How I Blog (and Why I’m Taking a Break From It)

Yesterday I made another thrilling video of myself talking into my MacBook. But when I went to mount it on YouTube, I got a message from YouTube saying that my account had been “permanently disabled”! I have no idea why that should happen. Perhaps someone at YouTube watched my first tape, and understood immediately that it needed to stop there.

I’m trying to get YouTube-enabled again—and get the distinct impression I’m failing to. YouTube makes it pretty impossible to contact them. But I’ll keep You-bugging them.

The reason I was drawn to make another video is because I’m afraid that lately I’ve grown a tad burned out on blogging. Small enough wonder—each blog entry, for me, involves … well, I don’t know how many steps. So lemme see:

1. Think of idea for post. (This is virtually no work. My Blogging Brain is like my bladder; it fills up all on its own, and then, via increasing internal pressure … well, you know.)

2. Wonder if my idea for post will offend too many Uptight Christians.

3. Change idea for post.

4. Open up WordPress; start writing post.

5. Adjust, cut, rearrange, reword, rethink, restructure, hone, hone, hone, hone, hone post until I’ve made it sound about as carefree and effortlessly phrased as I know how.

6. Preview post.

7. Be amazed yet again at how dramatically the form in which a piece is physically presented effects the words themselves. Final, structural context is everything! Change text; preview it; change it; preview it; change it; preview it; remember I have a life; finish it.

8. If there’s a photo, take mucho time and steps to deal with/insert into post.

9. Hit “Publish” button.

10. Wonder if I spend way too much time blogging, since by now easily two to four hours have passed.

11. Go view post on site. Wonder at marvel of Internet. Marvel at wonder of Internet. Whatever.

12. Reopen post in editing mode.

13. Open new browser window; log onto the publishing program of Crosswalk.com

14. Select and cut title of post on WordPress.

15. Paste title post on Crosswalk.

15. Cut body of post on WordPress

16. Paste body of text into Crosswalk.

17. Think of a pithy little Blog Post Tease for use on the Crosswalk page where they present all their latest blog posts.

18. Make sure everything in Crosswalk Land is perfect.

19. Hit “Publish to Blog.”

20. Wait a few minutes for the Crosswalk post to appear so I can check it one more time.

21. Be finished.

22. Crash a bit.

 

That’s the gist of it. Happens five, six times a week. Like a machine I am!

But now I’m broken. Or my … cogs need adjusting, or something. But for sure I’ve got Blog Burnout. The videos were proving an excellent way for me to Switch Up ye oldye content delivery method—but, alas, I’ve been “Not YOU!”-tubed. So now I’m stuck.

So now I’m going to have to take a break from le’ blog ala moi. I don’t know how long the break will last. Last time I backed off the blog (which, interestingly, was also in October: What’s up with that?), I think I non-blogged for about a week.

If you like my blog, please feel free to poke around in its archives, see if you find anything there you like. There’s a ton of material waiting back there.

I’m looking forward to reading more blogs, which is something I never seem to have enough time to do. I love the blogs run by a lot of the people who leave comments on mine, so it’ll be great to catch up on their stuff. I’ve also lately been inspired by two new book ideas, and so I’ve got to take some time to at least get those started. I think one of them’s gonna make me a fortune.

Anyway, right. Onward.

See ya’ in the funny papers! Even though I have no idea what that saying means, or where it came from! But see ya’ when my break is over!

Love! Peace! Togetherness! I’m voting for Obama, but you vote for whomever works for you! Which really has nothing to do with this conversation! Later, skater!