Better Blogging??

I have, for a while, been wondering about the process, pressures and benefits of writing my two blogs.  Am I getting anything out of them?  Is the time invested worth it? 

I have realised that writing both blogs helps to keep my cogs turning and as long as I don't get too stressed out when I have not posted for a week or so, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives.  Both blogs serve as diaries for future generations (if they so wish to read this stuff) and if nothing more keep me writing.

I have been worried about my 'style' and my content and have found a number of interesting articles that have helped to focus the future of both my blogs.

Rebecca Woodhead in April 2012's Writing Magazine www.writers-online.co.uk says; 'Decide whether you will blog every day, or once every week or month.  Once you have a plan, stick to it.  Your subscribers and followers will invest more of their time in your story if they know what to expect.  Just to be clear, the story I'm talking about here is not your book.  The story is your story.  When people follow writers online its because they want to be part of the story of those writers 'making it big' or triumphing over challenges to reach their dreams.  Your own story is at least as big as any book you will ever write.  The place you tell that story is your blog.'

But how much to tell? Recovering blogaholic (it says here) Kona Macphee; writing  in Mar/Apr/May 2012 Mslexia discusses the amount of content required. Her blog: www.thatelusiveclarity.com/ has the strapline 'stumbling towards a simpler life'.

Like many bloggers, Kona says; 'I began with ridiculous expectations of how much content I could / should be able to produce while still maintaining my core creative life as a poet (not to mention my everyday life as a parent, spouse, small business owner etc).  Given my own character flaws, perhaps this was inevitable: susceptibility to challenge (Can I blog everyday?) quickly led to perfectionism (I must blog every day).  If  you're a career blogger, making a living your blog, then blogging every day to 'retain and grow your audience' makes sense.  If you're a writer with a non-commercial blog that's secondary to your main creative outlet, then it really (really) doesn't.'

For most of us, the article goes onto say, creative oomph and self-discipline seem to be finite resources, which get drained by creative activity and willed self-motivation - both of which are required for daily blogging.  What suffers are the artist's process of  'filling the well'; all those 'inessential' enjoyable-but-effortful leisure activities, like playing or writing music, drawing, visiting somewhere inspiring - or simply chilling out with a book or a DVD.