How writing 500 posts for my personal blog helped position me as a writer

Everyone knows that writing is one of those things that needs practice. Hours and hours of good, solid practice.

Yet most writers I know (and know of) have a love-hate relationship with their words. Dorothy Parker is attributed to have said, “I hate writing, I love having written.” For writers everywhere, this universal truth applies to most days of the week.

It also triggers a nagging question:

How are we supposed to commit to something we have a love-hate relationship with?

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or beginner, and whether you write articles, books, or website content, you may find comfort in the following:

The word “procrastination” entered into the English language as a rite of passage for writers. It’s a disguise and usually looks like a sudden need to organize the linen closet or weed the front lawn (yours and your neighbour’s). As writers, our biggest challenge is to recognize procrastination for what it really is and crush it with our ass as we sit in front of our keyboard.

My personal experience as a writer begins like this …

Once upon a long time ago I wanted nothing more than to see my name in print. And preferably not on the subscription label of a magazine.

I spent a lot of time writing query letters to magazines, including Chatelaine, Shape, and Cosmopolitan. I filled notebooks with words nurtured by deep emotions. I started so many “best-selling” novels that if there was an Olympic category for penmanship, I’m sure I’d have a gold medal by now. (Maybe not a completed manuscript, but a medal.)

Then one day, about a gazillion years ago, I was at my local library and discovered a trade magazine for entrepreneurs. After reading through a few of the articles I decided to – you guessed it – write something geared for the magazine. I didn’t bother with the query letter. Instead, I sat down and wrote a piece that I felt would meet their guidelines. The muse was a force to reckon with that day. I chose to just go with it.

A few months later, the article long forgotten, I received an envelope from the magazine via regular mail. Admittedly, my hands held no enthusiasm as I slid my fingers along the flap. I had already guessed the contents: another rejection letter.

With a slight paper cut on my index finger (no blood, just a sliver of a sting) I pulled out the contents of the envelope and was suddenly paralyzed by a growing suspicion. This was no ordinary rejection letter. It felt … different.

Slowly, I unfolded the sheet of paper and there it was. A short, typed note telling me that my article would be published in an upcoming issue. Attached with a paperclip was a cheque made out to MY NAME in the amount of $250. My perception of myself as a writer changed that day.

Ho-ly Alphabet, Batman. Someone was actually paying me for my words! I was finally a “professional writer”. (Back then, the difference between professional and wanna-be was publication.)

The memory is vague but I may have danced around the kitchen for a while. Who am I kidding? I totally did that!

I was certain that my life was about to change forever (if I didn’t die from excitement first).

The truth is that nothing changed. I continued to write. To submit. To receive rejection letter upon rejection letter with a sprinkling of small writing assignments here and there. (“Throw that writer a bone,” I imagined editors saying as they read yet another one of my pitches.)

It wouldn’t be until many (pronounced: MANY) years later that I would cross over from being a struggling, professional writer to an established one … thanks to my personal blog.

At the time of this writing I’ve posted well over 500 articles on my blog (570 to be exact) and while I’ve given a lot of time, thought, and energy to this little hobby of mine, it’s given me a lot in return, of which most can be classified as “opportunities”.

And here they are …

On a personal level, my blog has given me something constructive to do during my middle of the night insomnia fests. As noted on the About page of my blog: “Some people sleep. I think. And THINK. It’s annoying.” Since the blog is my very own piece of virtual real estate, I get to write about whatever I want, including the thoughts that hijack my mind at 2 a.m. Irreverent posts about the joys and tribulations of parenting … reflective memoir pieces … emotional outlets during the early mourning hours of tragedy … The blog has given me a place to rest my own thoughts in quasi-peace – through both candor and humor.

Blogging has forced me to look at things from a different perspective and develop my own writing voice. You may argue that while there are millions of topics, everything has already been said. You’re right. You’re also wrong. Writing is an exercise in training your mind to look at the same old topics from a different angle. Let’s take a piece of sea glass. You’re walking along a beach and there it is, the sparkle tings in a corner of your eye. Most people see it, maybe pick it up and run their thumb across its cold, smooth surface. Then oops, the sunset, or another wave, and their attention is gone. But not you, the writer. You continue to look at that sea glass until you notice a tiny crack that reminds you of a hidden cave. Suddenly a childhood memory explodes in your mind like popcorn and the emotions tumble out of your soul like poetry.

Writing for the blog has forced me to self-promote my own writing. Truth: Most writers are solitary beings. We live in a bubble with words and an incessant need to put those words into an order that tells a story. Comparing bananas to pineapples, why hang out with a bunch when you can be the crown of your own universe? (That may have made more sense in my head.) Ask almost any writer and they’ll tell you that all they want to do is write, even if they love-hate it. While most people cringe at the thought of promoting themselves, it’s a necessary evil. That’s just how the world works these days. If you want someone to read your latest blog post, it’s up to you to tell the world that it exists. Thankfully, we have the tools to do so.

Blogging has spilled over into an interest and passion for understanding the ways of social media. Several years ago, when social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter were still sitting on the edge of taking over our time, I was asked if I had more friends online or in person. The question raised my eyebrows to the point where they almost left my forehead. “Only weirdos make friends online,” I said. Well, as we all know, things have changed. Not only are we connecting with people from around the globe, social media platforms have also provided us with the tools we need for promoting ourselves and our work. As noted in the previous point, social media has become a critical tool for self-promotion.

Organically, the blog has given me the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals from around the world. In my real, non-virtual life, my circle of “peeps” is small, comprised of family, work connections, and a few friends. Partly because I believe in quality over quantity, but mostly because I spend much of my time with my laptop, writing. Online, the numbers tell another story. From family members I never get to see anymore (shout out to my cousins!), to other writers, bloggers, and marketing colleagues, I get to connect with people on a daily basis that I would never otherwise get the chance to engage with.

Owning and maintaining a blog has provided me with opportunities for learning. The blog has given me an opportunity to flex my technical muscles. When you’re the boss of your own blog, you’re also in charge of … oh let me count the ways … the updates, the uploads, and the up-and-coming. There’s taking pictures, sizing them … creating links, sharing them …installing plugins, updating them … If you’re a hands-on type of learner, trust me when I say that blogging will give you a constant supply of learning opportunities, from learning the platform (I use WordPress) to figuring out the many faces of maintenance and security.

Writing for my personal blog has given me the opportunity to get to know myself. There’s an expression that goes something like this: If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. This is also true of our own hidden feelings. Many a time, I’ve sat down to write a “light piece” only to discover that my feelings were covered by layers of deeper meanings. In other words, writing is great therapy too. (Oh, and less expensive.) And as per the tagline for my blog – Life updates gone wrong. Or right. I’m undecided. – I get to write about the one topic that is both a personal, close friend and complete stranger: My inner self.

The blog has provided me with a means for developing self-confidence. Let’s face it. We may hide it well on most days but writers are needy, insecure, individuals who often get tangled up in our own fundamental need for expression. We’re haunted with questions like “Will they get it?” “Have I gone too far with this one?” “Is it just me?” “Am I a freak?” On the one hand, we NEED to hear that the words we’re stringing together with beads of our own lifeblood are making a difference; touching someone on a personal level. On the other hand, when someone does compliment us, our place of inner happiness glows for about six seconds before the cloud of doubt sets in again. Yet through the practice of blogging, I’ve learned to own my words.

Lastly (for this list anyway), my blog has taught me to not take myself too seriously and to have fun with writing. A great example is the juvenile stick figure cartoons I draw as featured pics. I started creating these after hearing a few horror stories about bloggers using other people’s pictures – pictures they found on the internet – and the consequences of their innocence. Drawing my own cartoons started as a way to ensure that no one would accuse me of stealing their stuff. In doing so, I soon realized that I actually enjoy drawing. And I’ll be the first to admit: I’m terrible at it. But if I enjoy it, who’s to stop me? (That’s not a real question.)

I started this article by stating that writing is one of those things that needs practice. Well, guess what? Blogging is writing in practice. In fact, it’s perfect practice.

What is ‘perfect practice’, you ask?

Perfect practice is the learned habit of doing something at the maximum capacity of your very best – at that time. And each time that you “practice”, your very best gets better and better. Why is blogging considered perfect practice? Because unlike journaling, which has its own benefits, blogging is not for your eyes only.

I first heard the expression – perfect practice – many years ago when I was studying the martial arts. While teaching techniques and katas, a former teacher would say, “perfect practice makes perfect.”

At the time, I tied my white belt in a knot of unskilled questions. “PERFECT practice? Come on. How am I supposed to “perfectly” practice something that feels awkward?”

I no longer study the martial arts but I can say this: I get it now. And guess what. It’s the same thing with writing.

Some people think that writers are born. And while words and visions of completed intentions may cry out to us from our very first gasp of air, good writing doesn’t just happen. Writers get good at their craft by practicing. Blogging gives you the opportunity to not only practice, but to do so with an attitude of perfect practice because you’re writing for a real and intended audience. Even if that audience is only your parents – at first.

When I first started writing this article, I envisioned something short. A list article: X things I learned from blogging. Yet here we are, over 2,000 words and about five rewrites later. I know why I’m still here and I’m going to assume that you’re still reading for the same reason: because the act, art, craft, whatever you want to call it, of writing has dug her talons into your purpose, relentlessly dragging your thoughts and imaginings through muddied visions of words begging to take a life of their own. Writing is a need. It’s a passion, an obsession, a disease, and a privilege. Blogging is a series of milestones on any writer’s path, with instant encouragement and ongoing opportunities to learn, improve, and have our voices heard.

I’m going to leave you now with one question:

Why are you still here?

Go write something.

M.