Previously I’d thought I had blogger’s block when I missed a day or two of blogging. That was until today, when I realised that I’ve posted only once in the past two weeks.
At first I missed a couple of days of blogging, well, three or four actually, because I was on an intensive three day seminar and what with an hour and a half driving each way on all three days, I was not very enthusiastic about anything at the end of each day other than a meal and some sleep. Then I was catching up with work that had been neglected, etc etc.
It’s not that I haven’t tried. I have a few half-done posts backed up on the computer in the ‘not good enough or incomplete’ folder. But other than a quick post on Sept 5 about the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, it’s been a singularly unblogged period for me.
So today I decided that the excuses had to cease. What to do? Of course, why not google ’blogger’s block’? I did, and found a rich and highly distracting vein.
There’s a very thoughtful post on blogger’s block and issues of identity, by Joi Ito. Mel at chandrasutra comments on Joi Ito’s post and adds some further reflections. The image with the post at Watermark is entertaining and, if you follow the links, potentially quite distracting. Blogger Buzz has some suggested prompts for beating blogger’s block.
Then I found the meme, first on Toby Bloomberg’s Diva Marketing blog, then on various others, including Tris Hussey’s Blog Consulting and Professional Blogging A View from the Isle. Here it is:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t search around and look for the “coolest” book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.
Any port in a storm - although of course I’m now blogging and don’t really need to do the exercise! Never mind, let’s see where this leads.
The late Thomas J. Leonard’s The Portable Coach
Hmm, a bit Zen on its own. The sentence is from the chapter (Step 9) ‘Get a Fulfilling Life, Not Just an Impressive Lifestyle’, with the sub heading ‘A Great Life is Attractive; a Lifestyle is Usually Seductive.’
The sentence produced above by following the meme formula is part of the paragraph:
‘Let’s make a distinction: attraction versus seduction. At any given moment when you are faced with a choice, which one are you experiencing? The difference is crucial.’
Reading on, it becomes clear that in speaking of ‘lifestyle’, Thomas is thinking of a surface-focused or externals-focused way of life - the great car, the great house, the trophy ’significant other’ - as distinct from ‘getting a life’.
‘Attraction ultimately leads to you feeling bigger, more complete, more integrated and connected. Seduction ultimately makes you regretful, poorer, made up of conflicting pieces. One is about substance, the other about surface.’
This is very relevant for the sort of considerations that come up when people are considering establishing or maintaining a home based business. Idea! I could blog about that!
And come to think of it, these distinctions are also interesting in terms of my reasons for blogging, both generally and on a particular day or a particular topic. Am I blogging primarily because I am attracted by the possibilities of communicating and connecting, providing a service even? Or am I seduced by the ‘fame’ of blogging, the possibility of a complimentary comment or three? Or the thought of the money I may be able to make?
Attraction is surely a more sustainable motivator (not that there’s anything wrong with fame, being complimented or making money!).
I think I’m cured - for now anyway - whew! 
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Des - Great “unblocked” post.
The next part of the thread are ‘you blogging to provide information or for fame and fortune’… is do you consider your readers “visitors” or “customers” and then what role do you play - “host” or “business person?” My this blogging thing is getting pretty complex!
Wes, I can really relate to that “Blog Block” syndrome. Sometimes creativity just seems to take a back seat. When I do feel creative, I like to write as many blog posts as I can. That way I have an “emergency reserve” for those non-creative times.
That’s a great idea Frank. And what helps is that certainly with Blogware, as used in this blog and with Typepad, and no doubt with other blogging platforms, you can set each post to be published at a specific future date. So you could set aside some time and do a week’s worth, say, of posts. And that would not stop you doing an inspirational one or more at any other time.
Toby
That’s a fascinating couple of distinctions. My instinctive response is that I consider my readers to be my readers rather than either visitors or customers but I see my role as host rather than business person, so if I had to choose between ‘visitors’ and ‘customers’ I would go for ‘visitors’, but hopefully without the connotations of transitoriness that word can have. Could I be allowed ‘re-visitors’ or ‘regular visitors’? I would like to read the post you refer to but can’t figure out where it is.
Des
Hi Des - take a look what Elisa at Worker Bee has to say about guests and customers.
http://workerbeesblog.blogspot.com/2005/09/myth-of-purity-are-your-readers-guests.html
Interesting topic. Why can’t a customer be a guest?
Toby
That’s an excellent post with some interesting comments - and I’ve left another comment there.
To answer your question with a question - Why can’t a guest be a customer?
I do like to think some of my guests will feel good about becoming customers and I know I like my offline customers to come and be guests here