Blog Post

Things I Should’ve Done Today

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! What’s everyone been up to lately? Things have been quiet here. I was supposed to be productive today. But I wasn’t. What’s new there? Instead, I listened to loud music while Dad ran an errand. I played stupid games. And I wasted time being social. Kind of. The minion and one of his spawn came by to drop something off for Dad. I mostly listened to them ramble. That’s as social as I get. But it was good seeing them after so long. Stupid plague. Nothing else got done.

I mostly should’ve been preparing to write this post. I didn’t have anything lined up to write about anyway, but I probably could’ve come up with something better to ramble about if it weren’t already so late. Or I would’ve kept procrastinating and written this anyway. At least I can blame it on the minion this week.

The other thing I really should’ve done is read. I’m reading two books and they’re both pretty long. I need to get through about 20 pages a day of the book I’ll be reviewing this month in order to finish it in time. I built in a couple of lazy days just in case, but I should try to get it done anyway. It takes me about an hour. The other book is my pre-bedtime read. I try to get at least half an hour in each night. I’ll at least do that tonight.

I should probably also have written an email and scheduled a video chat, but they can wait. It’s just for my jailbird sister. I keep putting off scheduling the video chat because I have better ways to waste my time. But at least Dad can join in this time (if I have to suffer, so do you). I also need to write emails to a couple of other people, but it’s nothing time sensitive or even important. I should just check in with some people who aren’t on social media.

There are probably things I’m forgetting, but it doesn’t really matter. Today was supposed to be a blog day and reading day. Instead, it was a people-ing kind of day. But I’m going to leave this kind of short and go catch up on reading. What were you supposed to do today? Did you do it? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or comments here or on my social media pages!

How Not To Write A Blog Post

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How is everyone doing? I’m beyond tired and I have no idea why. I haven’t been sleeping any worse than usual, but even my Tuesday Pepsi isn’t perking me up today (because it’s yesterday as I’m writing this). Other than that and researching new computers, things are pretty normal here. I have nothing to ramble about, so I thought I would give you some advice on how not to write a blog post. Be aware that this is exactly how I write my posts. Don’t be like me.

It’s oddly difficult to find funny “don’t be like me” memes.

1. Don’t wait until the last minute. Procrastination is not your friend! You’ll never get anything done if you put it off until the day before it’s due and you have to induce productivity with large amounts of caffeine. I mean, unless you were the type to put off homework assignments and finish them in a panic stricken burst of energy at three in the morning the day they were due. Then by all means, go ahead and wait. But I do try to get my posts done by 10pm on Tuesdays at the latest, preferably before 8pm.

2. Don’t try to come up with topics on the fly. Keep a running list of potential topics for posts, just in case your chosen topic doesn’t work out. It will make life so much easier. And it will help prevent you from randomly missing a week. I wonder what it’s like to be that organized. I usually just Google potential topics the day I write my post if I don’t have anything in mind already. I don’t think I’ve missed a day for a lack of topics yet. But you should probably try to do better than me.

3. Don’t forget to edit before posting. You’re using your blog to sell your persona to the world. It has to be perfect and insightful and witty and there can’t be any typos. But really, you’re lucky if I do a quick read-through to make sure it makes sense and to catch any blatant errors. I don’t take my blog that seriously. Not like my writing. I’ve learned that I can go through things with a fine-toothed comb and still miss things, so I’m not going to put that much effort into these posts. But it’s good to at least do a quick check.

4. Don’t make the posts too long or too short. This one I actually try to follow. People’s attention spans are crap nowadays, so overly long posts tend to bore. I aim for 500ish words, but each post requires its own space, so if one only makes it to a couple of hundred words and another creeps close to 1,000 words, it’s fine for me. Find your sweet spot. A number that won’t make readers run away. But also let the topic take up the space it needs. You can always break things up into smaller posts if you want.

Basically.

I’m sure I could come up with other stuff, but the truth is that there’s no wrong way to write a blog post. Like everything else in the world, you just have to figure out what works for you. Procrastinate or do it weeks in advance. Plan it out or wing it. Seriously revise it or give it quick once over. Long or short. None of that really matters as long as you’re comfortable with your process. Hell, it’s even fun to play with different styles. Do a post that’s all pictures. Record yourself reading the post. I’ve even seen people hand write their posts and just scan it. Have fun with it.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts or comments or whatever here or on my social media pages!