How a Journal Saved My Blog

Wednesday, March 28, 2012




For months I have been very frustrated with my blog Georgia Mae. I felt the blog was losing its focus and my enthusiasm for the project, which I began nearly four year ago, was waning. I even wanted to delete the blog and start all over. But that’s all changed, recently. Surprisingly what turned it all around was returning to something I loved to do back before we knew what a weblog was: journaling.

I started keeping a blogging journal. I took an unused journal I had wedged between some books on my bookshelf, dolled up the cover and a few inside pages with stickers and magazine cutouts and started carrying the thing with me everywhere.  I take it to work, church, brunch with friends and even the gym. Before I leave my apartment I make sure it’s tucked in my bag.  Before bed I make sure it’s on my nightstand. My blogging journal must be near me at all times.

So what’s so special about it? How did it reignite my passion for blogging? Honestly, I don’t really know. But I know I’ve been a blogging maniac since I started keeping it. So my advice to you is to get a blogging journal of your own. This is different from the editorial calendar I encouraged you to create a few weeks again. You still need that too, but the blogging journal will help you feed that calendar with brilliant posts.

In my blogging journal I keep an ongoing list of post ideas, specifically for topics that I want my blog to focus on. If I’m inspired but away from a computer I’ll even start jotting down a rough draft of a post. I also record random thoughts that I may want to share with readers later in an inspirational post. And I write down blogging goals as well.

Do you keep a blogging journal? If so, take a snapshot of it, post it on your blog and share the link to that post in the comments. And I’d love to know how journaling has helped your blog.

5 comments:

  1. I used to carry several small journals with me, everywhere. One was for ideas, another for free writing, another for copying quotes and filling with little finds...

    And then I started carrying a diaper bag everywhere, and those journals were quickly replaced with wipes/board books/sippy cups/matchbox cars/etc. It's just another part of stepping in to motherhood, I suppose. I mean, who has time for (indulgent) journaling anyway?

    I do. I must.

    Yesterday I just so happen to buy a little 3-pack of blank pages. I look forward to filling them.

    Thanks for the push...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should add that I haven't been spending hours writing beautiful prose in this journal. I'm not a mother but I don't have time for that either. I just carry it around to jot down post ideas, random thoughts, and goals and somehow that's made a huge difference.

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  2. I kid you not: I just purchased a notebook this afternoon to do this very thing!

    Congrats on finding your mojo again. Fingers crossed it works for me too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it funny how things happen that way? I hope the journal works well for you too. Keep me posted!

      Delete
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