Blog Block

BINGE-WRITING HABIT: 1000, BLOG BINGE-WRITING AMELIORATION PLAN: 0.

So in my queue, as we speak, are twenty half-written blog posts weighing in at about 1000 words each.  Yep, twenty thousand words about random stuff I will probably never publish.  I’ve been pondering and pondering WHY I can’t seem to get my act together and actually finish any of these, and I’ve landed on a number of things.

When it comes to opinions and informative stuff, (1) all of it has already been written and doesn’t really add anything new to the conversation and (2) there are many more people out there with far greater experience than me in their fields/profession/life etc. who are vastly more qualified to weigh in.

When it comes to personal stuff–fun stories about my kiddo or writing news or recommendations I have–I am less hesitant, but I do worry about over-sharing.  Does anybody really want to know about my bedtime stories? And what my new-favorite blog is? Or the magical joy that is crock-pot cooking?

It occurred to me that these are pretty much the same reasons I stumble upon for writer’s block. I only get it when the possibility of publication *actually* rears it’s ugly/fantastically-gorgeous, Fight Club-Era Edward Norton-shaped head.  When I’m just writing, for fun and without any audience other than myself, I can crank out thousands of words.  When I start to consider the possibility that others might take a look at it, I slow down.  So blogging’s instant-publication carries that weight with every word.

So I’ve tried to come up with a number of ways to combat blog-block:

1) YES, all of it’s already been written. But it’s never been written by me, and although I don’t have much expertise to speak of regarding most of the things I’m talking about, I’m adding a new perspective. (Mine.)

2) There will always be more-qualified and more-experienced people. ALWAYS. So thinking I’m going to gain some magical feeling of personal expertise is futile.  Anyway, ignorance is coolio, man. It means you’re still learning.

3) Everyone who’s run across my blog has been SUPER nice. Like, super nice. And it’s fun to meet them (hey, guys!). So blogging doesn’t always have to be about contributing something meaningful to the conversation or what-not. It can also be about participation; finding cool people who share your interests, and giving them a nice, non-commital way to hang out. Or not. Whatevs, people.  But I do appreciate it when you stop by .

4) This is also for me.  I’m trying to practice writing in small bits on a regular basis, rather than staying up until 3:00 am and cranking out 15K. And sharing is good practice, too, right?  No one is under any obligation to read this blog and it’s okay if they don’t.  It provides value in the mere fact that I’m doing it.

5) And last but not least… it’s fun, and it’s nice to talk about things with an imaginary audience that I might otherwise not get to.  Like how most zombie stories can be read as metaphors for consumption and show up primarily in times of economic scarcity. Or how the broken ships in Shipbreaker may be allegories for the literal destruction of relationships that the post peak-oil world Bacigalupi created.  OH! Or how the presence of aliens in pop culture are a really positive sign–they’re the ultimate “other,” the thing only defined by it’s lack of human-ness, which means that the rest of us are starting to view ourselves as a people unified by our humanity, and not divided by race, religion, or nationality.  Or how Bleach is my newest Best. Anime. Ever. and everyone who hasn’t seen it yet should because the entire series is on Hulu and you don’t have to sit through those filler episodes.

And now I need to actually write all those posts.

Baby steps, people. Baby steps.