The biggest initial hurdle to blogging is assuming you have to always write big, meaty essays.
That’s paralyzing.
The longer the article, or the bigger the perceived “thing” you’re going the write, the more prone you’ll be to perfectionism.
Perfect is the enemy of done.
Many of you reading this want to start a blog, or are struggling to blog consistently.
This is how I get over the hump of writing:
I write small.
I don’t write big things to begin with. I start with a lot of headlines. If I’m feeling fancy, maybe a few words to describe what I was thinking at the time:
a peek inside my messy writing mind
I see which ideas still come back to me after leaving it alone for a couple days. I think that’s basically how people brew beer.
But writing small is only half the equation.
After I do want to develop an idea, I kick it around in a few sandboxes.
I build momentum by posting an excerpt of my writing outside of my blog.
Pressing “Publish” on WordPress can be daunting. There’s this pressure for things to feel polished.
Instead, I test ideas on mediums that feel less risky to me.
Maybe it’s a one-liner on Twitter.
Or a paragraph posted on a Facebook wall:
It could even be an email or conversation with friends on Messenger.
Sharing my writing early on in small bits releases the pressure of actually publishing a piece.
The other benefit of writing small…
Is creative freedom. I’d feel limited if all I could write was lengthy essays.
I want to share one-liners, dad jokes, shower thoughts, and funny memes.
That’s why I created the Oz Blogs Facebook page.
It helps me practice this idea of writing small.
So the next time you get stuck with writer’s block, and the words don’t flow, remember…
- Write small, don’t write so big.
- Share your idea in a less-risky place.
- Like the Oz Blogs Facebook Page to Get Weird ;)
Oh yeah and don’t forget to actually publish.