Thursday 29 January 2009

Blogging as a Writing Discipline - Lucy Coats


I freely and readily admit to my techno-ignorance. This time last year I didn't know what blogging was, really. And then came the call to arms. Would any of the members of the Scattered Authors Society be interested in taking part in a blogging venture? No pressure--it would just be once a month or so in a rota system. We'd be talking about the business of writing and associated matters. I said yes at once. It sounded interesting. And besides, the blogmeister extraordinaire would be dealing with all the complex technical stuff. So here we all are, not far off 200 posts later, with a fantastic array of blogs on a myriad disparate subjects allied to writing behind us. Someone described it to me the other day as a mini literary magazine, and so it seems. I am always interested to read what my fellow authors come up with, and they often inspire me with their words and thoughts. But once I got caught by the blogging bug, somehow once a month wasn't enough.
So it was that earlier this January I embarked on my own blogging venture at Scribble City Central. Much has been written here about the perils of procrastination for writers, and perhaps you might think that blogging is yet another one of these pernicious lures and excuses. For me it appears not. I am using it as a writing discipline, an exercise in putting my mind into the right kind of space for 'proper work'. I have made a bargain with myself that I will blog on every planned writing day, first thing. So far it has worked a treat. In the days since I started the blog, I have been more creative and productive than ever before. Somehow the act of typing words onto paper--some words, any words on any subject that happens to have popped into my head at that moment--is very liberating. More importantly it seems to 'turn the mind tap on' quite effectively for me. I hope that some of you will care to join me over at the Other Place, on the principle that 'If You Liked This Then You Will Like That'. I've already blogged about such diverse things as marmalade, muse-wrestling, Obama, seeds and comfort reading. The more readers I have, the more I will be encouraged to blog--and (hopefully) the happier my agent and editor will be at my increased output in the 'real' writing job, currently two increasingly complicated children's novels. Procrastination? What's that? A sin of the past, I trust.

7 comments:

Asakiyume said...

Very funny cartoon. Blogging's quite addictive, but I don't think it necessarily gets in the way of other writing--on the contrary, it can be a stimulus!

Anonymous said...

Very true cartoon, says someone who now finds that she's so famous (hah) that sometimes people have heard of her. The only problem is that there is actually more to life than blogging. Not much, but some. Will head to your other place now, Lucy. My bookmarked daily blogs may get a new friend.

Lucy Coats said...

Glad you liked the cartoon, Asakiyume. It's from Dave Walker, who very kindly allows bloggers to reproduce his stuff from http://www.weblogcartoons.com/

Yes, Bookwitch--you are, force majeure, now a famous blogger. :-) And a very good one too! I specially like the Twilight Zone which is, as usual, generating much polarised comment. I'd be delighted to be a new friend in the bookmarking line! The more the merrier....

edina monsoon said...

That's a very interesting post:) And the cartoon is GOOD. Did you draw it yourself? Like to read more of what you read..so I'm popping over to your other blog in a mo.

Anonymous said...

Funny cartoon!

Ms. Yingling said...

One way to become a famous blogger is to comment on other people's blogs, so you are off to a good start! Visiting a few a day can be considered research for your other writing, and blogging is probably a good warm up exercise, as long as you limit the time you spend doing it!

madwippitt said...

It may not seem like procrastination from the point of view of the blogger, as it is at least getting some words down ... but it DEFINITELY can be for the blog reader (is there a special word for that? If not, there should be) Since discovering this website I've become addicted to reading the blogs when I should really be knuckling down to some work. And it's easy to feel virtuous about it too - after all, they're about writing, aren't they? I'm beginning to suspect that I may soon be forced to revert to pen and paper: slow and tedious maybe, but with far fewer tempting distractions ...