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?
I definitely relate to mainly crafting out a post idea in my head first before jumping in to type it out. It’s difficult to sit there w/o having a good a idea of where I’m going. Though, I think it is definitely good to some days just go to it and see what comes out, especially if it’s a “writer’s block” sort of day. Additionally, I would say that writing for an audience is great in one sense, but it can also be a hindrance if you let it dilute your own voice.
Great post!
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ajlovesya Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Thanks for commenting, Jorge. It’s hard to strike a balance of writing for yourself and developing your own voice while paying attention to topics that spark conversation among your audience. I’ll admit that there are some blog posts that I have written that have helped me figure out an issue yet barely got read or shared. Yet I value those posts because what I learned in the end.
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It’s crazy how on time this post is. Since I started trying to blog more regularly , I’ve been reflecting on how I manage the process. I’m an introvert as well, and I realize that when writing my fingers literally freeze until I have a complete thought to write down. I’ve been trying to break myself out of it though so that I don’t lose the random thoughts/ideas that pop up in the process of me trying to think out the perfect post. It’s a learning process that I’m sure will teach me a lot more about myself than I ever expected.
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ajlovesya Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I get into that situation a lot as well and find that I often have to walk away from the post and come back to it later. I just cant get myself to write without all of the thoughts formed in my head!
However, I also keep a notebook and bright colored pen around so I can doodle my thoughts and keep ideas. I find that writing “the old fashioned way” can help me keep writing.
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I never knew before this post the differences in the style of writing between introverts and extroverts. The introvert style of developing a piece describes me and explains why it takes me sooooo long to birth an article. Thanks for this!
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ajlovesya Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
No problem, mom
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I’m definitely an introverted blogger. It’s so true the writing is the last step of a long process for introverts.
At this point I’m just trying to get myself to get original thought down once I’ve spent enough time marinating on it. I’m not really ready to market and promote my work beyond the occasional tweet because I’m not sure I’m secure enough in the ideas I’m moving towards to want to defend them to strangers.
I definitely have one friend in particular that I bounce the meatier ideas off of because he’d be sure to tell me when he thinks I’m barking up the wrong intellectual tree, less so than other friends.
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ajlovesya Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Ah, I deal with that too. On the one hand, once I write it, it is available for everyone to see. On the other hand, promoting will draw more attention that I may not necessarily be ready for. One approach I have is inviting commentary and writing in a more conversation/exploratory way, instead of a “Im right and know everything way.”
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Great post. I’m definitely an introvert with an introvert’s blogging style i.e. “think a piece out in their heads and write only when they are close to being finished.” This is pretty much how I do everything – overthink, overanalyze.
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ajlovesya Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Welcome to the club
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i am an extreme extrovert. Orally that is. But when I write I tend to over-analyze my thought process. With concerns of not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings or expressing my opinion the blog may come off a bit technical. Perhaps its my schooling, where i was to be objective, fact oriented. So when I write my true confessions of the soul I am worried with being judged, criticized. Its a big leap from coming from a legal background to express my true feelings without being considered unprofessional. something i def have to work on.
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