XI: Full Circle I (The Diary’s 1st Anniversary)

The last time I celebrated a blog anniversary was in 2008 – I have been using WordPress for a year and I have a different name and persona. Since then (evolving into The Deranged Writer and all), either (1) I blogged for several months and then stopped it and gave my blog a hard reset, or (2) I forgot to acknowledge my blog anniversary. That is why it is so sweet to celebrate my anniversary today after many attempts and years to blog regularly. (Even if many people don’t read blogs anymore.) Good job, self!

So, what did I learn and do to blog frequently? Here are the things I learned and my writing process on The Diary. (Buckle up because this is going to be a long post.)

Write More Short, Personal Posts

The problem I had with my several attempts to blog frequently was that I always wanted to write lengthy posts. Always. Whenever I don’t reach a certain number of words and paragraphs, I beat myself up and end up not posting. But I realized that I’m writing on my personal blog and I can write whatever I want. I realized that short, personal posts align with my personal blog and I should write more of that. I realized that I can pepper in a long post every once in a while, but I don’t have to pressure myself to always write the most thought-provoking, remarkable post in the world. (Or at least I try to.)

Write Under Time Pressure

In 2010, I learned a method of writing from my Art History professor called “Wild Mind Writing”. The method has 1 simple rule: write anything you want for 10 minutes (with typos or not). I have kept this method in mind and applied it to my journaling, but I have never actually applied it to my blogging process until my last failed attempt at blogging regularly in 2022. All of my posts written under time pressure are filed under Minute Warnings. As I keep on blogging frequently, I started diversifying my Minute Warning posts; aside from 10 minutes, I wrote some posts under 30 to 60 minutes.

As compared to making lengthy posts, Wild Mind Writing is a pressure I can handle. Whenever I don’t have more than an hour to blog, I can always depend on Wild Mind Writing. And unlike making a long post, Wild Mind Writing doesn’t force me to research and outline my post. Wild Mind Writing just allows me to let it all out. Because of that, I was able to write 119 Minute Warning posts on The Diary, and I have 176 posts overall. And I’m sure that I will make more Minute Warning posts.

Follow a Writing/Content Creation Process

When I do make a lengthy post on my WordPress editor, I give myself a minimum of 3 hours to write it. Here is my writing process:

1. I start by writing the initial title. I usually label it with a Roman numeral right away. (Here is the Roman numeral converter that I use.)
2. I start working on the post’s outline. I add a heading format to the outline/s, and then I start expounding on them one by one. I also do some research while I’m expounding.
3. I also add indicators before paragraphs if I need to add images.
4. After writing the initial post, I open my Adobe Photoshop CC to work on the blog featured image and the post images. I usually work on the images for a minimum of 30 minutes. (That is if I can search the desired images right away.) After designing, I upload the images on my WordPress editor.
5. After adding images to my post, I proofread it twice and make changes if necessary. Grammarly usually helps me with proofreading and editing.
6. Once proofreading is done, I add the category and tags.
7. And then it’s time to publish my post!

And there you have it. That is my writing process and everything I did to make blogging a regular habit. As long as I’m alive and kicking, I will continue to tell my stories here on The Diary. And I hope to expand my content creation through my social media accounts.

Happiest 1st anniversary, The Diary!

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