Gomeler.com

I would say for every two articles that I publish, one article never sees the light of day. I don’t often speak with other writers about their topic development and writing habits but I imagine all individuals have their own little rituals. My topics typically spawn from those moments when I blank out, absentmindedly staring at something. This does make for some awkward stares back, especially when I find myself staring at another person, but I don’t even realize it until I’m finished thinking. So after blanking out for a few seconds, what happens next?

Brainstorming

I typically evaluate the topic at hand and decide right off the bat if it’s worth my time. Lots of ideas get knocked down in this state as obviously nobody wants a constant stream of lolcat posts. Next up involves some brainstorming and deciding what sort of stance I want to take on the topic. If the article isn’t a review, I typically try to pose a neutral opinion of the topic to let everyone else make their own conclusions but more often then not some bias slips through. Upon selecting a likely candidate I start researching and writing, simultaneously. I will research a bit, write about what I learned, and continue this pattern until I have a large blob of text.

Making It All Make Sense

Now I get to cut all the fat out of the article. I am verbose, to the point of annoyance. I also spend this time re-arranging sentences, inserting links, cropping and inserting images, and generally making the article readable. During this stage I also read through the article and make a final decision as to whether or not I should continue working on the topic. Here is where one out of three articles gets the axe, when it is 95% complete.

Launch!

This is the greatest part of the convoluted process of publishing an article. It’s very rewarding when a review answers a specific question, a topic incites a lively discussion, and the community has a chance to voice their opinion. Here I wish I had multiple clones so I could keep up a steady stream of entertaining content, but unfortunately such a thing isn’t possible or smart. Upon publishing I get the chance to sit back for a few minutes and admire my work while picking it to pieces. Often I end up editing an article after publishing it but lately my proof-reading has cut this out considerably. After a day though the cycle continues so long as I have no personal interruptions. Now time to mash the publish button.