Ever hit a dry spell in your writing? Was it a mental block, life distractions or just in a funk? I’ve never been much for a loss of words but noticed that the rate of posts this last week slowed-down considerably from the rhythm I’ve been keeping in the weeks preceding it. In my case I hit a very busy point where a number of areas of my life required a great deal of attention. Work spiked among other items requiring a new campaign involving a micro-site and a video. Video production is a very taxing process for me.
So I’ve been pondering this issue of creative proliferation that drives much of what makes-up a decent blog post. Nothing too overly profound, I think the creative flow is like a sponge. The more time there is to soak-up thoughts and ideas through reading, contemplation and experimentation gives birth to new thoughts, new ideas. These new ideas serve towards some valuable information that is worth sharing. It’s a fascinating process, one I richly enjoy.
I’ve noticed in times of high demand for creative juices at work the sponge can get dry if it’s coupled by a harried schedule, other outside stresses and a change in routine of some sort. Life rhythms get out of balance and more energy is required to bring things back into a normal stride.
The shift of seasons has had an effect on my creative process. Family rhythms have changed with school back in session. The weather is changing and the hectic pace of the Fall is now in full swing.
What have you noticed about your posting rhythms? Is there one key aspect that affects your creativity? Or do you find a specific combination of positive or negative elements to peak or valley your flow?
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4 Comments
Hey Phil, I’ll have to look at the overall flow of my posts. Of course, my ever-expanding category list sort of tells the sad, crazy story. But I do know that when my day has a slower start, and I have the time to read the paper, or spend a bit of time outside, the desire to create is quite strong. That would be opposed to just coming up with something. I guess paying attention to my reactions to things is really the key.
And it seems that many bloggers are dealing with this right now…
Kelly, Yes, having the time to contemplate is key to good posts, no doubt about it. That’s what I’ve been missing as of late. I also often have thoughts to do instructional posts which can get quite involved to do well. I know a number of folks that are just swimming in activity as of late. I think it coincides with the start of Fall. It will get better. I’m heading to the coast for a three day weekend, so that will be rejuvenating.
I finally read some of my RSS feeds today, and I haven’t looked at them for a good while, being sick and all.
I was surprised because I was expecting there to be a huge number of unread items. Looks like you are right, everyone has slowed down lately.
Yep, when I get out from under this short-term intense load, I’m going to start writing posts and only publishing one each day. In the past, while in high-octane creative mode I would post two or even three a day, sometimes for several days in a row. Also, thinking about writing a series of posts at one time, this will be helpful for tutorials. Just need to get past this bump in the road.