Assuming you have the time, it is preferable to try to write something every single day.  Notice I did not advise that you “publish” something every day, rather that you simply go through the motions of writing for a few minutes, daily.  For many of us, writing is therapeutic, and it helps keep us accountable on the subject we write about (health, finances, relationships, etc.).

Unfortunately, my crazy blogging schedule doesn’t always allow me to write something each day, though I like to publish an article once a day on my primary blog, FrugalDad.com.  One of the ways I managed to work around this problem is to create a small stockpile of “evergreen” articles that I can use to fill the gaps on days when I cannot write. By “evergreen” article, I mean a topic that it not particularly time-sensitive.  For example, I may write an article on the pros and cons of credit cards–something that will always be relevant.

Some bloggers have really capitalized on this idea by banking dozens of articles and queuing them up to publish for weeks in advance.  If some current topic strikes their fancy, and they want to write about it, they simply slip in a current post and push out the previously scheduled post.  In my case, I never seem to have more than a handful of posts in my back pocket, and most of the time I have zero articles stockpiled.

There is definitely a time for stockpiling articles, even if you don’t make it a common practice for your blog.  Here are a few times when it is good to have an advanced queue of articles:

Vacations. Yes, even bloggers deserve some time off.

Illness. Think of queued articles as your “emergency fund” for writing. If you get sick, a couple scheduled posts can buy you some time to heal and then get back to writing.

Starting a new blog. When you start up a blog, it is a good idea to have a handful of posts (5-10, depending on your schedule) so that you can focus on administrative and marketing tasks in the early days.

Guest posts for other bloggers.  I experienced a family medical emergency over the summer when my own stockpile was empty, but thankfully other bloggers had a few extra articles they supplied as guest posts to keep me going.  I was able to continue my blogging schedule and they got a little additional exposure for their blog.

So whether you decide to have a blogging marathon (as I often do on Saturday mornings) to build your article stockpile, or you prefer to write something fresh every single day, there is value in having a number of articles in the bank.

I prefer to use a combination of techniques, and typically write a couple articles on the weekend (in addition to any I post), and then write something fresh each morning for my main blog.  This way I am practicing my writing craft each day while continuing to build a reserve.

Photo by BraveNewTraveler

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No, that’s not a typo. If a “problogger” blogs full-time for a living, then I must only be a “preblogger,” because I cannot afford to quit my full-time job, but cannot afford to quit blogging, either. The majority of bloggers out there are prebloggers, working at a job or as a work-at-home parent while making at least a part-time living as a blogger. Only a select few are successful enough to graduate to problogging status.

What Does a Blogger Do, Exactly?

To those who have never given blogging a try it might seem like a simple activity. I felt that way before I started. I mean, how hard is it to sit down and write out your thoughts on a particular subject for a few minutes each day? Well, any blogger will tell you that there is more work to blogging than meets the eye.

For starters, coming up with a steady stream of topics to share with your audience is a challenge. There are weeks when ideas seem to fall into your lap (conversations with friends spark an idea, another blogger’s post provides inspiration, etc.).  And there are weeks when you suffer from severe writer’s block and feel like having to come up with yet another article on how to save money might actually cause physical pain.

Having an idea for a blog post is only half the battle. You have to actually write the post, and hope to do it in a semi-engaging fashion to entertain and inform your readers. If you are not writing with the idea of attracting readers, things get pretty lonely. After all, pouring your soul into a little visited blog is like giving the performance of your lifetime from the stage of an empty theater.

I usually spend thirty minutes to an hour writing, rewriting, adding links to and finding pictures for each post. Some are shorter, and some take much longer, but 30-40 minutes is probably a good average. When the post is complete I schedule it to be posted the next morning (or later that same morning, on some occasions) and that’s it, right? No, there’s more.  Much more.

Interacting With Readers

You may have noticed at some point that I share my email address with readers in the contact section. I enjoy nothing more than hearing from readers either through comments or emails. I try to respond to each one, but often it takes me a couple days to work through the growing monster that is my inbox! And readers aren’t the only people that send me emails.

Advertisers, public relations reps, authors, bloggers, journalists, etc. all send messages. I don’t mean to imply each of these types email every single day, but that’s a pretty accurate sampling of the types of messages I get. When I first started blogging my daily emails totals were in the single digits, but now it is not uncommon to receive over 100 emails a day.

Marketing My Blogs

Up to this point, I have not spent any money advertising Frugal Dad, save a trial month of using Google Adwords. In the early stages my single advertising method was commenting on other blogs. I made a daily habit of commenting on 40-50 blogs. Unfortunately, that number has dwindled over time, and now I do good to leave comments on 10-20 of my favorites. I read many more blogs than that, but only have time to comment on a precious few. If you are new to blogging and want to attract readers, commenting on other blogs in your niche is a great way to get your name out there. Don’t just spam blogs with comments, but leave thoughtful remarks that add to the discussion.

My Typical Day

I thought it might be fun to give you a peek at my typical day. The problem is, I have no typical days. Over the last year I have tried to get into a routine of blogging early in the morning, or late in the evening, or when I first get home from work, but I find it hard to stick to any particular schedule. After all, I have a wife, two kids, a full-time job, two blogs, freelance projects, and an attention-starved Labrador (my third child) all competing for my attention. So, I have learned to adapt by squeezing in time to write when I can.

Since I am not as organized as other bloggers who manage to carve out regular time during their day for blog activities, I can only give you a sample schedule from this past Tuesday and Wednesday:

Tuesday

• 6:00am:  Wake up, read through blog emails, review stats, make sure today’s post is up and running. Approve comments held for moderation.

• 8:00am:  Arrive at my full time job.

• 12:00pm:  Sneak a quick check of the blog stats, emails, moderate comments over lunch.

• 2:00pm:  Travel to Atlanta to visit my mom (she’s been hospitalized the last 70 days recovering from a stroke)

• 11:00pm:  Back home from Atlanta. Write tomorrow’s post, answer emails, moderate comments. Post five or six comments on other blogs. Check my snail mail, bills, bank account balance, etc.

• 1:00am:  Lights out.

Wednesday

• 6:00am:  Wake up, read through blog emails, review stats, make sure today’s post is up and running. Approve comments held for moderation.

• 8:00am:  Arrive at my full time job.

• 12:00pm:  Sneak a quick check of the blog, emails, moderate comments.

• 5:00pm:  Skipped the gym and head for home.

• 6:00pm:  Talked to a magazine editor about submitting an article.

• 7:00pm:  Wrote first half of post after dinner, answered ten emails.

• 8:00pm:  Bedtime routine with the kids.

• 9:00pm:  Wrote second half of tomorrow’s post, checked on stats, sorted through emails (nearly 150 thanks to blog contest), made a small template change to Frugal Dad in an effort to improve blog monetization, read snail mail, checked stats at my blog host, thumbed through new Kiplingers magazine for inspiration, outlined three blog post ideas.

• 12:30am:  Lights out.

The Tipping Point

As you can see, there isn’t much free time in that schedule. Somewhere in there I also interact with readers and friends on Twitter, and Stumble a few articles each day for use in roundup posts.  I also participate in a number of forums on a variety of topics from frugal living to blogging.  In addition to the crazy weekday schedule I spend about half a day on Saturday or Sunday playing catch up on all the things that have slipped during the week. I try to have a sort of blogging marathon to crank out three or four posts to pull from during the week if I get in a jam (I have to work late, kids get sick, I get sick, etc.).

The inevitable question becomes, “At what point can I become a problogger?” Well, that’s a good question, and one I don’t have an answer to just yet. While I could easily fill a day with blogging responsibilities and freelance opportunities, I cannot yet replace my full-time income plus make up for the loss of benefits. The problem is that the list of responsibilities is growing, and my full-time job is not getting any easier, so something will have to give.

My second blog, TipDad.com, has not seen as much activity as I would like. It has been a while since I posted anything at Wise Bread or Parenting Squad (though I did recently sneak in a book review at Parenting Squad). Emails are languishing longer in my inbox, and more and more comments are stacking up without my acknowledgment.

At some point I will either have to take a leap of faith, scale back on my full-time work, or put my other writing initiatives on hold. Who knows what the future holds, but for now I’m enjoying my status as a preblogger.

Photo courtesy of faster panda kill kill

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