Does Blogging Interfere With Your Writing?

For years, I’d go to a con, sing songs, attends panels, talk with people--and the part of me that tells stories would wake up. I’d think, “I miss writing. I’ve got all these unfinished stories, what happened?” And I’d stay up late, get back home late, and go into work tired, and be behind on housework, and…usually not a lot of writing happened.

And I’d get distracted by other things. Laundry and dinners, grocery-shopping and music, arts and reading. Work and family and friends.  And the gestalt in my head for the incomplete stories would fade, so if I did want to write, and had time, I had to spend time re-reading, and re-thinking.  Rebuilding the database, so to speak.

Another factor was that when I wanted to write, but wasn’t in the right head-space, I had no way to predictably get there. The zen focus was either there, or it wasn’t.  And a career is hard to build if you only do it when you happen to be in the right frame of mind AND happen to have time, at the same time.

Then I started my LJ, figuring I’d at least post something for full and new moons. And I added lots of writers to my reading list, and some artists, and some people who just talked about interesting things, or made me think. A few people who blog regularly about their health challenges, and how they get things done anyway. People who live interesting lives.  People who care about words, and the magic of words.

And someone is always talking about writing. Usually a bunch of someones. And now the part of my mind that tells stories is always awake.

Blogging helps me to keep my life experiences, my other creative pursuits from becoming a distraction from storytelling. Instead, now they consistently they feed the storyteller in me.

And reading people's blogs almost always jump-starts the writer in me, when I need that.

And that would be enough. But it’s not all!

ysabetwordsmith  ’s poetry fishbowls gave me an example of how other people’s interest and input can feed creativity. Now I ask my friends and fans for inspiration from time to time, and thank them by giving them a private peek at the first draft of stories they inspire.

I’ve been experimenting with and blogging about crowdfunding, which has helped bring me friends and fans and even supplemented my income a bit.

I’ve heard about anthologies and contests, and gotten better at writing stories before the deadline, even when I’m only submitting to the slushpile.  And been reminded of deadlines when my friends blogged about writing. 

I found the #fridayflash community, and wrote a whole bunch of short-short stories people can read any time.  And, of course, there's Fireborn.

I met people to have word wars with, an idea that sounded silly at first, but which is really about inspiration and motivation and camaraderie.

I submitted a few things to ellenmillion 's Torn World contests, winning in both the writing and art categories (and even once in both in the same contest), and eventually becoming one of the most regular contributors, with worldbuilding, art, and poetry there as well as fiction.

And there are so many other people who have inspired me or supported me or both, but I'd better not spend my day only blogging.


So, my short answer is that blogging certainly interacts with writing, in all sorts of positive ways!

And thanks to jongibbs  for asking. Feel free to check out other people’s answers over there.

Does Blogging Interfere With Your Writing?

For years, I’d go to a con, sing songs, attends panels, talk with people--and the part of me that tells stories would wake up. I’d think, “I miss writing. I’ve got all these unfinished stories, what happened?” And I’d stay up late, get back home late, and go into work tired, and be behind on housework, and…usually not a lot of writing happened.

And I’d get distracted by other things. Laundry and dinners, grocery-shopping and music, arts and reading. Work and family and friends.  And the gestalt in my head for the incomplete stories would fade, so if I did want to write, and had time, I had to spend time re-reading, and re-thinking.  Rebuilding the database, so to speak.

Another factor was that when I wanted to write, but wasn’t in the right head-space, I had no way to predictably get there. The zen focus was either there, or it wasn’t.  And a career is hard to build if you only do it when you happen to be in the right frame of mind AND happen to have time, at the same time.

Then I started my LJ, figuring I’d at least post something for full and new moons. And I added lots of writers to my reading list, and some artists, and some people who just talked about interesting things, or made me think. A few people who blog regularly about their health challenges, and how they get things done anyway. People who live interesting lives.  People who care about words, and the magic of words.

And someone is always talking about writing. Usually a bunch of someones. And now the part of my mind that tells stories is always awake.

Blogging helps me to keep my life experiences, my other creative pursuits from becoming a distraction from storytelling. Instead, now they consistently they feed the storyteller in me.

And reading people's blogs almost always jump-starts the writer in me, when I need that.

And that would be enough. But it’s not all!

ysabetwordsmith  ’s poetry fishbowls gave me an example of how other people’s interest and input can feed creativity. Now I ask my friends and fans for inspiration from time to time, and thank them by giving them a private peek at the first draft of stories they inspire.

I’ve been experimenting with and blogging about crowdfunding, which has helped bring me friends and fans and even supplemented my income a bit.

I’ve heard about anthologies and contests, and gotten better at writing stories before the deadline, even when I’m only submitting to the slushpile.  And been reminded of deadlines when my friends blogged about writing. 

I found the #fridayflash community, and wrote a whole bunch of short-short stories people can read any time.  And, of course, there's Fireborn.

I met people to have word wars with, an idea that sounded silly at first, but which is really about inspiration and motivation and camaraderie.

I submitted a few things to ellenmillion 's Torn World contests, winning in both the writing and art categories (and even once in both in the same contest), and eventually becoming one of the most regular contributors, with worldbuilding, art, and poetry there as well as fiction.

And there are so many other people who have inspired me or supported me or both, but I'd better not spend my day only blogging.


So, my short answer is that blogging certainly interacts with writing, in all sorts of positive ways!

And thanks to jongibbs  for asking. Feel free to check out other people’s answers over there.