by Skellie
Photo by Libertinus
As I write this, it’s a Friday, and I don’t expect anyone to see this post until roughly six days from now. I have another post to write after this one, but if I don’t finish it tonight, I have plenty of time to do so. I can take as much time as I need to say exactly what I want to say.
It took months for me to develop the habit of writing posts in advance, but it’s now something I would recommend to anyone for all non-news and non-time sensitive content. If you’ve been meaning to develop the habit but haven’t yet been able to do so, resolve to start from now. It is the single best thing you can do to improve the quality of the content you create. Perhaps more importantly, it will take a big chunk of stress out of your content creation routine.
Why it matters
If you write and publish posts in one sitting, you will have to rush them. If you sleep-in and have to publish a post before you go somewhere, you’ll be racing against the clock to produce a publishable post. You can’t do your ideas justice in these conditions, nor can you write the same post twice. If your stellar idea translates into a rushed post, it’s wasted.
If we’re struggling to fit content creation into a busy day, it’s almost inevitable that we will cut the process down more than we should. The most likely place where we will try to save time is proofing and editing. Unfortunately, big typos and errors in expression can spoil an otherwise quality article by creating a jarring reading experience. Publishing a post without proofing it properly is a disservice to your content.
If your content creation routine is a ‘hand-to-mouth’ one, you might find yourself trying to come up with post ideas when you settle down to write. When it works, this is fine, but when it doesn’t — and sometimes it won’t — you may find yourself without an article to publish. You can’t write without an idea, and sometimes ideas take time.
If the above sounds like your content creation routine, you certainly have nothing to be ashamed of. Developing the habit of writing posts well before you intent to publish them is a tricky one, because separating publishing from writing is almost like separating the reward from your work. Breaking any habit is not easy, but in this case, it is truly worth trying.
Writing content in advance can result in articles which are more likely to get links, comments and do well on social media.
Here’s why
1. By writing without an impending deadline, you can say exactly what you want to say. You can give each point you make the weight it deserves, and take the time to complete your thoughts. You should never need to end abruptly because you have to go somewhere. If you’re interrupted, you can save your work and pick it up later. This will help considerably when it comes to making your articles as value-packed as they can be.
2. You can develop your ideas over the course of days, rather than in a few minutes. You’ll never again have to say: “That article seemed like a good idea at the time…” Having a few days to mull over your ideas can ensure that only the quality ones ever see the light of day.
3. You can craft your content instead of manufacturing it. Writing and publishing in the same sitting often encourages a manufacturer’s mindset: “What’s the minimum I need to do to create a publishable item?” Giving yourself plenty of time to create content allows you to truly polish it.
4. It’s less stressful, which is always good. If you associate content creation with feelings of pressure and stress you will start to think of it as a chore rather than a fun hobby. Knowing that you can fail to finish a post today without your subscriber count dropping and your traffic disappearing will make the writing process a lot more enjoyable!
5. It allows you to relax. There’s nothing quite like queuing up my posts to future-publish during the week and being able to run two blogs on autopilot for six out of seven days in the week. If all you have to worry about is answering emails and moderating comments, blogging seems a whole lot easier.
6. You can start to write more than you use. I think it’s useful to equate the process to personal finance. Writing content hand-to-mouth is like living hand to mouth. You spend as much as you make and go in to debt when unexpected expenses come up. The habit of writing in advance has finally allowed me to start repaying some of that debt, but the next step and the holy grail is to start saving content like you might start saving money: so you can take a three week break from blogging with all the content needed to cover it, or go on vacation without having to mobilize an army of guest-posters. Once you develop the habit of writing in advance, you can start to develop the habit of writing more than you intend to publish. However, I’m still working on that one. Maybe one day when I’ve developed the habit myself I can share what I’ve learned.
Here’s how
Set aside one morning or afternoon on the quietest day of the week where you will write all non-news posts for the following seven days. I suggest one day because setting aside two days makes it tempting to put everything off until day 2.
Plan which posts you’re going to write in the week leading up to writing day. You can do this just about anywhere: in the car, on public transport, on your lunch-break or before you go to sleep. Each time you think of a fitting idea, write it down and, if you’re inspired, jot down a few points you intend to cover. If you’ve ever written down an abstract sentence or idea one day, only to return to it a few days later and have no idea what you meant or where you were going with it, you’ll understand why it’s a good idea to add a little description.
Once you have your editorial calendar sorted out, all that’s left to do is write. If possible, I suggest doing this on a second computer which isn’t connected to the internet. In fact, just about the only two programs I use on my laptop are Text Edit and iTunes. I write really fast in this environment because there’s nothing better to do. I can’t check emails or find some other distraction because I haven’t even set up the internet on it yet. If you don’t have a spare computer, I’d recommend disconnecting the internet while you write, and adding links and so on later. I know some HTML, so I generally format posts as I write them, transfer the text files with my USB thumb drive, and slot them into Wordpress.
Once your posts are edited and formatted, set them to future post during the week (if your blogging software allows it). This saves you the trouble of having to log in and publish your posts individually.
My next goal is to write one extra feature per week and save it. As I’m currently publishing two features a week, this should hopefully allow me to save up one week’s worth of content for each of my blogs each month. In three months, I’ll have enough content saved that I can run both blogs on auto-pilot for three weeks. By 2009, when I plan to travel quite extensively, I could have ten weeks (or 70 days) worth of content saved and ready to go.
Good habits can be powerful things, but they’re not easy to develop. I do hope I’ve convinced you that the writing in advance habit is truly worth aiming for.
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67 Comments, Comment or Ping
Lani
How many months did it take?
I definitely think this is the way to go, but I’m struggling with it at the moment. I’m hoping that when I settle into a new routine (uni starts back next week so there will be plenty of public transport time) I’ll be able to make writing in advance routine as well. I don’t think there is any other way to maintain the quality and consistency I expect from myself. Especially now that I’m writing for 4 blogs.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Coqui
great advice skellie.
this is something that I am wirking on for my site. With working full time it’s hard to find the time to wite posts every day. So writing in advance is the way to go.
When I get chance during the day, I jot down ideas for upcoming posts, then try to set aside some time on the weekend to craft these notes into upcoming posts.
lets see how it goes
Mar 2nd, 2008
bugsy
yes! couldn’t agree more.
thought i haven’t been writing full entries too far in advance i have been keeping my “inspiration box” and a very long running list of ideas to come. anytime i look at it i’m inspired and all the ideas come rushing back to me.
so far so good. but i’m just getting started with my current blog.
if only i knew what i know now when i worked on my last one.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Joe Nassise
I struggle with this too, particularly at times like this when I am under deadline to complete my latest novel and am spending all my energy getting the book done.
I like the suggestions you’ve made and am going to try them out in the week’s to come to get better at producing quality content at a higher frequency than I am doing now.
Thanks for the tips, Skellie.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Mrs. Micah
I definitely get that. I go through phases where I’m writing ahead and then not so much…writing ahead is often superior. Though sometimes posts I write on the fly are the best. But they can still percolate before being released to the world.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Brett Legree
Hi Skellie - thank you for a great post, I can definitely attest to this working.
This is how I write and how I’ve been writing for over a year. My current blog is a “test blog” while I have another one in the works right now (being designed as we speak). I probably have writing for it that goes back 6 or 8 months, that I am saving for the “real thing”.
(I sort of have to do that, I have a six-year old and three-year old triplets… so doing my writing “last minute” wouldn’t work.)
Thanks for the words.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Michael Martine, Blog Consultant
I write most of my posts during the weekends and future-publish them. Getting into this habit is one of the best decisions I’ve made in order to meet the time demands of a full-time “jobby” job and a nearly-full-time freelance career. So, naturally I agree with the idea and your reasons for it. Spot-on, Skellie.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Mary Jaksch I GoodlifeZen
Great advice!
I tend to think not so much of ‘writing’ posts, but of ‘developing’ them. I do a lot of research for each one and I like the idea of each post slowly gathering itself as I work on it through the week.
It’s like planting the theme of a post in my sub-conscious. Then my mind starts to work on it, even if I’m not consciously writing. That allows my creativity to kick in and I can sometimes come up with flashes of insight.
Those kinds of “Aha!!”moments stay far away if I put myself under time pressure.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Terry Finley
First class ideas and well written.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Evan
It helps with proof-reading too. I find it easier to spot those typo’s of the their/there/they’re variety if I do it later too.
Mar 2nd, 2008
Lightening
Excellent points. I particularly like number 6. I’m slowly working on this myself - posting ahead. It is helping me to enjoy my blogging again. Now that I have several blogs there was a certain amount of pressure (self imposed) that isn’t there quite the same when I’m ahead.
The only exception I’ve found though is in personal blogging. Some posts can be written ahead but I find those straight from the heart are sometimes better being posted “straight from the heart” and not edited too much. Also, there are times when I like to post what is happening in my life right at the time it’s happening. Makes it more real. However, when I do have a couple of posts prewritten it does take the pressure off so I still prefer to have a few done in advance (not that it always happens of course).
Mar 2nd, 2008
ananga @ living by design
Skellie,
Thank you for another thought provoking and informative post. I’ve been working up to writing in advance for a while now, after a spell of poor health left a gap of three weeks with no posts on my blog. Your words have encouraged me to make it a definite priority.
Also, I was interested to read that you keep your laptop so streamlined and distraction free, I wrote a post last week called “Productivity in a Distraction Filled World” prompted by my local library tempting me with a free internet connection on my laptop as soon as I opened the lid to start writing.
Ananga
Living by Design
Mar 2nd, 2008
Mike Smith
I’ve been struggling with writing in advance. As of right now, I have three posts halfway wrote that I’ll be finishing tomorrow. These are the first posts I’ve wrote in a WHILE though. I want to start by having 3-4 posts scheduled to go every other day (1 week worth) then if I get the urge to write during the week, I can, and be ‘ahead of schedule’. Definitely something I need to do, thanks for reminding me
Mar 2nd, 2008
Ruchir Choudhary
And that’s one of the reasons why I like WordPress. Write content in advance, timestamp it and forget about it. Timestamping just rocks.
Mar 3rd, 2008
Tibi Puiu
You’ve hit the spot again with this post Skellie. Writing in advance is something I’ve been considering for sometime now, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to save posts; guess I’m just lazy
Mar 3rd, 2008
CatherineL
Hi Skellie - This is great advice. I try to do this, but the trouble is I spend too much time writing the actual outlines and instead of making a few notes, before I know it, I’ve written half the article.
I waste a lot of time doing this and I have about 50 half written articles in draft. And the trouble is, half the time, I don’t go back to them, because I’ve thought of something else I want to write instead.
So, I’m definitely going to discipline myself more and follow the advice you’ve given here. Thanks.
Mar 3rd, 2008
paidtwice
I think it is a little bit more difficult when you write about yourself vs about a topic - my blog is about my financial life and I have had more than once a post written in advance that I had to completely scrap before it published because things changed.
Although, I do agree writing in advance is a great thing. I do generally have at least a day or two in advance written. I just can’t imagine being a whole week ahead
Mar 3rd, 2008
Barbara Ling
My particular favorite is point #2 - giving yourself days instead of minutes to write will ensure your final product is tighter, flows better, and probably zeros in on the critical points you want to make far more optimally.
I remember starting a blog post about one of my children for the birthday; I began it a month prior and by the time 4 weeks had passed, my audience couldn’t understand how I wrote something to compelling in only the first few hours of the morning.
Enjoy,
Barbara
Mar 3rd, 2008
Dar
Hi, Skellie
You’ve listed so many great points. I got away from a regular schedule in my writing and posting, and have been working to get back on track since. I love the reminder that having a few done up ahead of time will reduce stress, plus I work better when I have more time to ponder what I write, as well.
Thank you for the inspiration to keep on track, and then get a few steps ahead…
Mar 3rd, 2008
Héctor
Uou! It is cool!. As a matter of fact, I think your system is my system too but with a difference: I know when I have to stop writing and adding content when I start looking at me in the mirror and see my the face of “let’s go, stop with it!” But, believe me or not, a couple of hours, days or weeks, I start again writing content and I feel 100 % great. The only thing I want to add is that when I re-start I do not read the previous content. I try to forget it 100 %. So, I start, as a general rule, on the other way around and the results are great.
Héctor
Mar 3rd, 2008
maheshexp
Hi Skellie, your story is true in case of mine too. even I’m drafting a story for week and I havent posted that yet. But in the mean time, I need to keep my readers reading my blog, so just posted some of the post from my old blog ( not very famous one ) with some small rewrites. That helps me a lot to create new content and concentrate on new stuffs.
Mar 3rd, 2008
Armen
Thanks for the reminder Skellie. I’ve been meaning to implement this way of posting, but I just haven’t gotten into the habit yet. It’s not good enough.
Mar 4th, 2008
Lid
Great Post! Thanks Skellie
Writing in advance is one of the basics they teach you at J-school - but it is tricky because you almost have to force yourself to do it. Once you’ve done it enough and it becomes a habit, it’s a wonderful thing. I don’t know how many times I’ve written something (thinking it is just oh so perfect
- only to look at it the next day and wonder, what was I thinking…
It clears the mind and helps you edit really well.
The other thing I’ve gotten into the habit of is the pre-production, production, and post production mindset…having at least three articles in different parts of “production”
One that I’m still researching, one that I’m working on, and one that I’m polishing - it stops you from going silly (or brain dead) on any one topic. I figure, it works for me, so I keep doing it.
Hope today is great to you!
Mar 4th, 2008
Terry Finley
PreProduction, Production, and PostProduction:
I like that concepts.
thanks
Mar 4th, 2008
Trish
Great advice and hot tips . Thanks for sharing .
I have a few posts I do in advance and leave sitting in draft for days when I run out of time.
I can see the merit into put more effort into posts when you are not governed by a deadline.
Other days I get inspired and run with the flow but often it is very late at night.
I am determined to get disciplined and write more posts in advance.
Mar 4th, 2008
Monika Mundell
That is a great idea Skellie. While I have done this in the past, I haven’t actually mastered the concept quite yet.
Still working on those distractions. What I found works best for me is when i write really early in the morning and then just keep going until I’m done. I just have to learn to pull that Internet cable first.
Mar 4th, 2008
Sayz Lim
This is definitely the great post, I really learn a lot of lesson from here… Thanx, and when are you going to share the second tips you’ve prepared before hand? ^^
Mar 5th, 2008
Bitten
It would be a nice habit but I’m not sure if I can write 4-6 posts in one day. And two days was something that you didn’t suggest. Also, two days devoted only to writing seems pretty much.
Mar 5th, 2008
JD
Beautiful distillation and details
> craft your content instead of manufacturing it
Well put. Factoring writing and publishing is key.
Sometimes I find metaphors help people switch gears.
For example, one I like to use is “incrementally rendering posts.”
Since I’ve built such a queue of content, I’ve actually shifted the problem now to where I need to find the best channel/outlet — a portfolio of blogs? a series of ebooks? a few wikis?
It’s not a bad problem to have … it’s a new challenge and an interesting one in today’s infopreneur age.
Mar 5th, 2008
Bruce
Great advice, Skellie.
I’m noticing, even with the “A”-list bloggers, that there are grammatical, punctuation and other mistakes.
Could it be that taking your advice might even help them to write better?
Mar 6th, 2008
Ali from The Office Diet
This would be my top tip too. Since launching my blog, The Office Diet, a couple of months ago, I’ve written almost every post at least 12 hours in advance of posting, and then revised and edited it. The quality is definitely 100% better than it would otherwise have been!
I too write with my wireless connection turned off
I also brainstorm article ideas in a notebook every so often, then I always have plenty to pick from when I sit down to write.
Ali
Mar 6th, 2008
Sonia Simone
Before I started my blog, I wrote a post a day for 30 days and just kept them in a Word doc. This was a wonderful resource when I was getting started out, as I had plenty that I could dip into. I always rework them a little when I post them, with the benefit of hindsight and new potential links, insights, etc.
A habit I’m currently trying to cultivate is to write a blog post every day, even though I post about 2-3x a week. That will start building my reserve again.
One thing I often do is to draft a post before bed and then work on it some more the following day before posting. One nice thing about it is that I can give myself permission to just be brain dead and write any old thing, and often that actually results in some good stuff.
Mar 6th, 2008
Solacetech
What? Ahead of time? What are you talking about? I love getting in at 11pm and trying to find relevant news or info to write about before midnight. Really though, Preparation is the best way to make a sincere,successful blog…
Mar 6th, 2008
Ralph
Could you tell me how long to you seat and write on this article and average for all articles?
Ralph
Mar 7th, 2008
Terry
Thanks for the wonderful tip, it seems so true. I often find myself posting something then noticing errors after it is already published. So then I make changes, but not before anyone has seen the error and my reputation has taken a little hit. I also know pieces can mature if given time.
I’m going to work your system into how I blog.
Mar 7th, 2008
vutha
Thanks for your interesting article. I always made a mistakes when i rush to post after finish writing. I used get comment from my readers and told me to correct it. Writing blog post in advance is very important. I used to do like that and i have time to readproof and add some ideas.
Mar 7th, 2008
Vanessa
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’ve been trying to get my blogging on a schedule. Now I know I’m not alone. I always enjoy your blog but this is one of my favorite posts.
Mar 8th, 2008
Jaden @ Screenwriting for Hollywood
As I am trying to do better time-management, I am just starting to get into writing posts ahead of time so that I can have a more regular schedule of them appearing for my audience and not be stressed. Also, it frees me up to focus wholly on the paying work. Early post preparation gives good peace of mind.
Good post.
Mar 9th, 2008
Jaden @ Screenwriting for Hollywood
PS. That night boat image blows me away — stunning.
Mar 9th, 2008
raj
This is excellent advice. My best work has always been done this way as well, though I sometimes get caught in the trap of obsessing about edits.
Mar 11th, 2008
Barbara Swafford
Hi Skellie,
I try to do this, and some weeks it works great. Then life gets in the way and I’m back to writing daily.
What I have found from writing in advance, often what I thought would be one great post, becomes two. I like that, as it’s like two for the price of one.
Mar 11th, 2008
The Freelance Writer's Blog
Great tip Skellie. I passed it on to my blog readers in today’s post (3/12/08).
Last week, I knew this week was going to be brutal due to a monster project I had to complete. So, I put this tip to use and sketch out 5 Quick Tips for Freelance Writers that I could use on my blog this week. While I didn’t write the entire posts, I did do the background research, which saved me tons of time.
Great blog and advice.
Continued success,
Yuwanda
Mar 13th, 2008
Lee
I have taken this advice on with gusto and I have to say that I’m much happier with the overall output of my site. You are exactly right in that you start to find that you have more than you need rather than struggling to find content.
It also gives me the opportunity to add in those quick little posts without worrying that these are the entries representing my blog.
So thanks a lot for that!
Mar 16th, 2008
Magnolia
Again, excellent advice. I’ve run across several blogs that advise writing in advance. I can certainly relate to the rushed, pressure that one feels by the “hand to mouth” technique. (loved that analogy).
I linked to your blog from another blogger. Glad to find you.
Mar 18th, 2008
Susan
Great article! Sometimes I don’t have the time or complete thought to write an entire post in one sitting. I’ve discovered that writing a little bit at a time over the course of several days can help me gather more ideas to write about.
Mar 25th, 2008
Ralph
Great comments… I learn much more in the comment like in the blog-article
I hope of the following part two by Skellie
Ralph
Mar 26th, 2008
tysdaddy
This is excellent advice, and something I’ve been thinking about for some time. My habit is to sit down and write a post with the idea of publishing it immediately. Then, a couple days later, I’ll think of something I wanted to add, or read it and wish I’d said something different or better.
If content is the key, and quality is better than quantity, then taking the time to get the writing right is absolutely vital.
Thanks for the reminder.
I came here after visiting http://www.clearblogging.com. I read Walsh’s book and decided to start a blog for a college writing class. I’m just beginning to refine my blog and have decided to subscribe to this site for advice and relevant pointers. Thanks for all your hard work. Take your time . . . we’ll be waiting.
Brian
Apr 4th, 2008
blanne
Wow. That was some useful stuff. I’m new to this whole blogging thing actually and I’m struggling to keep it updated as much as I can. In effect, my posts aren’t all too good and I end up disappointed. So I finally decided to start all over again and hopefully I could apply the tips you just shared here..
Apr 29th, 2008
TheMillionDollarPlan
Nice post, I strongly agree with it, because there were times when I write and publish a post, leave my house and suddenly remember that I forggoten to mention something or even did a factual mistake.
Our minds keep busy all the time thinking about things even if we don’t notice it, so the longer it things the better the post will be.
Apr 30th, 2008
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