Hypotyposis on a Good Day

More deliberate blogging

Last Saturday, I wrote on my wiki about Hopes for a bright blogging future:

Over the last couple of months, I've been keeping my blogs going mostly through writing tiny entries about seemingly random topics. Sometimes, I wrote about an article I read, a book I just took out from the library, or a picture I just took. In the past, I have tackled more lofty subjects. I still have ambitions of writing larger pieces covering themes sustained over time and reflecting some orderly progression of thought. I have been keeping a running list of topics for my weblogs with the hope of crafting logical series of blog entries. I am hesitant to promise any massive changes in my blogging patterns, waiting to see whether I can bring my blogging reality in line with my blogging vision.

Today, I'm sorting through two running lists of potential blogging topics (one for my personal blog and one for my professional blog). There are certainly pros and cons to putting a topic in a queue to be prioritized instead of immediately writing about it. On the plus side, I have an opportunity to write on a larger, more coherent, scale, recognizing items of greater significance. I avoid being bounced around so much by the deluge of everyday events that may not have any discernible long term significance. My readers might also enjoy hearing from me less often -- but when they do, they get something worth their reading. (A model that comes to mind is the justly praised occasional essays by Joel Spolsky.) The downside of being more deliberate in my writing is that some of the most important part of my readership (my family and close friends!) are interested in hearing from me, even if it is about the little things in life. Moreover, as I look at the list of topics, I regret not writing about certain topics; there is something to said for the spontaneity of the every day that I would not want to lose with a new blogging style.

Posted by rdhyee at August 25, 2005 10:43 AM