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How to Keep the Writing Flowing {Smaller Bloggers}

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Writing isn’t just for blogs. Writing isn’t just for others.

Writing is for you, too. Some writing, should be done in secret. Not because you have something to hide or can’t necessarily share. But writing in secret is the place that you can write the most raw, {and with the most grammatical errors}. It’s where you work out the pain so you can share the joy. It’s simply a place where no one else can see you working behind the scenes.

Writing in places other than your blog can be a way to spark a flame that will later spread. It sparks ideas and helps you understand your own thoughts better. It develops your writing further.

Writing in secret is also about practice. It’s about not worrying about the mistakes but just writing for the sake of writing; and getting better with time. It’s like getting ready before a big game.

This is where many growing pains take place that most will never see or know about (unless you write about it).

This is also where some topic ideas for posts may be birthed. I recommend having a little moleskin journal or the like handy so you can jot down these ideas.

Keep that same moleskin in your purse or easily accessible throughout the day so you can jot down other ideas that you come across.

Your life shouldn’t be centered around blogging; rather your blogging should be centered around your life. Life needs to be lived in order for writing to come alive.

Blogging shouldn’t stand alone. It should be a branch of something bigger.

Another great way to keep writing is to always be reading. Great writing comes from lots of reading. Reading brings forth fresh ideas and inspiration.

You don’t need to invent brand new ideas to share; you simply need to give new angle, voice, and inspiration to ideas already out there.

Do you have a journal for your secret writing?

Comments

  2. I carry a couple of small notebooks in my purse for jotting down ideas or journaling. My mind jumps from one thing to another, and its easy to forget things. I love being able to get my ideas on paper right away.
    Amanda@ http://graceinourmoments.blogspot.com

  3. I am a long time journalers from a family of journalers. I find it so useful to express my prayers, hopes, dreams, fears and my journey on the pages. One tip I find most beneficial is what I call harvesting my journal – rereading what I have written in the past few months, with a highlighter.  Brings me hope and helps me hear God in new ways.  Great post today.  Thanks.

    http://www.healthyspirituality.org

  4. I’ve started writing in the mornings in a notebook. Nothing special as far as the notebook goes, but I’m able to put words down and I’m really enjoying it. Sometimes I get crazy creative and laugh at the idea of anybody ever crossing paths with the words. 😀

  5. Great advice, Christin. I carry a small purse, so I don’t have room for a notebook. But I keep my ideas on the notepad of my smartphone! Easy to keep up with PLUS I can email them to myself 🙂

    •  Susan, I like the idea of mailing ideas to yourself! I carry a small voice recorder with me (no smart phone yet. 🙁 ). I have recorded anything from random snippets of ideas, to resources I hear about on the radio or a podcast, to practically entire posts. It’s been a terrific help to get the ideas out of my head into a “secure” place so I can put them to use later.

        • Forgetful….oh, yes. I know that one. 🙂
          I just got my first iPad yesterday. Pretty excited about that. I will be seeing what that can do for me, too, as a tech tool. 

  6. Agree. Twenty-plus years of journals, filled with thoughts and prayers and ideas — now I am ready to share the good ones. I always have a journal handy. You never know when the words will just flow. Some go on my blog. Some are in my drafts. And some stay on paper — where they should stay forever, or at least for years.

  7. When I was in recovery from childhood issues the most healing thing done was journal keeping. Someday those will be opened again and perhaps they will be put into a book, they are locked away in a file cabinets not to be read again till it is time to open them.

    •  What a great idea Sharon. We are in the adoption process right now and typically children who are adopted have trauma linked with their past. I think encouraging writing (or drawing pictures at first) will be a great source of healing for them!
      Sometimes just getting them out and on paper is all you need to heal. You may never need to look at them again–just the act of “releasing” them may be all you needed. Blessings to you!

  8. I used to write sentences and paragraphs and pages in a journal just for me. Now it’s reduced to a spiral notebook with pages of bits of ideas. Lots and lots of ideas. Just no time to write them all out or implement them.

    Loved what you said about blogging coming out of life! My blog motivates and inspires me to live the life with my family that I want to live but might be too lazy to implement otherwise. For example last fall I wanted to do activities with my kids leading up to Thanksgiving. I also thought it would be a great series for my blog (which it was!). There were days I did NOT want to do the activities but knew I needed to so I could blog about them. So I did them. Without the blog we might have accomplished 2 or 3 things instead of almost a whole month. My kids didn’t care if I was motivated by writing a blog post or just having fun. All they understood was that mom spent time with them doing great activities.

    For me blogging is kind of like the old saying, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg.” Which came first the family fun or the blog idea? They both benefit!

    Stephanie Kay
    stephaniesmommybrain.blogspot.com

    • This is so true! It starts as a “This will be so much fun to do and to share with others!”. Then it forces you to complete it because if you are anything like me I have lots of great ideas but I don’t always follow through! I’m always grateful when I do complete stuff though =D 

  9. Great point, Christin. I’ve been reading a book entitled The Creative Call. Talks about having an Artist Daybook or Journal. Encourages us to write every morning for at least 20 minutes. I’m loving it.

  10. Yes, I have a journal, but it’s more in the form of a giant spiral bound notebook.  This is the book where I jot down prayers, blogging ideas, Bible study notes, and anything else that comes to mind.  🙂  Whenever I need inspiration, if my Bible doesn’t “speak” to me in the moment, I flip open my notepad and can usually find something written down previously that God placed on my heart.  I love that you mention blogging shouldn’t stand alone…that we have to live life.  I think for many blogging mama’s that’s the million dollar question.  How can we successfully do it all?  

  11. I really like this. Though I haven’t found it hugely helpful to do the secret writing thing. When you write for a living, it’s almost like I don’t have anything left for me to write, and my blog is where it gets put at the moment! That’s my secret writing I suppose. I am consumed with writing at the moment – I have just written a blog on inspiration and this whole battle of writing for me and others! – I’d love it if you checked it out and shared your thoughts.
    http://amywriting.wordpress.com/

  12. Thank you for sharing this wisdom.  I have struggled with a writer’s block for several months.  My voice has been silenced and my heart has been a little bit stifled.  This tends to happen with me during difficult times, and when I am hurting.  I haven’t been able to bring myself to write on my blog, but after reading your post I realize I can still write secretly.
    I love how you said that writing is for me, writing in secret is for practice, and how it will spark ideas.
    Thank you.

  13. I completely Agree!  Writing can be inspired by reading and reading can inspires writing. I have an old dresser full of old journals, that my adult daughter has been instructed to get and keep when I pass on.  

  14. I have gotten some of the best content for my blog from reading other blogs. It’s usually something where I can expand on what they’ve already written or take it down another path altogether and put my “spin” on it. But the writing in secret part…so gonna have to do that! 🙂 Thanks for the tip!

  15. A secret journal is one of a bloggy girl’s best friends! I have kept one off and on for about 8 years. Years before I began to blog, I started putting stars in the margin of my entries to note ideas that would make great posts, and I still do this now. While my journal contains a lot of garbage and gibberish, and ranting and raving, I come to a lot of insights via just writing and writing and writing.

    I do agree that getting out and about, reading, and generally experiencing life are where we collect the rich ingredients of our posts. We just add our own artistic flair and perspective, and—voila!—another fresh and interesting post makes it to the front window of our blog bakery for delectable consumption by our readers.

  16. I love journaling. It’s one way to keep track of all my prayers, desires, dreams and goals. The only one that have access to it besides me is God. 🙂
    I’ve been journaling ever since I was little and wrote poetries all through middle and high school. I think God had a plan for me.. and I’m sure it was this. 

  17. I love, love, LOVE to journal thoughts down and have done so for years.  Whether they are mine, or something I heard or read I keep it in a specific book.  Recently, my journal was full and I got a different one. This time, I got a small sketch book and I cut out meaningful words or phrases and glue them in, I write thoughts that come to me as before.  BUT – this time, I did a retro thingy…I bought a package of Flair pens in a 16 pack.  Anybody else out there remember them?  Staples still carries them.  Anyway, I usually do everything in Pink, but with my big pack of Flairs – I go with which color strikes me for the day!  I’m loving it and looking for things to write in my book!
    http://tickledpinktammy.blogspot.com

  18. I just bought a new journal and color pens today.  I am hoping to begin hand journaling again.  I’ve put it off, because I wanted a pretty journal.  I am hoping the colorful pens help! 

  19. I was just telling a friend that for my wedding shower, everyone brought me a blank journal with their gift. I was through-the-roof happy. Pen scratches on paper make me happier than almost any other physical thing in life. 

  20. I have a Moleskine notebook that I keep in my purse for notes on random things, but for journaling and freewriting I use Penzu.com and, even better, 750words.com. The exercise on the latter of just trying to get 750 words written as quickly as I can has often led to material for either my blog or my novel.

    Thanks for this post — really helpful!

  21. Love this post…I’ve been doing the #SheReadsTruth devotional plan on Instagram (bible study with an amazing group of women online) and it involves reflecting on Scripture and journaling. I’ve really enjoyed spending time in the Word – and also with my private thoughts. Journaling has been so cathartic and inspiring. Some of the things I’ve written, I don’t share on Instagram because I want to keep them just for me. And the desire to write more for myself -creatively and just jotting down my hopes,dreams, and frustrations – is growing. It’s exciting!

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