http://www.twitterqueens.net)- JUST WRITE!
Just write. Write for yourself. Write about what interests you. Share your ideas. Share yourself.
(Now, I need to go write that post I have been putting off)
March 2, 2010 at 10:33 am
Denise Wymore
@CarlDay – you are so right. Write!
My music teacher Sr. John Therese used to say, “Writers write. Artists draw. Musicians practice. So play!”
March 2, 2010 at 9:40 am
Jonathan
Personal hygiene over book writing? C’mon now 🙂 Good post – and a great reminder that we CHOOSE what we do with our time, even if we pretend like we don’t.
March 2, 2010 at 10:35 am
Denise Wymore
@Jonathan – you’ll be happy to know that I have showered, but I am putting off assembling my computer stand to reply to the wonderful comments on The Time!
March 2, 2010 at 9:41 am
Kelley Parks
Denise – Thank you for taking the “time” to blog. I enjoy each and every post. This may be my favorite yet.
Life is short. Too short not to be passionate about something and give of yourself to it.
March 2, 2010 at 10:36 am
Denise Wymore
@Kelley – I always enjoy your posts and wondered it you too are a “first take” writer or do you labor over it. You read like a natural. Like it’s something you would bring up over a glass of wine…..
March 2, 2010 at 9:47 am
Jeff Stephens
I have a really good friend who runs social media programs for a blue chip company. One of their mottos is “don’t worry, be crappy.” In other words, focus primarily on getting the most and best quality content out there–not so much on how it looks, etc.
One thing I hear most credit unions say is “OK, we built our social media program; now what are we going to talk about?” That’s the exact backwards way to look at it. If you don’t have anything value-added to produce content about, then there’s no point in developing a blog, facebook page, twitter account, etc.
Start with content–it is king!
March 2, 2010 at 10:42 am
Denise Wymore
@Jeff (birthday buddy) I love that…”Don’t worry, be crappy.” It took a ton of time for me to wade through my Catholic guilt and not diagram each and every sentence for proper structure.
Now I let my participles dangle, I end sentences with prepositions, and I’ll even plural when I should be possessive. I’m not perfect!
But I hope I get my point across and can help some folks.
March 2, 2010 at 10:14 am
dbkayanda
Inspiring! I think I would rather blog than write my second book, too — but unlike you, I’m not doing either. I don’t feel like I have a shortage of things that are interesting to talk about! Time to get going. Thanks.
March 2, 2010 at 10:42 am
Denise Wymore
@dbkayanda. Word.
March 3, 2010 at 5:51 am
Thomas B
Without you taking the time to blog or write or spew your moments, I would not spend 8 hours in my day singing “Jungle Love”, Oh we oh we oh. Denise, the Time had NO IDEA what they were inventing when they were using 2 and U for the words. They were the innovators of the text message. Thank you Morris Day and thank you PRINCE.
Now, next blog: the crazy and ambigous Wendy and Lisa of the Revolution…discuss while I sing you out…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, jungle love, oh!
I think I wanna know ya (know ya)
Jungle love
Girl, I… I think I wanna, I think I wanna file my nails (Show ya)
March 10, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Kris
I read this last week and then found myself reflecting on it again today when one minute I was contemplating a new blogging venture I want to launch but “don’t have the time” for and then the next minute trying to figure out how many episodes of Lost (I’m only on season 3!) I could cram in this evening. Hmmm… priorities. 🙂
Thanks for the kick in the pants.