Arteliance

Blogging at a Snail’s Pace - NYTimes.com

Ms. Ganley, the blogger in Vermont, has a slogan that encapsulates the trend: “Blog to reflect, Tweet to connect.” Blogging, she said, “is that slow place.”

Sometimes I long to be good at reflection and find exactly the right words… But, alas, I am more likely to find just the right code for an ellipsis (…).

Blogsolid » Blog Archive » Dealing With Blogger’s Regret

I’m sure we’re all familiar with the inner conflict known as buyer’s regret or buyer’s remorse. That slow panic rising from deep within your gut as the question begs an answer: “did I make a mistake in paying half my salary for that thing I just bought?” Oops.

Blogger’s regret is very similar. In a brave/foolish/ignorant moment you posted an entry that you really just shouldn’t have published…

Sometimes one wants to post something in anger or link to something corny and you just know you might regret it. What can you do to get it out of your favourite blog editor and off your mind?

One solution I find useful is to set up a Gmail label and filter combination and email my words away:

1. Log in to your Gmail Account and choose Edit labels

2. Create a new label BlogNoPub for example
3. While still in Settings, select the Filters tab and click on Create a new filter
4. Beside To: type in yourusername+blognopub@gmail.com
5. Go to the next step and select:
   • Skip the Inbox(Archive it)
   • Mark as read
   • Apply the label: your new label e.g. BlogNoPub

6. Create Filter

Now when you think you might regret posting something, email it to username+blognopub@gmail.com instead and let it sit there for a few days first. After a cooling off period, you can go back and revise your words or, as most often happens, forget about it.

November is the month in which you post something to your blog every day, in accordance with the National Blog Posting Month challenge. So far I am 7-for-7 and feeling pretty good about that.

Two links that have been invaluable in helping me to write are:

A Formula For Telling a Good Story which suggests breaking the story into 6 parts:

1. Who is involved
2. What the action was
3. Where you are (described actively)
4. Conflict: the bulk of the story including the importance of the story, what happened and the action you too to resolve it
5. Resolution
6. Tag: the aftermath of the resolution, the big finish of the story

and Nail Your Next Presentation with these Classic Principles of Public Speaking that draws on the techniques of classical Greek orators:

1. Exordium or gaining the sympathy of your listeners
2. Narratio a narrative outline of the issue at hand
3. Refutatio refuting the counter arguments
4. Peroratio your final appeal