Gotta get out more

I started yesterday with a two-and-a-half hour visit to the dentist.  I'm having a tooth prepared for a crown.

My appointment was for 7 am, which I don't mind.  Let's get the show on the road, right?

As I left the dentist's office, I realized it was a smart choice to take the entire day off. I was going to enjoy this autumn day with temps already in the mid-60s.

I had a little road time heading to "the city" to see an early matinee at the theater.  Driving is my thinking time. Some of my best -- and worst -- decisions are made while I'm driving down the road.

On this drive, I decided that I need to get out more.  My routine is way too, well, routine.

Just one day out of the office offered me enough fodder for several day's worth of blog posts. Conversations with different people and passing down less-traveled roads and several blog topics popped up before my eyes.

So, hopefully, I can get back to a routine of DAILY blog posts. It's good for me, and maybe even good for you.

BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

What I've learned about writing a blog

The Blogger software logo.

As I mentioned yesterday in my whine, er, I mean blog, I'm struggling to be back into a groove of having a posting ready at least a few hours ahead of my self-imposed 6:30 morning deadline. You'd think I was back at a newspaper and the presses were waiting for that last story.

Perhaps it's a flashback to the old days in my previous life of print publications.  When I first started that career, Tuesday was the big day, often creeping late into the night, for a Thursday publication day. It was a routine: paste up on Tuesday, printing and mailing on Wednesday, delivery on Thursday.

Years later, we were under a different deadline, because of scheduled press times. Tuesday was still our big day, but the layouts needed to be out the door by 4 pm for a journey to the pressroom an hour away.

I always said I work best with my head in a vise, but that usually ends poorly with mistakes that tic me off.

What I've learned about writing a blog is this:

• You gotta enjoy writing, in the style of your blog. Creative, Editorial or Technical styles take your pick. You still need to enjoy what you're doing.
• You need to possess the ability to write about anything. Thankfully the words often just flow off my fingertips.
• You should know a little bit about everything. Yes, being a know-it-all such as myself will make your blog much more successful.
• Have the ability to deal with a deadline, whether real or self induced.

Speaking of deadline, I'm just minutes away from needing this thing published today and I still need finish formatting.

What have I learned about blogging?  It's a lot of work, but a lot of fun!

You can check out over four months of blog entries at BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Test Blog Guinea Pigs

I don't have a topic for today's blog, so I'm going make you a Guinea Pig.  I'm sorry, but I promise it really won't be painful.

I'm sort of exploring some of the many "blogger" features that can be used to create this daily post.  Some of my friends have asked me questions and wondered if I would teach them how to blog.

I'm still learning the software, but as I master it's functions, I'll be happy to share it with anyone.

As for teaching someone how to blog... that's another story.

First, you gotta want to write.  You don't have to be good out of the gate. Time and practice will make a difference.

At least that's what I tell myself. I've been writing -- some days more than others -- for over for nearly 35 years.  I think most of the stuff I write sucks, but I'm not getting paid for it so it doesn't matter.  I hope when my writing counts, it's does the job I expect it to do.

I've gotten off topic here.  This a a test blog because I typed it on my cell phone, and emailed the content along with this photo (from my phone) to super-secret blogger.com email address.  The software automatically formats it and prepares it for posting.

I could post it immediately, but I don't.  Instead I save it as a draft for scheduling when I'm near a computer.

So Guinea Pigs... that wasn't painful, was it?

BNB's Lessons in Blogging

When I decided to start writing a blog I only wanted to brush up on my writing skills. Well, brush up on my writing skills so I can launch a future blog on the overhauled website for Internet company, AVCI.net, that employes me.

So this blog is a learning experience and a test run for a much more professionally-focused blog. Of course the AVCI.net blog of the future will be part of an overall Social Media Marketing plan. It also won't be "naked" like this one.

There are some valuable life lessons to learn when you're blogging:

Do it Daily! Setting aside time daily to write requires discipline. This is something I lack. I'm trying to make it a habit, then it will become much easier. I admire my friend, Wanda Eichler, and her blog From Under the Willow. She's been writing for years and blogging since about 2008. Last year, she committed to writing a daily blog post as a short "letter home to her dad."  That is discipline!

Have an Idea or Two. The subject manner of my blog is the biggest challenge. I've been at this for just a few days and my Blogger Dashboard (that's the behind the scenes control panel for this blog) is loaded with six or seven unpublished starts to future blogs.  I'm trying to jot down a few notes, and quote I heard or other idea and save it.  Then I go back to it another time.

Don't over think it. This is one of the greatest challenges I face when writing.  The backspace and delete keys get a good workout when I'm writing. I often start in one direction and end up making a lot of left turns.  This paragraph was rewritten a couple of times.

Have Fun. This should be a no brainer.  If it isn't fun, it won't work. As long as I'm having fun, I'll keep it up.