Time taken to blog
How much time does it take to blog?
That is a difficult question to answer. It depends. It depends on a lot of factors.
- Length of the article: some articles take only a few minutes to write; long, in-depth and complicated articles may take several hours.
- Topic: some topics take much time to plan, research and think about.
- Mood: sometimes the words just flow easily; at other times I struggle to get the words down.
- Distractions: too many distractions can disrupt the flow of words.
Minimum
I try to maintain a post per day minimum on my three blogs. That is demanding. That means I need to write at least three articles each day just to keep up the supply. On a good day when I’m feeling good and the words are flowing nicely and the ideas come easily I can turn out five to seven articles.
Maximum
In twelve months of consistent, concentrated blogging I’ve had about a dozen days where I’ve produced double figures; my best day was twenty articles. Keep in mind that almost ALL of my content is original. I may have small quotes from others but probably 98% of my posts are original in content. That takes time and effort.
How much time does it take to blog?
Ben answers this question on Instigator Blog. He says that to be a successful blogger you need to develop a new mindset. He takes his readers through five elements in developing such a mindset. Read them here.
Market Guide for Children’s Writers
The Writers’ Digest produces the very popular Writer’s Market Guides every year. They also publish several other market guides, including the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market Guides. The editor of this particular market guide now has her own blog about the guide and markets for writers and illustrators of children’s books.
Check it out here:
- Alice’s CWIM Blog (CWIM stands for Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Markets)
Writing Hint #23: Take a Nap
I am gradually changing the way I write. Over the last six months or so I am waking up quite early each morning. When I was teaching full time during the day and writing in the evening I struggled to arise in time for the start of the school day. By the time I arrived home my creative juices had often been drained completely by the demands of the day. The tank was empty. There was little, if any, left for writing.
Now that I am writing more or less full time there has been a transformation in my working day. Many days I am so eager to get on with my writing that I start in my PJs, sometimes neglecting even to shave and shower until well into the morning. (Oh, the joys of working at home).
There is, however, a payback time. By mid-afternoon the eyelids are getting droopy and the concentration levels plummet dangerously. Time for a “Grandpa nap” I often say jokingly. I can easily go to sleep in my favourite chair – sometimes within a minute – and sleep for about twenty minutes. I am then as fresh as in the morning and can get on with more writing or other tasks.
Backed up by research
What I didn’t realise is that my work pattern is supported by recent research.
A nap a day will keep lost productivity at bay, says the author of a new book, who says sleeping can change your life.
Research on the benefits of napping should serve as a wake-up call for employers as the drain on businesses is staggering, says Harvard-trained research scientist Sara Mednick.
Goodness – she didn’t have to do the research. I could have told her the facts. It is a habit I inherited from my father and two older brothers, all believers in the short nap. Intermittently over the years I have done this too, but not on a regular, consistent basis. I’ve even been known to have a nap in a noisy staff room, or under my desk in my classroom at lunch time.
Sleep deprivation can also lead to a whole host of health problems such as increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, decreased libido and obesity, said Mednick, author of the book “Take a Nap! Change your life.”
“What I found with napping research is actually that naps can actually help solve a lot of these problems,” she said.
I think I’ll just go and have a short nap.
To read the whole article click here.