At the blogging panel at the Catholic Writers Conference Live, a participant raised a great question: Is it better to focus on quantity of posts or quality of writing for blog posts?
We could go around and around about this question. I can’t help but think of the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.
I think, really, this is something you have to decide.
Recently, someone told me, in a pretty offhand way, that no one’s ever discovered by their blog. So, really, it’s something you do for yourself, right?
Here’s my experience. The first acquisitions editor I spoke with, from Pauline Books, cited my blog as a way she found me AND a reason why she thought I’d be the right person for their project (which you’ll see in March 2012). The second acquisitions editor I worked with, from Liguori, cited my blog as a way of knowing who I was. The third acquisitions editor, from Ave Maria Press, … well, you see where this is going, right? She had been following my blog (as well as Facebook and Twitter) for quite some time before contacting me.
Could this be true for you?
When you put yourself “out there” on the internet, you are sharing a part of yourself. Just as you take time to make sure you are presentable for in-person meetings, you should do the same in your online presence.
I haven’t really answered the question, though. Should you write more often or write better stuff? Here’s my three-pronged answer:
1. Find a posting schedule that works for you. If it’s weekly, fine: make sure you stick with it. (Weekly bloggers are a gift, in many ways, to those of us who follow a lot of blogs.) If it’s three times a week, fine: same advice as above. If it’s sporadically, well, so be it.
2. Don’t put any writing out there that you wouldn’t want an acquisitions editor to read, but don’t let the thought of your audience bind you and keep you from being able to write. I think there’s more forgiveness with online writing than with print, BUT that’s no reason not to write quality stuff. Practice makes perfect, right? So use your blogging space to practice. Don’t get so caught up in “perfect” that you can’t ever post.
3. Have fun. We’ve talked before about reasons you might not want to maintain a blog, but if you don’t have passion for what you’re writing–whether it’s online or off–that will come through. Fun doesn’t mean “easy” and it doesn’t always mean “enjoyable all the time.” I have fun as a parent (which I still find surprising), but it’s not easy work or even always smile-inducing.
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Be sure to check SnoringScholar.com for more of Sarah Reinhard’s antics, tales of rural adventure, and writing updates. Her newest release is Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent & Christmas Reflections for Families. You can also connect with Sarah on Twitter and Facebook.
Sarah Reinhard
When Sarah Reinhard's not writing online at SnoringScholar.com, she can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook, or Google +. She's the author of a number of books, including her latest title, Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless.
I'm new here but would like to add that I post monthly (richvosler.com, catholicdigest.com and fathers for good.org) but that's because I'm busy. But I agree, quality trumps quantity. With that said you have to be consistent – even if it is just monthly. I find that when I do write I start with where I think I want to go but then I end up completely somewhere else. Idealista, sometimes God is waiting for us to make the first move. When we do, he's all over it and then the writing flows how he wants through you. Glad to be here!
Doesn't it also depend on the purpose of your blog? I post daily because my blog is an almanac of saints' days, events, births, deaths, etc in connection with my topic. I do post every day unless there's just break in the historical action and I don't have something else to offer.
Sarah, you are a great example for aspiring authors. First, quality trumps quantity everytime. I barely had time to post new content to my main blog this summer, but the traffic stayed consistent despite the fact that school was out. Create pillar posts of the quality that you would submit to a journal and it will make an ongoing impact for years.
And related to your post yesterday (To blog or guest blog), I first discovered you on Lisa Hendey's Catholic Moments podcast. Guest posting (podcasting) certainly opens you up to an audience that you just can't get on your own. Keep up the great work…can't wait to read your books!
I'm definitely a "quality over quantity" person. My goal is once per week, although I usually post more often. But I never post just to post something; I'd rather have something to say than just add to the noise level of someone's RSS reader.
I would like to have either…but you've inspired me! prayers for you and yours.
Idealista, the elation can't last forever. Maybe "fun" isn't the right word to describe it…but maybe writing would help you process and work through it. Distractions are a way of life, but there is always the grace to work through them and get past them. Discipline takes practice, but it can be done (I am living proof).
Many blessings to you!
Well, I have just started a blog posting a long talk I gave at the annual meeting of the Philadelphia area Communion and Liberation. Now I would like to post weekly, but I know that "fun" for me means to find a connection with my soul. It was easy during the process of my conversion. It was very pervasive, I was elated 24/7. It was like falling in love, but now I've settled down. I just don't know if I can recreate that feeling, but I know that it would be important to keep my faith alive. I'm not loosing my faith, but I am getting distracted. I'm sure that writing about it would help me, and maybe Jesus would make me feel His presence again.
Please let me know if it's happening.
Antonella