Perfectionism: Does It Have Place With Your Blog?

Photos Courtesy of Edie Melson

By Laurie Epps

There is so much pressure we put on ourselves this time of year. It's not right. We strive to have that "perfect Christmas" but expecting that is unrealistic. Not only is this undue pressure undermining our Christmas joy, it also undermines our writing.

Your "diva" mode may be counteracting the whole point of your blog to begin with. We can be unrealistic by thinking that every blog post must be perfect, or even worse, that every blog post IS a masterpiece.

Let's get back to basics with Edie's book, Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. She'll show us our pitfalls, and how to fix them. We're in this together.

Photos Courtesy of Edie Melson

Just as our not-so perfect Christmas ended up a precious memory, so will our blog posts. Whereas, I don't advocate sloppy writing, the occasional fragment isn't the end of the world.

A diva by definition is high maintenance. Don't make your editing of your blog post that way. Don't edit to the point your post becomes completely unpublishable.

If you're going over your blog over and over again, finding it not good enough, you're becoming a diva, and you need to stop.

Here's some tips from Edie if you're needing a starting point:

• You've heard the old adage: "Time is money." Most bloggers don't get paid to blog. As writers, we should be writing, and trying to make money at it. While blogging itself is good for marketing yourself, don't overdo it. Just remember you don't get a boost in pay for spending extra time on it.
• Find a system for writing a blog, and stick with it. For example, Edie likes to compose her posts as a Word document, and I start by handwriting them out longhand with a pen and paper. Whatever works for you. Stay true to it.
• Post more often. This might sound excruciating, but if your editorial diva has time to overanalyze your post, then you don't have enough work to do. By pumping out more posts, you'll have less time to overanalyze.

How do you keep your posts clean, without driving yourself nuts in the name of perfection? Please share your thoughts with us below.

Can't learn enough about social media? Check out Edie's Social Media Mondays column at: http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com

Next week, we'll talk about which gadgets every blog needs.

Laurie Epps is a senior at Anderson University majoring in Creative Writing. Already Laurie is most published as a feature article writer, essayist, and poet. A seeker of beauty and world traveler, Laurie hopes to grow into a career in travel writing illuminating the many stories that make us human despite our differences. Currently, Laurie also has a Thoughtful Thursday column dedicated to the fine art of poetry.