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How Well Do You Work Under Pressure?

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Writing samples: Parker 75
Image by churl via Flickr

People who want to get into the business of professional blogging sometimes have the wrong notion that it’s all easy work. They see blogging not as a serious activity, but more akin to diary or journal writing, where one just posts whatever thoughts, feelings and ideas he has, and that he will earn from these.

Well, in some cases this might be true. But blogging for income is not always a walk in the park. If you want to make a business out of it, it is serious business. It’s hard work. Sometimes you don’t even get compensated well enough for your efforts. It’s not just writing, hitting publish, and waiting for the cash register to ring. After all, blogging is not just about writing, but also about connecting as well.

One big factor here is the pressure–both the pressure to write and the pressure to earn. This is usually the case when you are facing deadlines and posting schedules. This might also be the case when you are assigned to cover a certain event or topic, and you are hard pressed to be the first to provide coverage.

A lot of bloggers, especially those who work for networks, have probably learned to adapt to this type of setting. But some of us–mostly those with more artistically inclined writing, or those who prefer op-ed column type postings–probably don’t feel productive or inspired enough when there are external pressures.

In my case, I’m more of the latter. I work best when I’m able to focus on just writing, and not thinking of deadlines, ToDo lists and other distractions. Give me 30 undisturbed minutes in front of the computer monitor, with only the WordPress New Post page on my browser, then I can probably come up with a (hopefully) informative or thought provoking post. But when I’m required to publish a post on a certain day at a certain time, then most probably I will have to linger around, looking for a topic to write about, trying to collect my thoughts, and looking for information to back up my article. It would take me hours to finish this kind of post.

I also feel most productive when my energy levels are high. I envy the bloggers who have the energy to write several quality posts in a short span of time. Usually, the moment I publish a feature type post, I’m drained. Perhaps I need to manage my energy better. Perhaps I should learn to outline and plan my writing better, so I don’t end up only writing when inspiration hits me.

Which type of blogger are you? How well do you perform under pressure? Are you better under schedule, or do you wait for the muse to come calling? Moreover, does external pressure energize you, or does it drain you?

Writing vs. Blogging: Is There a Difference?

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A lot of bloggers are proud of the fact that with blogs, they are finding a medium for sharing content with the rest of the world. They have become writers. Similarly, a lot of writers have found a new medium to publish their works. They have become bloggers. You often see published and famous authors starting blogs, and sometimes discussing the differences in publishing a blog post and the process of publishing a book.

Bloggers are, by definition, writers. Yes, you can even pardon the fact that a lot of bloggers write as if they need lessons in grammar, spelling and sentence construction. But are writers automatically bloggers? Well, the moment someone hits the publish button on his first ever blog post, then that person can technically be considered a blogger. But even if you’re a topnotch writer with dozens of books published, or if you have a regular newspaper column, or if you’re a literary genius, you don’t automatically become a good blogger, in the fullest sense of it.

Blogging involves more than writing. Blogging involves interaction, being part of the community, and having your blog serve as your online identity and persona. When you blog, you don’t just write a 500-word essay and publish it on a static page. You open up that essay to the world for critique right there and then. You let people talk back to you on your comment threads and on other blogs. You respond, and you talk back.

When you blog, you don’t just publish a column on a newspaper page. You join in on the conversation. You can react to other blog posts of interest. You link, you get linked to, and you link back. You create a big web of conversations and intelligible discussions.

Whe you blog, you don’t rest on your laurels the minute you publish that scathing commentary. You brace yourself for an onslaught of responses, positive and negative, and you prepare to defend your position.

When you blog, you don’t hide your face behind the written word. Rather, your written word is your face in the online world–your identity to your readers.

Simply put, blogging is not solely about writing. It’s about learning how to interact, how to establish a presence, how to make recommendations, how to be reactive and proactive. If you consider yourself a writer, then well and good. But if you want to be a good blogger, ask yourself these. How far have you gone in terms of being interactive? Have you helped a friend online? Have you added value to the ocean of commentaries out there? Are you just another nameless, faceless entity churning out words, or are you being someone–someone who matters?

Blogging is a social medium, after all. And as such, blogging goes far beyond writing.