In my last post, several bloggers shared how being an introvert blogger often presents an enormous challenge: constantly getting stuck. When you need to think an entire post through before even sitting down to write, it is easy to get blocked. Especially if, like me, you don’t always have the time to think out an entire post. The post may come together throughout the day, adding pieces randomly until, a few hours or days later you have piece. And God forbid if you forget some aspects of your post during that time!

However, there are some techniques that I use to help me get through a post when all of my thoughts aren’t coming together:

1. Work on the title: When blogging the title has to draw readers in and highlight the main point of the post. Crafting the title allows me to refine my topic and figure out the structure of my post. ProBlogger has an excellent post on how to write an effective title and the process will definitely help you think out a post.

2. Make a connection: Think about other people and posts who have touched on this topic before. Not only will you be able to add resources and links to your blog post but you’ll also have different ideas to play on or respond to. In general, I find that the more I read and participate in the blogosphere the easier it is for me complete a post.

3. Identify the block: Sometimes it’s not a lack of ideas–it’s a lack of interest in the topic or exhaustion. Try taking a break or moving on to a new topic. Or maybe you’re stuck on length and structure. Not every blog post needs to be long so don’t be afraid of short, straightforward posts. In other words, sometimes you need switch your approach to get through a particular post. Become familiar with your writing process so you can identify and address those blocks appropriately.

What do you do when you’re stuck in the middle of a blog post?

I attended a panel discussion at BlogHer a few weeks ago about how you can use a blog to make yourself a better writer.  The moderator of the panel, Dianne Jacob, mentioned how the writing processes of extroverts and introverts tend to differ.  Extroverts use the actual process of writing itself to flesh out ideas and come to a finished piece of work while introverts tend to think a piece out in their heads and write only when they are close to being finished.

The introvert style of writing describes my process perfectly.  When I sit in front of a computer screen with nothing to write I get frustrated and spend more time thinking everything out then coming back to the computer with a finished product in mind.  Writing always seemed like a technical last thing you do, not a process in and of itself.  I need to organize my thoughts before I put them down on paper, otherwise, I’m stuck.

However, aside from the process of putting pen to paper, I wonder if blogging forces writers to be extroverts.

While I tend to think about posts a great deal before I write them, I also engage other people in my writing process. I use conversations (online and offline) and bounce ideas off of people.  It’s not uncommon for me to blurt out in a middle of a conversation “that would be a great blog topic!” then whip out my notebook and pen to jot down some notes. (yes, I’m always “on” when it comes to blogging).

I am also audience focused in my writing, as many bloggers are. We think not only of what is exciting to us, but also what would be exciting to our readers and the larger community in which we write.  For those of us who blog for career or work purposes, the goal is usually building an audience or community around your blog which means focusing outward rather than inward as I write.

And finally, blogging, by its very nature of being public, encourages us to interact with people. Sure, you can lock up your comments section or make your blog private.  But ultimately, it is the interactions with other bloggers that push us to look at our writing differently, provide ideas for future posts, and keep us in the loop about great opportunities to strengthen our writing.

So what do you think?  Does being an extrovert or introvert affect your blogging style?

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This past weekend I attended the BlogHer annual conference.  Not only did I have a chance to meet fabulous bloggers and influencers such as Gina of  What About Our Daughters, Britt Bravo of Have Fun Do Good,  and Jenn Pozner of Women in Media and News,  I was also forced to think about my development and goals as a blogger.

I attended one panel on the joys of having a blog with a small audience.  It is really easy as a blogger to get sucked into statistics as the primary way of determining if blogging is worth the effort.  However, the panel really got me thinking about other ways of exploring the progress of blogging beyond visitors and page views.  Afterall, your community may not be big, but it is still a community.  Your voice may not reach thousands of people but it is still your voice.  So how can we tell that our blogging has had some sort of impact on ourselves and others beyond analytics?

1.  Your growth as a writer: One of the things I enjoy doing is looking at earlier posts and seeing how my voice, comfort with writing, and style have changed.  I’m a much more thoughtful and focused writer and can put pieces together much faster than before.  Have you noticed a change in your writing style or your writing process?  Do you write faster?  Are you more focused?

2.  Your comfort with technology: The time you spend tweaking your blog layout and content, making sense of statistics, and using other social media tools to create more conversation result in a better familiarity with those tools and marketable skills.  Can you dance circles around blogspot or wordpres?  Have you noticed different traffic responses to different types of content?  Have you come across better tools for connecting with people and staying on top of trends?

3.  Your awareness of your field: By virtue of writing a blog about nonprofit work Im inclined to pay attention to nonprofit discussions in the blogosphere.  What I learn may not always result in a blog post but it does result in a better understanding of issues in the nonprofit sector that can help me on and offline.  What have your learned about your topic?  Have you come across new resources?  Are you better able to help other people who want to learn more about your topic?

4.  Your exposure to new people and opportunities: This follows with the previous point: increasing awareness leads to me connecting with other people who share my passion and me knowing about amazing opportunities to grow professionally and personally.  What events have you learned about and attended through blogging?  Who are the  fun and fabulous people you’ve gotten to know through your blog?

Also keep the following in mind:

~Fame is relative: For each blogger whom we assume everyone has heard of, there are tons of people who have absolutely no idea who that person is.  Dont get caught up in comparisons.

~Most people dont know your stats: and they dont care.  When people contact me for advice or to work with me they never ask about my stats.  They are interested in my content and how I have presented myself.

~One size does not fit all: Different sized blogs have different responsibilities.  For example, you can experiment more with a small blog without worrying to much about loss of readership.  But if your blog is your bread and butter, such experimentation can be costly.

If you have specific goals in mind when you start blogging (wanting to make money or attract clients for example) some statistics are important to ensure you reach those goals.  But many bloggers, including myself and many of the people I met at BlogHer, started blogging for personal reasons.  For exploration, for practice, for fun, for connection with others.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to build a larger audience.  Yet there is also nothing wrong with enjoying personal and professional development that comes with being a blogger, regardless of audience size.

Other tips in blogging:

Five common challenges in blogging and how to overcome them

Becoming a better blogger

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