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Writing Takes Time

Sep 25th, 2012 by

The past three months, I’ve experimented with blogging three times a week. Professional bloggers blog five or six times a week. Alas, I am not a professional blogger. I am barely an amateur blogger. And I cannot sustain a three-posts-a-week pace.

So as of this week, I’m saying goodbye to my Thursday posts and am reverting to my twice-a-week posting schedule: every Tuesday, every Friday.

This has not been an easy decision to make. I love my Thursday posts. I love looking for things to be grateful for, knowing I will get to share them with you all and then encourage you to look for grace-gifts, too. I believe that as a Christian, my default stance should be one of gratitude and praise, and these posts help return me to that stance week after week.

But even after considering the joy and meaning I derive from writing those posts, I still come face to face with several other factors:

First, good writing takes time. And honestly, I think it takes more time for me than for many other writers. I think slowly. I process slowly. I write and rewrite and revise. All that takes time, and time is something I can’t create more of; I can only work with the 24 hours I’ve been given. And since I have four kids, am homeschooling two of them, and also running a household, I simply don’t have time to write three posts each week, and write all of them well.

Second, I am working on a book, which requires time, too. I basically had to choose between the blog and the book, and I chose the book because…

Third, I want to be able to dive deep, and blog posts, being short and rapid-fire, necessarily skim the surface. I am tired of snorkeling. I want to scuba dive. I want to focus on a subject and explore it in depth, to spend time—a lot of time—with it and let it really soak into me, so I can weave its essence into words. I can’t do that and keep up my current blog schedule.

Fourth, online reading encourages skimming and multitasking, both of which are antithetical to depth. And the more I write online, the more I read online, which makes my brain crave the sugar of new information rather than the meat of deep thought and reflection. In cutting back on my blog writing, I plan to also cut back on my blog reading and so give my brain a chance to re-fall in love with depth.

Finally, friends, I am honored and humbled that you come back again and again to hear what I have to say (thank you!), and I want to honor your time by saying good words well.

So, I am bidding my Thursday posts farewell, in the hope that letting them go will let me write my remaining posts better, and write my book well, too.

But I am not abandoning the gratitude posts. I will continue to invite you to give thanks. On Fridays, my posts will alternate between a giving-thanks post and my current Friday florilegium post (a book review, quote, or blog roundup). It’s not quite as alliterative to give thanks on Fridays, of course, but I figure God doesn’t care about the alliteration nearly as much as I do, and the important thing is to keep returning to Him with thanks and praise, regardless of the day.

It’s taken me well over a month to make this decision (I think slowly, remember?), but I believe it’s a good one, largely because I took the time I needed to make it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some other writing that needs my time.

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Posted in Writing

  • Dianne

    An understandable decision, and wise too. Love your thoughts about depth – they resonate with me. Seeing your handwritten notes, etc. inspires me . . . I tend to work things out better on paper. I need to get back to that (and quit settling for the instant satisfaction of blogging). Thanks for your honesty!

  • pastordt

    Well thought out, beautifully expressed. I’ve been cutting down a bit, too. But I have not good rationale for doing so, other than laziness and overwhelm. Better work that through, I guess…

  • http://alwaysalleluia.com/ Kris Camealy

    I so appreciate your heart behind this, Kimberly. You’re giving me something to consider very seriously. I keep kicking the idea around–this notion of cutting back but it’s been hard to make the commitment to do less of this, so I can do more of that…. I’m going to be mulling this over today. Thanks for that.

  • http://kimberleeconwayireton.net/ Kimberlee Conway Ireton

    The instant satisfaction of blogging is so alluring, though, isn’t it, Dianne? I find I think differently (and often better) when I’m writing on paper than when I’m writing at a keyboard, though I confess I do compose a fair number of blog posts right where I’m sitting now–at the keyboard :} Thanks for affirming my decision here :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/sarah.webber.127 Sarah Webber

    A new book. Cool. I guess that’s what published authors do, is write more books? :)

  • http://kimberleeconwayireton.net/ Kimberlee Conway Ireton

    Diana, I doubt it’s laziness! And I think being overwhelmed is a completely legitimate reason to write less (or read less or interact less or whatever less). As someone who feels easily overwhelmed, I find it hard to even keep up with 5-day-a-week bloggers, let alone be one of them :) Cutting back is good. (That’s what I tell everyone, except, of course, myself…)

  • http://kimberleeconwayireton.net/ Kimberlee Conway Ireton

    Kris, I’m so so so glad this helped you think about your priorities. How gracious of God to use something I thought was purely informational to spark ideas for others (you!) to mull over. Thank you for telling me!

  • Amy Anderson

    I respect the thoughtfulness you bring to your decisions. I relate to the slowly part quite well. Interestingly, that is my word for the year, but while reading this post I realized how slow I already am! I think the issue is how fast life tries to make me, so I chose the word because I needed to focus on respecting the pace God has for my path.
    I am an unpredictable blog poster, depending on the season, though I would like to be more steady with my plan. Returning to my home obligations this fall has proved challenging time-wise, and kept me away from blogging as much for now. We’ll see what the future holds. I do know this: I’m thrilled you’re writing another book!! I’ll pray for you and be happy for me that I’ll get to read it. WhooHoo from Missouri:)

  • http://kimberleeconwayireton.net/ Kimberlee Conway Ireton

    Thanks, Amy, for your enthusiasm about the book. I’m pretty excited, too!
    Like you, I keep having to return to that word “slow” and respect that I can’t do everything I want to do, that I am simply not able to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of the ether. And I’m learning to be okay with that, to say, I like the solidity and slowness of a book. Blogs have their place, of course (or I wouldn’t write one), but at least for me, it’s a much smaller place than the place of book time and family time and even just the-stuff-that-must-be-done (like dishes) time :) Us slow people should stick together for mutual encouragement :)

  • Dena Dyer

    Kimberlee, I think you are so wise. We only have so much time, and you are using it the way He is showing you. I applaud you! :) And I look forward to that book. Praying for you, and so glad we were able to meet in person at Laity Lodge…

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