Saturday, February 22, 2014

Chicken Poop & Calisthenics: Why to Blog when you don't want to Blog

On a morning when writing a blog ranks right down there with the prospects of cleaning out a chicken coop, I think we should all take a few moments to consider why writers should blog. And, no, this isn’t about getting your name out there to the hungry reading masses.

This, my friends, is about calisthenics for your writing muscle.

Calisthenics is basically defined as: an exercise made up of a variety of exercises which are usually rhythmic in nature but requiring no equipment, such as weights.

This is blogging at its very core.

I confess, I don’t generally enjoy blogging. I used to hate it. I’d dread it like the cowardly ninny I often am. But after a month of forcing myself to blog (coherently) twice a day every day, I’m beginning to think its benefits outweigh the craziness it stirs up in my head.

Shall I explain?

I believe I shall.

The creativity required in maintaining a daily blog is phenomenal. Also exhausting, but we won’t go there this morning.

Writing can be a terribly dull career to chronicle. While word counts, character developments and the like can be very interesting and even fun things to share, I’ve found that you’ve got to add some unexpected spice to it to keep it interesting, to keep the readers coming back, to keep you writing it day in and day out.

In the case of my blog, the spices I have scrounged up have included, to various success rates: The Scrying Seed, Movie Reviews, Editorials on Current Events, and Picture Stories. But it doesn’t matter what kind of seasoning you choose to surprise your readers and yourself with, it matters that you, as a writer, make that stretch.

Calisthenics.

Stretch that writing muscle into positions categorized from “WTF?” to “Yes, yes, yes!”

A daily blog may sometimes hurt (mine often sting like hell), but after a few weeks of the pain you’ll start to feel the difference. You’ll wake up one day, stretch and think, “Hmm, that feels good.”

Or so I keep telling myself on days like this when writing a blog has sunk below the chicken shit.

Until tonight…

Chloe

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