Writing tips: What I want to blog about vs. what I actually blog about

Blogging is kind of like being on a diet.
 
When you’re slaving away as a corporate drone, with little to no time available for creative writing or blogging, you crave it like a double cheeseburger with bacon and a side of perfectly seasoned waffle fries. 

“Ohhh, why don’t I have time for blogging? If only I had time for blogging, my life would be complete,” you lament to no one in particular.
 
Then, as if by magic, a segment of your slammed calendar opens and, POOF! You get the chance to write that blog.

Back when this was my real life story, I was giddy with every opportunity to write a blog.
 
Why shouldn’t I be? It only happened once every one to three months when I was working full-time as a corporate communications manager.
 
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Amiright?

I’m going to get real with you: it’s not like that for me now, at least not every week.
 
Now that I have complete freedom over my writing projects and schedule (halleluiah!), I sometimes would rather think up imaginative strategies for marketing my book, work on growing my social media network, or pitch and write articles that earn me a byline (the holy grail for writers and journalists).
 
I don’t always want to write my blog. I don’t always know WHAT to write for my blog. But I always write it, not just because I ‘have to’, but also because it’s important to my long-term career as a writer.

​Over the past 7 or 8 months, I have buckled down and gotten serious about blogging. Every. Single. Week.
 
I have also studied the breadcrumbs that successful bloggers leave behind for anyone who may be curious.
 
In short, my blogging strategy has completely changed, in that now I actually HAVE a blogging strategy, whereas before I pretty much just wrote whatever I felt like writing.
 
Now, like a person committed to healthy eating and living, I exercise a certain amount of willpower in my blog.

I no longer allow myself to write whatever my heart desires that day.
 
I have a new mission: to provide both entertainment and value to my readers. Once I realized that I write for my readers, not for myself, my entire blogging worldview shifted.

Here’s what I often WANT to post about (but don’t, at least, not anymore):

• Pictures of my adorable toddler. Just a lot of pictures and cute captions.
• A glorified social media update on what’s been going on in my personal life
• Things that I find super interesting (but you may not)
• Monologues full of complaints
• Social commentary that amuses me but won’t help you do anything

Here’s what I am committed to writing about:

• Parenting
• Love
• Marriage
• Family fun
• Travel (especially for families with young children)
• Life being married to medicine
• Tips and tricks for writers 

So, if you want to read more on the topics above, keep following my blog, and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!
 
I’ll give you a cookie if you do ;)

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned
Married to medicine: Letter to a young doctor’s girlfriend
Wedding Season: What NOT to say about the bride and groom in your best man or maid of honor speech
For writers: All your writing fears, squashed!
A real, imperfect day in the life of a writer: me
Your writing conference checklist: how to make it worth every minute and every penny (takeaways from the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference)
The write stuff: An author’s favorite books and authors
Writing tips: Cutting down on word fat and other newsletter best practices
All about writing: writing 'til it hurts
Writing tips for email: In 30 seconds, this message will self-destruct
Public speaking tips: How to move your audience from callous to captivated