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, stopped blogging, and gave my blog a hard reset, or…
2. I forgot to acknowledge my blog anniversary.

That’s why it is so sweet to celebrate my anniversary today after many attempts and many years of blogging regularly. (Even if many people don’t read blogs anymore.) Good job, self!

So, what did I learn, and how did I 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 look at my post, and I find the number of words and paragraphs not enough, 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 fit my personal blog, and I should write more of them. 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 writing method 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 never used it as a 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 kept blogging frequently, I started diversifying my Minute Warning posts; aside from ten minutes, I wrote some posts in under 30 to 60 minutes.

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 writing a long post, Wild Mind Writing doesn’t force me to research and then 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. Most of them are your usual personal posts, but that’s fine. My personal blog, my rules. And I’m sure that I will make more Minute Warning posts in the future.

Follow a Writing/Content Creation Process

When I do make a lengthy post in The Diary, I give myself at least three hours to write it. Here is my writing process:

1. I start by writing the initial title. For me, the title or the outline usually sets the tone for the post. (When I need to add a Roman numeral to the title, here is the Roman numeral converter that I use.)
2. I jot down the post outline, then add a heading format to each outline when necessary.
3. I start expounding the outlines, one by one. I also do some research while I’m expounding. I also add indicators before paragraphs if I need to add images.
4. After writing the initial post, I work on the images (featured images, post images) for at least 30 minutes. (That is, if I can search the desired images right away.) When I’m done, I upload the images to my WordPress storage, then place them in their respective indicators.
5. After adding images to my post, I proofread it twice. Or thrice. Grammarly usually helps me with proofreading and editing.
6. Once proofreading is done, I add the category and tags.
7. When everything is set, it’s time to publish the post!

And there you have it. That is my writing process and everything I learned and 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 first anniversary, The Diary!

Ω

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Updated on January 23, 2026.