Who Wants to Lick the Icing?

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Most blogs don’t survive to the one year mark. In fact most blogs – over 95% – are considered abandoned within four months (and it’s probably more like one month). But this one made it and today I’m officially sticking a candle in it and singing “Happy Birthday.”

But like any first year of life, there have been hard things to learn, personal doubt, lack of sleep and some spit-up… backlinks to the latter intentionally omitted!

Before I started blogging I read and read and read. I studied and studied and studied. I read hundreds of other blogs. I’m a fact finder – that’s what I do.

There IS a craft to blogging and I made sure that I understood the fundamentals before I jumped in. Within a few months, I turned all that I had learned into Bootcamp for Baby Bloggers, a class that I love teaching to others who want to save themselves the pain of muddling through as beginning bloggers.

But larnin’ ain’t doin’. Even with my thorough research, several things kept cropping up as my major challenges:

Challenge: What should I write about?
Always a red flag:  the word “should.” Whenever I wrote a post that I thought I should write, THUD. When I wrote something because it struck me as urgent or because I’d had a strong reaction to something… sweet. Patti Digh is a blogger whom I admire enormously. She said it best: Yearn to say something. That’s where I start each post now: where is that yearning and how can I give it some air?
Lesson: Go where the thrill is and you’ll have something to say that might even resonate with others.

Challenge: My brain can’t type on its own.
I found myself blogging in my head instead of at my keyboard. This method does NOT lead to posts – just sleepless nights. It leads to lots of frustration about all the heady ideas that never make into the dashboard of WordPress. The antidote for me is to use one of Linda Dessau‘s genius “idea catcher” tips and make sure that when I have a blog idea, I just start a draft post (or at least scratch it on the pad next to my bed). Or I use Jott to send myself an email via voicemail when I feel inspired. It’s like putting on my sneakers to go for a walk – opening that file to start a post is the hardest part. But when I see all those twinkly drafts and idea seeds ready for a few hundred more words, it’s much easier to open the flow.
Lesson: Have a system for capturing ideas when you have them. A system that supports easy conversion into posts is even better.

Challenge: Publish on a consistent schedule.
I’ve failed miserably at this one. A year ago, I had wild ambitions of posting at least twice a week… then once a week… yikes. Did. Not. Happen. I only had ambitions – not a strategy. I only said I wanted to blog once a week. I never said I would. I didn’t commit. I wouldn’t let a client off the hook like that – why myself? My role model for this challenge is Michele Woodward. She publishes her blog/newsletter every Sunday, no matter what. My Sundays wouldn’t be the same without her visiting my inbox. Her commitment means something to me and now I’m stepping up, too.
Lesson: Be realistic but be committed. Pick a day of the week for posts to go live. No matter what.

I’ll go on record now – it’s gonna be Thursdays in 2010. There might be other days when inspirations strike. But Thursdays – watch out!

Are you toddling as a blogger? What are your challenges? What have you learned from meeting them head-on?

‘Til Thursday.

Image credit: Theresa Thompson

By Laurie Foley

I'm Laurie Foley and I help solo professionals like you discover your natural brand so that you can get clear, get noticed and get clients. Please request your free copy of The Inner Brandifesto, my popular guidebook full of brand-building exercises.