10 things I learned during my first year blogging.

Every blogger is required by universal law to compile a year-one reflection on their endeavors. Right?

Kidding aside, this post originally began as a top-10 favorite movie list before thankfully morphing into a more useful summation of practices I dug-up during my first 12 months of writing for the web. My hope is that you will also find these practices helpful as you pursue your own epic goals!

A mere 18 months ago, I scoffed at the notion of blogging, podcasting, or YouTubing, but as is typically in life, the Lord showed me how foolish my own simple ideas are. He not only gracefully shoved me towards these arenas, but allowed me to understand the creative pleasure that a disciplined embracing of these mediums can offer.

I’m certainly not an expert in any of these mediums (Darren Rowse’s Problogger.com is a phenomenal starting point for the would-be blogger). All I have today is an honest reflection of the ten things I might not have known (or at least not fully grasped) if the Lord hadn’t prodded me towards the exciting door of contributing content to the world wide web, specifically for fellow writers and storytellers.

If there was an eleventh thing I learned, it would be to shorten my posts’ introductions, so with that…

1. The more you write, the more you’ll want to write.

If someone offered me $100, the only catch being I had to find-out how many days I made an excuse not to write, I’d flat-out refuse the cash. I’m already ashamed knowing that that I squandered away too many precious writing minutes.

“I don’t have any good ideas right now. Grad school is taking too long. I’m tired and this pillow is soft. The lawn needs to be mowed. There’s no food in the fridge (actually, there was). I know – let’s reorganize the book case. Again.”

The sneakiness of excuses is that they’re like rabbits. You can’t get rid of ’em all.

But you CAN ignore them. Sure, easier said than done, but I’ve found that my best writings have come from the times where I was dedicated to write every day, even if just a few sentences. With much agony I thrust aside the lie that nothing good would come from pen-to-paper today, and simply let some words splutter onto the page.

You know what, just releasing words like that is liberating and makes you WANT to do it again. And again. Even if you never publish those words in any format, it’s invaluable practice that WILL make you a better writer if you are consistent and disciplined.

Conversely, when I let those nasty excuses reign, I’ve occasionally let months go by without daring to conjure up new content. Yes, months.

The only way to write is to write. Sure, it’s cliche. But it’s also true. Which means you gotta live by it.

2. Embrace the community around you.

Unless you’re blogging about the long-term effects of nuclear radiation on sharp cheddar cheese (Kroger brand) or some other tiny or absurd niche, you’ll be hard pressed to NOT find another blog on your chosen subject. Others have inevitably written about your topic, and more will continue to do so.

And you’d be amiss not to learn, grow, and be inspired from those who have already spent years crafting works on the subjects you also enjoy.

Granted, blogs come in many degrees of excellence, so find a few writers who are doing it well, and learn all that you can from them.

In 2018, the written works of K.M. Weiland, James Scott Bell, Jeff Goins, Joanna Penn, and C.S. Lakin have all massively inspired me to pursue my own writing craft with excellence. I cannot recommend their works enough!

There is also the community who are, more or less, in the same “boat” you are. Those just circling their big toe into the waters of writing, seeking to decide if ocean is too dangerous. This isn’t the time to merely go-at-it by yourself. Sharpen your skills alongside those who are as eager and dedicated to learning their craft as you are. Find critique groups. Give AND receive feedback with honesty and grace. Pursue projects with other writers.

In 2018, a Lake-Town barrel of thanks goes out to David Flickinger, Adam Garlow, Donald Small, Dom Scalfaro, and of course, my wife Kristen, for generously giving of their time and excellent creative energy towards writing blog posts and co-hosting podcast episodes with me. You guys are first-rate wizards!

3. A lack of success will help you solidify why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Having read Darren Rowse’s companion book “Problogger” prior to starting Seeking Stories, I thought I was equipped to deal with the long-haul of launching a website and slowly building traffic. What I didn’t expect was hooooowwww slooooowwww thiiiiiisss processssss issssssss. The days I’ve broken double-digit site visitors has been akin to winning the superbowl.

However, this has been a blessing-in-disguise. Little-to-no traffic has given me the time and pressure to wrestle-out if blogging is something I truly want to do long-term. If it is worth the many, many hours it takes to create content that could-maybe-possibly be of use to others.

And, it is helped me determine what exactly my content will look like. The day Seeking Stories launched, I was convinced that the site would be half-focused on movie/book reviews and half-focused on tips for writers. The lack of traffic has helped me slow down and truly think though what my specific niche is. What can I offer that is helpful to readers and something that they might be searching for?

Since then, the site has morphed into an avenue where writers can learn and receive encouragement on all-things storytelling, with its primary focus on learning storytelling by examining how already-published books and movies do it. Not only do I thoroughly enjoy this niche, but it’s one that I haven’t seen done exactly in this way. At least not yet. 🙂

4. Podcasting is the medium of the future.

Podcasting is one of the only ways (if not the only way) to consistently gain access to the long-form thoughts of others in this crazy, rushed, digital age. Is that YouTube video longer than 5 minutes? Forget it. That article taking too long to load? Onto the next.

Podcasts though…ah, here is time to soak in 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours worth of content at a time. The same folks (admittedly, myself included) who complain about the length of internet videos will listen enraptured at the ole’ fashioned radio-esque format that is podcasting. There is a subconscious understanding that podcasts are not meant to be flashy, nor is their purpose to dazzle. Sure, many podcast hosts are entertaining, but you won’t find a stupid cat podcast in the archives…..I hope.

The goal of transferring information to the listener, even if it be ridiculous in nature, is at the forefront of the entire idea of podcasting. And because of this, podcasting cannot be taken lightly for anyone seeking to create internet content.

Look at it this way. Few have time to sit and watch a 30 minute how-to video unless they are purposefully carving time out of an already packed schedule to do so. Videos can rarely be watched on-the-fly without ignoring some other aspect of life. However, listening to podcasts can be done while:

• Driving or commuting.
• Mowing/Doing yardwork/gardening.
• Exercising.
• Dishes/Housework.
• Rocking kids to sleep.
• Falling asleep yourself.
• Working (ok, ok, maybe not in all vocations, but in some [window washing?] certainly!).
• I’m sure you can think of a few more.

If your goal is internet content creation, don’t ignore this simply engaging medium that is growing very quickly .

To put it in perspective, in an average day twice as many people listened to the Seeking Stories podcast as visited the website. Granted, the web traffic for both is still minute, but I’ve done much less work marketing the podcast than the blog articles, and the podcast episodes are reaching a larger audience…food for thought.

5. Take your own advice.

#don’tbeahypocrite. Nearly the first blog I ever posted was on ways to find time to write. How many times did I ignore my own advice? Seeing as how my goal was to publish 50 posts this year and I ended at roughly around 25 should tell the story.

Let’s keep this one short. If you expect others to read your content and come back for more, you’d better be taking your own advice and wholeheartedly applying it. Yes, there is room for trial and error, but you are also making a commitment to your readers/watchers/listeners by saying, “I’ve tried this, and it works.” So do it.

6. Read Slower.

Speaking of not taking your own advice, near the end of the year, I found myself trying to meet an unnecessary goal. It’s been several years since I’ve read all the books on my yearly to-read list, and in November/December I found myself powering through books for the sake of meeting a goal.

Not learning. Not enjoying. Just to say I read ’em.

Karen Prior’s phenomenal “On Reading Well” put me in my place:

“Thoughtfully engaging with a text takes time. The slowest readers are often the best readers, the ones who get the most meaning out of a work and are affected most deeply by literature.” 

(Page 17; ON READING WELL)

The purpose of books should never be so that you can say, “I read THIS MANY books. Yay. Way to go, me!”

Enjoying the reading journey, getting to know characters like old friends, wrestling with truths, exploring new themes, slowly chewing on well-seasoned sentences. These are the reasons to read. And I promise, you’ll become a better writer for it.

7. Don’t neglect your family.

I’m not a crier. My family looks at me aghast when I’m not uncontrollably watering the carpet whilst watching the Grey Havens scene in Return of the King for the 598th time.

I cried the day I realized I was getting frustrated at my toddler-daughter for “taking up my writing time”.

There will always be another blog post to write or podcast to record or book to read. Don’t miss the moments you have with your family. Today, I spent 30 minutes laughing and dropping crayons through a hole in a bucket with my two year old instead of working on this post. You know what? The post still got finished.

8. It’s ok to take time to rest.

For some reason, observing the Sabbath is the commandment we seem to largely completely ignore. We treat Sunday like another Saturday, working, shopping, stressing, running around until we collapse and then wonder why we’re exhausted week after week. I’m definitely not saying that we CAN’T go to the grocery store on the day-of-rest, but the Lord clearly designed mankind to take one day to, well, rest.

For me, Sundays used to be the day where I desperately tried to work ahead on all of my crazy projects, figuring it was an extra “free day” to get some stuff done and make progress on my endeavors. Finally, after reaching the burnt-out stage for the umpteenth time, I finally listened to the Lord and started taking time to rest one day a week.

This doesn’t mean that I lay in bed all day with my eyes closed and hands folded. The Lord still intends us to be wise with our time. Usually, the day is spent reading, enjoying time with family, journaling, maybe watching a movie or cooking a good meal. Basically, the kind of stuff that there isn’t pressure to complete. The stuff that would be anti-rest.

Sure, there are still poopy diapers to change, spills to clean, crying toddlers to console, and general emergencies to deal with. But outside of that, why make life harder one day a week?

Guess what? Since starting to rest one day a week, I actually enter the work week with some energy now, and reach the weekend not feeling like I want to go live in a hole (usually :)).

It pays to trust that what God says is true instead of relaying on our own foolish notion that we somehow know better.

9. Put down the smart phone.

My writing productivity has steadily declined since purchasing my first (and so far only) smart phone almost four years ago. Sure, it has absolutely been useful many times as a notepad for scribbling down ideas when le actual notepad was MIA, or even writing the first draft of entire blog posts (I’m currently writing this bullet point on my phone whilst my newborn sleeps on me).

And I love, love, love having access to all my story ideas via the illustrious evernote app.

Yet, the writing output still decreases.

I think I know why.

Pre Smart Phone, quiet moments of life were taken up by thinking, planning, formulating ideas, composing sample sentences, etc. aka, mind time put to good use.

Now, those same moments are used to look through phone apps, read about recent updates on who-knows-what, and generally waste time. There, I said it.

I’m not saying to throw your smart phone away. Learn that it is a tool to be used when necessary, not a distraction or time-filler.

10. Turn off your work-mind AND your computer for 2 weeks every year.

No email. No social media. No surfing. No typing.

But, but, how will I write? How will I be an effective blogger if I disappear from the interwebs for 2 weeks?

Pen and paper are still fine instruments in the 21st Century! And you can schedule blog posts ahead of time, as well as social media updates through some nifty apps like Buffer.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve striven to save two weeks worth of vacation days to use at the end of every December. Yet, at the end of these weeks I’ve typically entered the new year furious at myself for not meeting all the goals I had planned for said vacation.

This year, I didn’t actively decide to forgo “work” during my vacation, but simply decided to spend the first couple of days reading. And then a few more days. After a week, I realized that my mind was actually getting refreshed by taking a few days not-working (who-woulda-thunk?). At that rate, I was going to meet few of my work goals anyway, so simply decided that opening the laptop offered too much of a temptation to make website updates, keep up with social media, or do any of the other myriad of things that “good bloggers” do. Let’s keep the darn thing packed away in the backpack.

I decided, “You know what? For the first time since high school, I’m actually going to use time off as TIME OFF.”

Radical, right?

As the story goes, the computer largely stayed shut until today (this wasn’t complete “cold turkey”. Still gotta submit insurance paperwork for your newborn by the deadline, etc, etc.).

Seriously, turning off the computer will do you a world of good, as it will give your brain time to refresh itself as well as give yourself time to invest in non-digital activities for a bit. You don’t realize how much your brain is bombarded until it no longer is.

What did you learn in 2018 that you will apply to next year’s endeavors?