In the year I’ve had this little blog space, I’ve tried to keep to an update schedule of three times per week: I reserved Mondays for talking about and posting some pages from the Fearless novel, I kept Wednesdays for creative writing prompts (usually 100-Word Challenges for Grown-Ups or Five Sentence Fictions), and on Saturdays, I’ve been posting about my writing process in general. In going over my annual statistics report, though (and looking at the hits and comments I get), I’m wondering if three regular topics is too many.
I enjoy doing writing prompt challenges, butIn light of these considerations, I’ve decided to try updates twice a week, instead of three times per week (at least for the next six months). Since my photo/art blog already posts on Mondays, starting this week,Β Process posts (about writing and the current work in progress/WIP) will occur on Wednesdays, and writing prompt responses/original short fiction posts will occur on Saturdays.
Hopefully, this will help me write better posts, read/comment on more of your posts, and let me concentrate a bit more on my storytelling.
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What schedule do you keep for your blogging? Do you keep a schedule? How many updates do you consider not enough, too many, or just right?
Perhaps because I am relatively new, I’ve not given much thought to a plan but rather would write when prompted by an event or something I see or hear. Sometimes posting occur immediately, the event is timely. For example I wrote a piece in the persona of a tree when I read about the paperless office. But I am aware that my readers have so many articles to choose from, so many other non-reading and non-writing things to do, that I too many of my posts coming their way may be regarded as just stuffing their mailboxes, so I keep many of my potential posts in draft in my word document files.
But thanks for making me think about a new way forward.
Thank you for stopping by, doverock. π
I completely understand being struck by inspiration, especially when it comes from current events. I personally appreciate a schedule, though. Mostly to keep my own mind straight! π
I ‘ve decided to set up a schedule to save time and to ensure that I fulfill all my other tasks.
Thanks for the tips.
Sounds like a good idea to me, but I like the fewer posts per week. I have found that with some bloggers who post more than 2x/week, the quality of their writing tends to decline over time, and I have wondered if it is because they are posting too much. Having said that, I have not noticed that with you, Mayumi, but I think the reason for that is because you categorize your posts quite definitively (as you explain above). So, you haven’t run into the problem of repetition or forcing yourself to write something because you ‘have to’.
I am of the same opinion regarding the prompts. I stopped doing them through Limebird due to major time constraints, but also because I noticed my novels were getting shunted to the side all because I had to come up with a 100-word challenge every week. I’m a slow writer, so it often took me several hours to do one of those challenges. That’s several hours I could have been devoting to my novels. Luckily, Beth understands, and has graciously freed me from the Challenge Shackles. (I kid. I’m kinda hoping Beth will stop by and read this, just to see her comeback. π )
Anyhow, I think that if you feel like reducing the number of posts per week will help you in the long term, then that’s what you should do. At least, just to see how it all plays out. You may find that you miss that third post a week. Sometimes, it’s really hard to wean ourselves off from blogging, even when it’s a little bit.
Well, since you are writing for an audience, I just figured that just writing every few days was enough. Three times a week didn’t seem so overwhelming to me. Personally, I only try to write every few days, and I guess recently it’s equated to just once or twice a week, but I have been going through a writing dry spell.
I’d say, just do what you feel comfortable with. If you feel that you have five posts you want to get out, go for it.
I’ve never really done a schedule for mine, I tend to do one, sometimes two posts a week, but they’re random in which days they go up and on what they are about! Although with my second blog I’m going to try and do more of a schedule for a while at least with one recipe at the beginning of the week, and an article at the end of the week, but I’m not going to beat myself up if it doesn’t always work out. I read something somewhere about blogging schedules and the person said something like “Don’t kid yourself that people are sitting anxiously at their computers thinking ‘It’s Tuesday morning! Lucy always posts on a Tuesday morning, where is her post?!’. I’m not directing that at you, I’m just saying that reading that make me realise that it’s fine to be relaxed about when I post!
yes, I think you should make it regular. Check the stats. 100% of people who have voted say so, LOL π
Subhan Zein
Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, Kate. I do enjoy process posts and challenges, but – as you say – I want to keep them valuable, for me and for my readers. Some posts miss and others hit, of course, but I’m hoping a revised schedule will keep the interest going on both sides of the fence.
I follow a fair number of bloggers (not an extraordinary amount), but for the ones who post once a day or multiple times a day, I find it’s hard for me to keep up. Thoughtful commentary can fall to the wayside. And, I personally respect good comments over hit numbers, so I really want to take care with the folks I follow, and be cognizant of how I’m spending my blogging time.
I also like to comment back, which takes a modicum of effort and thought. (I feel bad saying just, “Thank you!” in a reply…though sometimes that’s all I can manage!) I think anyone who takes the time to give me a comment deserves a reply, though. Blogging is a good medium for building community, in that respect. π
Thanks, spooney.
I like to keep to a defined schedule mostly because my personality works better within deadlines. Others work more spontaneously, and that’s great for them. But, I follow some bloggers who post every day, and it can become too much for me to follow conscientiously. I end up skimming or even skipping their posts, for which I feel a bit bad, but I’ve got stuff to do, too! π
Sometimes, I’ll go through a burst of writing three or four posts…but many of them are not particularly time-sensitive, so I’ll just schedule them for another day.
I agree with that schedule advice and I don’t, Vanessa. For instance, I keep my eyes on Julia’s blog on Mondays specifically, because I know a new 100WCGU prompt is coming (and on the Limebirds site on Fridays, because that’s when Beth will post your entries!). But, I also believe you’re right that few readers (if any) pay attention to a blogger’s schedule. They might know Blog A posts three times a week and Blog B posts five times a week, but the actual days don’t really matter, for the most part.
That said, I think a defined update schedule is better for me because I work better with a deadline in mind. If I know the 100WCGU and Five Sentence Fiction deadlines are Monday and Thursday, respectively, that gives me some time to work with them before my Saturday post, and I can still make it onto their linkshare lists before they expire. (That was the hardest part of deciding on my new schedule! :D)
I do believe my blog is more for fun and community than anything else, though. So, if I miss a day or week – or, if I decide I really want to put that extra, unscheduled post in there – I’ve got no issue with it. π
Thanks, Subhan.
I like keeping to a schedule, personally. It’s not for everyone, but it helps me stay focused when I need to be. π
Don’t feel bad! I skim or skip quite a few, too! And while the deadline thing really only works for me if it’s a real assignment for class, I totally understand the need for deadlines. I’m already feeling wishy-washy over some assignments in my classes.
We’re of similar thoughts, here. π For me, a schedule for posting works best. That might not be feasible or desirable for someone else, though. And I’ve seen blogging advice that says it is better to have a schedule so readers know when to expect a post. I think the reasoning there is similar to why TV shows are traditionally on a scheduleβso viewers know when to find them. Has anyone ever given up on a show because the network kept moving it around?
We all have to find the way that works best for us and our goals. And I’ll be reading when you post (maybe delayed if it’s one of my self-imposed non-blogging days). I will say that as a reader, I find it easier to keep up with bloggers who limit the posts to once or twice a week. π
great! π
Thanks for the words of support, JM. I am in your camp with the scheduling of specific days. That’s likely just my personality, though, and I do understand it doesn’t work for everyone.
I find less frequent posts are easier for me to digest, as well. I try to keep up with bloggers who post every day, but I find my comments become much more trivial for them, and that makes me feel bad.
Honestly, I’ve grown past wanting instant gratification for my posts. π One of the nice things about an Internet blog is that people might stumble upon a short story or an opinion post a year or two down the line, and it can still be valuable. If I get some interesting or thoughtful feedback from it, all the better.
Thanks for stopping by!