Blogger Overload: Does a Blogging Challenge Waste Your Readers' Time?

...a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention...

~ Herbert A. Simon

June is the FLX/WordCount Blogathon!  Join us for 30 Days of blogging madness!

S

since I began this blog challenge, I’ve read two articles that said I shouldn’t be blogging every day.

Why didn’t you tell me that eleven days ago?!

Just kidding.  Sort of. 

I understand where both Jeff Goins and Copyblogger are coming from.  And they make excellent points about honing your skills as a writer and your reach as a blogger, points I agree with.

But for me right now, getting into the habit of writing every day is the sticking point. And sadly for my ADD brain, I won’t do remember to do it without an in-your-face motivator.

Like the public humiliation of saying I’m doing a challenge and then not posting every day.

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Fugly

You’ve heard it before, I know.  Today, anyone and everyone can write, publish, reach out, gripe, complain, rant, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

We all like to talk.  Yes, even introverts ~ we talk long hand (i.e. writing).  But we don’t all edit.  Either our thoughts, our feelings, our words.  Or our blog posts.

And don't get me started on layouts.  Seriously, I’ve seen some real migraine-inducing webpages/blogs lately. Ugh!  Make it go away!

There’s an acronym that has been used to help people with anger-management or stress issues to deal with how they talk to people when in crisis mode.  You HALT and ask yourself, am I:

Hungry?
Angry?
Lonely?
Tired?

I’ll admit, this doesn’t always help me when I’m in a stressful situation.  I’m too busy thinking about the damn situation, not some acronym!

Image credit: Langstonwitches.org

But if there were one for writers, well, that might be more  helpful.  As a writer, I just sit and think a lot, write ideas down, and think some more.  Plenty of time to glance at a post it with HALT on it before hitting the publish button:

Is it Helpful to my readers?
Does it provide a new Angle?
Will it make my readers Laugh?
Will it bring my readers to Tears (and ultimately to a change)?

And I would add an S as well: Does it make any bloody Sense!?

Nothing loses a reader more than the deadly duo of poor grammar and poor sentence structure  married to a plot that leaves you cross-eyed.

But maybe that’s just me because I’m an ADD reader….

Respect the Reader

This ADD thing is really annoying actually for a writer who’s trying to post every day.  We have lives you know ~ it gives us something to write about.  But we don’t always plan.  Well, at least, I don’t.  

So it wasn’t until I sat down this afternoon and wrote out my goals for the reminder of the month that I realized that I would have to write, edit and publish or schedule five ~ read ‘em, 5 ~ posts before 12:30pm tomorrow.

I almost cried.

Not because I don’t love to write.  I do!

Not because I’m a perfectionist.  Although I am.

But because I love writing so much and I respect you as well that I cringe to have to churn out five readable, worthy posts in a few hours.  Because I know full well how important it is to edit.  And you have taken time out of your busy day to stop by and spend some time with me.

And I don’t want to waste those few minutes we spend together on a thrown-together post.

So Now What?

Thankfully, the weekends are slow.  So I have no problem posting pictures or  little tid bits or just a random “Hey, stop reading and go outside and play” type of post.

Also, it’s just for 30 days.  If you’ve followed me for very long, you’ll see that my problem is not information overload.   Mine is more depression-kicked-my-ass-again-I’m-feeling-lazy-today-I-don’t-post-for-months-on-end-itis.

So no worries.  I’m not going to drop off the face of the challenge just yet.  

But I will use the challenge to hone my writing skills so I can make sure you never leave without feeling encouraged, loved, enlightened, relaxed, and with a smile on your face.

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

Join Us: I’m now a member of Jeff Goins’ TribeWriters.  Join an incredible group of writers who are finding their voice and becoming better at their craft.  Today is the last day to sign up!!