New Year New Content

As First Principles I've tried to cover an array of topics or whatever seemed interesting to me at the time. Occasionally though I run out of content and struggle to fill the pages. 

 A few problems I’ve noticed about what I write, or rather don’t write. Experienced bloggers can dive into anything and throw up some random thoughts or emotions about an event in news. Something that makes its way around Twitter and Facebook wall posts, celebrity deaths, political shenanigans or major weather alerts. I have trouble with this mostly because I can’t imagine contributing to the conversation or bringing some new aspect to light. 

No, I don't have anything brilliant to say that hasn't been thought, or written.

This is something I need to overcome because what is blogging if not constant updating and typing minutia. Or maybe what I do is fine.

Good enough…just enough.

I hope that isn’t laziness being passed off as wit. I am big believer that you write out of trouble and no amount of writing is ever too much. Maybe just don’t publish or paste everything. We have delete and backspace buttons to clean up the run on sentences and poorly worded phrases. Write all day. Write all night. Write until your fingers cramp and the pain makes you howl like retriever with a smashed tail. Just, you know, edit. I am trying to encourage myself here and not throw blame to writers. Working for ____  makes me a paid writer so technically the ‘community’ includes me. 

Yeah! Paid writer fist bump! pushes away from computer, punches the air

Ok so I only earn a couple bucks for digging into technical articles and spinning out sales-y content.

So where do I go from here in my search for blog material that works for me? Maybe that’s the problem, I try to fit content into such a tiny box instead of just banging on about newsworthy items. When you devote more time and energy to something it improves. Surely blogs work the same way.

I do wonder about process. How do others do it? Do they scan the major wire services and entertainment gossip for material? With journalists it is easy. They cover news so their content is pretty secure…because well, news is always happening. What about the mommy blogs and special interest stuff? It would seem difficult to come up with constant interesting posts to engage readers. This is surely the greatest misconception about writing/blogging I’ve had to get over.

 “Don’t write to an audience, just write and let the audience come to you.” At least that’s the story I am sticking to. I don’t like 100% of any one writer’s stuff, even the ones with sharp analysis and amazing turns of phrases. Take the good, take the bad. Share what is interesting and keep grinding away like an elderly couple scratching off lottery tickets.

Encourage, uplift and motivate when no one else will and be happy with the result.

To a great New Year full of promise and improvement, Cheers!!