I didn’t plan to add to the wealth of posts about blogging as there are already so many good bloggers contributing to that particular resource pool. However, I find myself with ideas I want to write about and share. I am recognising that my experiences as a blogger are part of my blogging journey so that’s going to be my focus, those experiences and my enjoyment in writing blogs rather than sharing tips for other bloggers.

in today’s post I’m going to consider the different writing categories I put my posts into. I don’t mean topics, but the different ways the blogging ideas/topics occur to me. Sometimes it’s just a general topic to explore but other times I’m really inspired and fired up and I need to write when inspiration strikes, tapping into that motivation and excitement – this post is an example of that. So what are my “categories”?

Planned

As the name suggests, these are posts I know about and have an action plan prepared, whether that’s a plan for posts I want to publish, such as the various topics for study skills or I visit an attraction, Glasgow Cathedral, for example, which I want to write about.

• My visits to various historic sites; cafes, restaurants, theatre etc. I know that visiting these venues are part of the lifestyle I’m trying to achieve, so the visits are planned and the posts follow on from these visits therefore they too are planned.
• Having taught for a few years now, I know the academic/study skills which students struggle with every year so I’ve produced a schedule of relevant topics to publish weekly.

There are a few other areas I’m considering which could appear as a series with a common theme with all the posts and the delivery of the topics more structured and planned.

Inspiration

For me, this is the most exciting topic and I’m learning of the need to capture the ideas quickly when I’m charged with enthusiasm and before the rush of ideas dissipates. These posts are things that fire me up; i was travelling home last night when I just kept thinking of things i wanted to write about. I grabbed my notebook and started scribbling; i ended up with 5 different draft/outline blogs, including this one.

Posts in this “category” can be quite random topics, but they do appear to be things I care about. I have a clear idea in my head of what i want to say – so the post is almost fully written before i even put pen to paper. I must admit i dont think I’ve ever had so many ideas pop up at the same time. It was exciting, but a little overwhelming too. Im assuming this is normal?

A few blogs that I’m working on which fit into this category are:

• This post
• The impact of rising prices and the link to Trades Union activity
• What is creativity?

Hot Topics

These posts may start off with inspiration but unlike the category above where I have a clear idea of the content in my mind; these posts are not developed. I’m more likely to think of a general area which needs investigation. It can be something which intrigues me and I want to find out more. Current examples in this area for me are looking into fake news and a fairly new concept being discussed in HR circles, silent quitting.

I see these blogs as fuelling my own learning, but that I also want to produce something which will help inform/educate others, so they will be more informative and educational. Possibly also slanted more towards the professional side of my life.

Reflections

I wasn’t sure about including this one, and not sure if it will actually exist or really just fit into one or more of the above. I am a reflective person by nature so it may be that from time to time I will capture my reflections through my blog. I also think that my reflective nature is also likely to manifest itself in a lot of my writing. Where I can see this featuring would maybe be at the end of term/academic year as I reflect on progress and activities throughout the year – plus reflection is a required part of the CPD (continuous professional development) at work and as a member of the two professional bodies I am a member of. The other area I can see as reflective would be writing about my journey with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Ironically, reflecting as I write this, it occurs to me that reflection will possibly feature heavily in the more impulsive, inspirational blogs.

Conclusions

I’m sure, as I develop as a blogger, I will discover other triggers for my writing but the key, I think, is to recognise that these different types of posts need to be approached in different ways. The hot topics and some of the planned posts will require time for development; time to carry out research and my instinct is these will be longer posts so will also require more time to write them up.

The more inspiration-driven topics will be based much more on my own experiences and opinions, so may be shorter (although I guess time will tell here) and less likely to need further investigation/sources to back up what I’m writing about. I think I’m also more likely to need to write them up quickly before the ideas evaporate.

I’m not sure what other bloggers do, but I’m assuming my experiences are likely to be similar, but I’d love to hear what inspires other bloggers etc. Are your experiences the same? Do you have different experiences?

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed my post. If you’d like to follow my progress with my blogging journey, please tap subscribe below to receive notifications of my future blogs.