Finding Inspiration for Blogging - Response to Jo Kristian

Recently, Jo K. (a fellow blogger who hails from Norway) was asking for ideas to help him get back in the habit of blogging. I took time to respond in detail. So I'd decided to post the ideas here for everyone's benefit who's had trouble keeping up with the task of blogging or who feels at loss of ideas for blog articles. I hope my advice helps when you are looking for an idea or need a little bit of a jog to get your writing started.

As for me, I don't think every post has to be about some great sex adventure - although that's probably been one reason your blog has become popular. However, I'd love to hear the everyday things too. I don't just mean the 'everyday sex', but how life unfolds - its simple pleasure and sometimes, its frustrations, and disappointment. I know that it might seem like you're letting us down by not writing a hot 'His Story of Sex' entry, but who's going to complain.

It's a lot better than hearing nothing for weeks or months at a time.
So maybe you can designate some entries as just "Jo's Update for Saturday" etc..., and put the mundane stuff there.

Surely, during the months between August 30 and now when there were only a couple of entries, you must have been doing something that was fun, funny, or noteworthy for some reason - even if it had really nothing to do with sexuality.

I know what you mean about having to be in the mood to blog, especially about sexual topics. Actually, that is one thing that differentiates between blog writers and blog readers. It's really about the writing and how we are inspired to tell a story or speak our minds on some topic or issue, or the drive to inform ourselves and others. 

In reality, most blogs don't last very long - much less than a year. Blog writers are actually a fairly rare breed - even to just keep one going.

It's not all that easy to write or to do so on a consistent basis - so don't be too hard on yourself. I get around that writer's block and those gaps in inspiration by posting naked photos -- admittedly a cheap way to instantly produce as 'blog entry'. I think you are too be applauded for never having resorted to keeping up your blog with photo entries, or populating it with abundantly available porn. [Of course, I'm trying to keep up 7 or 8 blogs at once so I can make up that excuse - I guess.]

I do sometimes re-post other people's stories. At times, I have had volunteer contributors to one or more of my blogs. I tend to add representative photos to them so 'spice up' the already provocative story. I also follow discussions on various gay forums so that often provides me with some issue that I find I can get worked up enough to write about. I often include the portion of the discussion from the other participants that has generated my desire to speak up.
Kelly

December 4, 2009 5:36 PM 

 Kelly 'Sunbuns' said...

(continued from above)

One thing that helps me is to do cross-posting - putting the same blog entry on several locations. It helps inspire me a bit to have a lot of people read it (at least, my imagining that they do - even if I don't actually know that for a fact or even if there are no comments).

I belong to quite a few online gay groups and sites and so a 'good' entry gets posted in a variety of places.


It will help you get re-inspired to take some of your older entries from previous years, and post them to places such as Facebook, JustUsBoys, GayWatch, Xtube (yes, each member has a blog space), Tribe.net, QueerClique, etc. Often you can make use of RSS feeds to put the content from Blogger directly into your profile/blogs on other sites.

I know you're no longer a member, but Facebook has had to change the way it administers its policy on sexual content. Nude photos are not allowed - normally in public, but there is a lot that can be done with text and cleverly cutting photos.)


You might take a look at QueerClique.com - it's the social network for QueerClick.com - one of the largest commercial gay porn blogs. Personal blogs entries can also be shared on the QueerClique Magazine (when permission is granted by the admin at the time you create the blog entry).

By the way, it is almost universal to be able to simply copy and paste. And for most sites, you can also copy the HTML code (switch from Compose to HTML mode in Blogger) and paste the HTML into blog entry editor on another site (You need to open the HTML code window first). That way you don't have to do any re-typing, the original formatting and even photos are retained. You are left simply with the job of tailoring the content to a different audience - in some cases. I guess I am personally intrigued by the 'technical' aspects of the Internet use and blogging (information sharing) so these capabilities also inspire me, too. Reaching a bigger audience can be a boost to a writer's creativity or enthusiasm.

Finally, I think the initial drive that started you writing this blog may not be the same one that urges you to do so now. You are growing up and likely changing your perspective on things - like your own self-identity, your own confidence ad experience with sex, the nature of the relationships you want or are involved in, and the pattern of your responsibilities, so it's only natural to change. Look what happened to James. It seems to have been somewhat a passing phase for him to be a regular blogger. He's moved on to something else - more likely someone and something else take up most of his time. The same might happen to you -- to some degree. I think we all grow and evolve as writers - perhaps in tandem to the way we do so as human beings.


Of course, we'd all hate to see you give up blogging.

Sounds like a long fatherly
lecture... Answering your request inspired me to respond - which I find may turn into a separate blog entry I might find useful elsewhere. You can see how I am evolving -- mainly, just aging now (ha ha).

Kelly

December 4, 2009 5:36 PM