To blog or not to blog

Hazel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:07:59 +0000

We’ve lived in our present 19th century house for 38 years and one month. And my husband has now decided the time has come for him to cut another loft hatch in the upstairs landing. No, not because of increasing girth, not even to accommodate decreasing mobility, but ‘in case the water tank needs to be replaced at some point in the future.’ Hmmm. Admittedly the existing hatch is narrow and over the bath, so you need to be a contortionist on a wager to negotiate it, but still. Anyway, a gigantic rectangle of 130-year-old plaster has just been cut out of our hitherto intact ceiling … and … well, DJ is still alive to tell the tale. Who cares about a bit of grit in their Cullen skink?

Me? I’m keeping well out if it. My job is to renovate the natural woodwork in the hall, stairwell and landing – all beaded and panelled and beautiful, so a vast acreage. I’m talking stripping off old polish and building up a sheen with layer after layer of beeswax polish … by hand. The kind of thing an army of maids took care of in days of yore. None of your two coats of polyurethane, here! So burning up the calories, pausing to regain my breath, I’ve had lots of time to ruminate and reflect (not just on the vagaries of a long-term spouse!). And my DIY-hours have been punctuated by frequent dashes to the computer to jot down ideas for blogs and plots, articles and seminars. And sometimes exploring blogs has led to more blogs and ….

As you know, I’m a newcomer to the blogosphere and I know I’m demonstrating all the fervour of the recently converted. But I must confess that I’m thoroughly enjoying the light relief of writing my own weekly blog. I dare to confess to that fact today because this week I found 50 lessons for new bloggers and there it is in black and white:
… if you don’t find writing about your topic of choice fun, stop and write about something else. If the process isn’t enjoyable, your content will feel contrived – and no one enjoys contrived words.
So there. Fun? Tick that box.

I tend to revisit my scribblings to check for errors before pressing the Publish button (well, you already know about my obsessional tendencies), but Lesson 8 reckons we bloggers should ‘embrace being imperfect’. It’s getting better and better!

I’m terribly grateful to the lovely people who contact me by email to say kind things about my blog, but building up to substantive comments and recordable followings, apparently that takes time …
‘Allow an absolute minimum of one year solid commitment (posting 3-5x weekly, or even daily) before you start to see compelling results. Be mindful of the fact it may take longer.’ … ‘Take the viewpoint that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint’ …
Well, I’ll just keep pegging along then. To hang with the polishing.

But perhaps the most inspirational message comes from
‘Be a catalyst to action for readers: inspire them to do things which lead to happiness, success and prosperity. There’s so much negativity in the world that sometimes a bit of positivity can be that missing element which tips the scales and helps you succeed.’
Here endeth the lesson! I’m positive. How about you?

Oh, I nearly forgot … the list advises, ‘give your blog a name’ – a ‘sticky name’ apparently is required. It’s part of that mysterious concept: branding. What d’you think about …. no, no, no … Lesson 42: ‘Never worry about what others will think.’

Hazel McHaffie » thefuturebuzz

To blog or not to blog