Writing Tool: Building A Blogpost Storehouse

Keeping ahead of the rockslide...

Because I post Monday to Friday on this blog, and also post a weekly short story and YouTube video elsewhere, I have a lot of creativity to keep up with. Therefore, I've been working on building up a storehouse of blog posts so that I'm not forever scrambling to slap together and post an article the day it is due.

Here's how I've been building a Blogpost Storehouse.

1. Streamline related posts by working on them at the same time.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I release my Explorations in Clayland and Adventures in Sketchtopia series. They are excellent examples of streamlining, because each involves successive steps: 1) sort clay pieces/sketches into groups, 2) take picture/scan picture, 3) format pictures, 4) upload pictures, and 5) add descriptive text to post.

Rather than taking a single post and running through all of these steps individually, it ends up being a lot shorter in the long run to run batches (3-5 posts worth of material) at once. With enough commitment, I can get a whole month done in a concentrated chunk of time. Speaking of time...

2. Block out appropriate chunks of time.

It takes a while to generate ideas, draft out passages, format photos, and otherwise create components. Really getting into the flow of creative work takes adequate time. Therefor, I fight to block out 2-3 hours on Saturday afternoon to work. When I'm in the flow, I've been able to get multiple weeks worth of content together in one sitting.

Now, given the frenzy of my life, I don't always get the big chunks I'd like. So, to compensate, I also try for smaller chunks with greater consistency. One such class of chunk-times are over my lunch break. Small weekday chunks such as those are especially good for finishing up niggly bits that were not covered in the larger chunks.

3. Pluck low-hanging fruit quickly; crack hard nuts in stages.

Posts that are quick, interesting, and fun practically write themselves. Therefore, I try to work on those first, so that they are done and ready to go. Then, I can focus on the harder posts that may take a few sessions of work. Those tough nuts do not become overwhelming, as the low fruits are ready to go while the nuts get finished.

Closing

Using the methods above, I was able to get two weeks ahead in my blog posting. This was fortunate, as I then got quite sick and was unable to do much. I was able to burn through my storehouse to keep up with posting while I lay gasping in bed.

Now that I am hale and hearty, I'm working on building that storehouse up again. With luck, I'll make it a permanent feature of my blogging landscape.

That's all for now. Chaps!

Comments

Creative Tool: Idea Mutation

It's mutating out of control! Here is another wild method of improving the creativity of ideas through the process of introducing random 'mutations'. I call it Idea Mutation. Method: Start with an idea. Add it to a circle on the far left side of a piece of paper. That is round 1. Make two branches off the first idea. Each branch has a new circle. That is round 2. For each branch, roll a 10-sided dice and select the 'mutation' from the table below. For each branch, create a 'mutated' idea incorporating that branch's mutation. Continue branching and mutation ideas for subsequent rounds (3, 4, etc.). Modifications: Include different mutations (ex. Add Thrill, More Collaborative, Clearer, etc.) Add null mutation (no changes for certain branches) Change probability of mutations (same mutation for more than one number) Examples:

Creative Tool: Idea Bracket

Let the Best Idea Win. How to generate great ideas? Why not create an Idea Bracket ? It is analogous to a sports league play-off. Ideas are pitted against each other, with the winning idea moving on to the next round. The last idea standing is the winner. I do have a few additional rules. The Three M's : Modify, Merge, and Markup. These rules allow for both idea modification and saving sub-winner ideas. Simple enough, right? Let's try it out on some examples. Story Beginning Location Floating City and Haunted Graveyard merged into Floating Graveyard Screaming Wastelands modified into Blasted Wastelands Winner was Floating Graveyard and Sundered Titan merged into Floating Graveyard of Titans Artistic Inspiration Shack Brainstorming and Review Idea/Notes merged to Shack Review Ideas TCG View modified to TCG Mashup Shack Review Ideas marked for later Monster App and Walk and Song merged to Walk and Song with Monster App Priming Winner was T...

Writing Tool: Panic Cards

For writing emergencies only... In a previous post , I created a break-in-case of emergency box for days where I'm severely struggling to get my writing goal in. In case that box is not enough, or if I'm away from my house, I've devised another emergency method to keep me from veering off my writing track. Panic Cards. What are they? Simple. Index cards cut in half with encouraging phrases on one side. The other side has a small, randomized reward for completing the writing task. I made it random on purpose to increase the intrigue. To use them, I pull out the card, read the phrase of encouragement, and get the writing done. Once the thirty minutes of writing is completed, I turn over the card and reap the reward. Silly? Maybe. Effective? Time will tell. It's better to have an emergency plan and never use it than to not have one when an emergency comes calling.

The Mark Williamson Creative Universe

Search This Blog