The whipping post
We are a global society of storytellers — no matter our race or religion or the amount in our bank accounts or under our mattresses.
And for many of us that’s what a blog post is — a story. As personal bloggers, we are internet storytellers.
In a recent group email someone asked how long it usually takes to whip out a post.
Whip? I had never considered such a thing. Wasn’t whipping for egg whites?
By blogging I try to tell a story about something I did or something I thought or something someone else did. I can write quickly, but the word ‘whip’ seemed to diminish the act itself — like it was something that needed to be done, not something that was enjoyed. Blogging is not a science, nor is it an art for the most part - it’s a vehicle through which we express ourselves (and yes, some people run businesses, I’m not talking about them). Some posts are carefully composed beautifully written - others are not.
Your preference for what you read — and write — is yours alone.
In two different short sittings it took me 15 minutes to write this post, 10 minutes to edit and revise. And only because I had other things to do. I did not feel compelled to finish this post under any time constraint. Sometimes I do, if a topic is timely, but in those cases I just do it and don’t think about it.
The advice I offered this blogger was to figure out what she wanted her blog to be — and let it be that — and not to worry about how long it takes Ima Starr or A. Nony Mus to write a blog post. I suggested she just write her posts for however long it takes her to tell her personal stories.
It took me hours and hours and hours last weekend to compose a 1200 word essay that I will either submit somewhere or post online or read as a podcast.
It can take me all day to come up with a witty Facebook status, but no longer than 17 seconds to compose a kickass comment.
I’ve written haikus in five minutes and paragraphs in five weeks. And vice versa.
I have written columns in 30 minutes that have gone on to be published nationally. I still don’t consider that whipping.
I consider it lucky.
My advice?
Just tell your stories — and leave the whipping to the bakers.
By J on Jul 13, 2009
Yeah, I’ve had people ask me how much time I spend on a blog post, and my reply is, however long it takes. If I don’t have the time, it doesn’t get written, but some are quick and some take quite awhile…
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SuburbanKvetch replied:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:38 am
@J,
To me, the fact that this woman was asking how long it took others to blog, meant she was already measuring herself against other bloggers. Not a good thing, imo!
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By Melanie on Jul 13, 2009
I’m guilty of whipping at times. For me the hardest part is figuring out a topic. Once I do that it flows pretty quickly.
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SuburbanKvetch replied:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:39 am
@Melanie,
I think the difference is that “whipping” implies someone set a time limit - regardless of quality of content. Writing quickly and producing great posts - totally different. All your posts are great. I wouldn’t consider them ‘whipped.’
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Melanie replied:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
@SuburbanKvetch,
Thanks, I worry that they come off as too rushed, but that’s how I write.
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By gwendolyn b. on Jul 13, 2009
My blog is about the books I read, so I don’t have to worry about coming up with a topic. Even so, sometimes it takes hours to write three or four paragraphs. It might take someone 5 minutes or less to read. I don’t want my posts to be long, so figuring how to say what I think most important needs to be said in just a few sentences is a real challenge — and that’s probably the real reason why I blog.
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SuburbanKvetch replied:
July 13th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
@gwendolyn b.,
Excellent reason! When it’s a challenge for the writer - everyone benefits!
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By selfmademom on Jul 13, 2009
Love this! People think that on the internet they should write really fast, but we should all write at our own speed. I should follow this gospel more often as well! Thanks for the reminder.
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SuburbanKvetch replied:
July 14th, 2009 at 7:47 am
@selfmademom,
You’re right - because it’s all about US! D-listers unite!!
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By C on Jul 18, 2009
I never spend too long on my blog posts… I probably should spend longer. I frequently find myelf editing them hours or days after posts, because I only “see” some edits after I have a break… and I’m always too impatient to wait and come back later to post. Ah, well.
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