Technical Difficulties

One of the problems I often face with blogging (well, more often with blogging, but this is a general writing issue) is that I will read something and be incredibly inspired and so think that I am ready to write, only to realize that the idea hasn't yet gelled and the words won't come.

This is different from writer's block (when I know exactly what I want to say and the words still won't come) but it is similar enough that if I'm tired or stressed, I'll confuse the two and go into a panic (I have writer's block, I'm worthless!).

In reality, I just have to start writing down everything I think is important and then constantly edit it. Sometimes, the process more resembles normal editing; perhaps a vigourous winter pruning before the spring blooms, but nothing major. At other times, it's more like hacking my way through a bramble patch: lots of hard work, no guarantee of satisfaction, and everything ends up a bloody, sticky mess.

I feel like I'm doing the latter with a couple of ideas I have for the EI. I wrote a first draft introduction to this blog in February, and now 3 weeks later, I'm still nowhere close to shaping it properly. The same is true for several other planned entries.

Luckily, I've at least finally realized that it's not writer's block, and so have stopped fighting and turned to other projects instead. As a result, I've now written several entries for the EI, We Are Publius, Blogworthy, and The List.

So I'm working on it. Blogging, as much as I enjoy it, is not always the best way for me to approach an idea, although it is so convenient for the presentation afterwards. This is a tension I'll probably always feel.

But, live, and learn, and write.