Hey everyone! I've finally been getting in the working groove with our @sndbox project and want to get back to doing more casual and fun-oriented posts. A lot has been on my mind and I figured some ruminations like the one themed in this title would be of some good food for thought for fellow Steemians.
Today's post is an issue that I'm sure no blogger or any Steemian who has been on the platform longer than a few weeks is alien to: writer's block. We only have so many experiences a day or parcels of memory that we can digest into an effective blogpost. At least 50% or even 90% of the time, pressing that “Submit a Post” button is like squeezing the last nubs of toothpaste out of a flattened tube. This is obviously a point of stress for anyone looking to really use and engage Steemit for the long haul.
Many other Steemians have covered this issue and brought us a range of valuable advice – blog every day, plan out your posts, do something new each week to inspire, etc. and so forth – all of which is pretty similar to getting someone to exercise on a daily basis or maintain a healthy diet. As I'm closing in on exactly a year of Steemit, I can securely say that I've mostly only used Steemit as a means to achieve personal ends. Most of my posts whether on @hansikhouse or @hitheryon or @sndbox have been mostly agenda-driven and I accredit my dedication to this platform due to those agendas.
In this post I'll outline the types of strides I've taken as separate categories and in future posts of this series, I'll give more thorough examples of each.
Breaking Down the Block
The writer's block that is. I've tried to categorize as best I can some of my themed suggestions. Here we go...
Lay out Short-term and Long-term Projects
You don't have to make proposals a growth-based one for Steemit Inc. It may seem like projects such as Steem Park or Sndbox or The Hardfork Series demand an extraordinary amount of time and commitment, but in reality it's all about timing and making sure you can maintain a steady flow of production and engagement.
Steem-Powered public workshops for the Summer Streets Festival
The types of projects you could try to pursue and integrate into Steemit are limitless. Try scoring and producing your first album track. Try writing out the first chapters of your romance novel. Try fundraising for a local community group. Designating the end goals always helps determine the necessary steps to get there, making for fantastic posts.
Try a Joint Account
When fellow @sndbox co-founder @voronoi brought me on, we knew from the get go that we would be opening a joint account - @hitheryon. We partnered on posts, co-edited and co-brainstormed, and shared the ultimate responsibility of maintaining a vibrant account. There were times when one of us had other commitments and we passed the responsibility of commenting and posting back and forth. As winter came and Steemit experienced the lowest lulls of price and popularity, we stuck with it using collaborative energy. Eventually, that partnership became the endeavor of Steem Park. We now even how our 3rd of 4 members on Steemit with us - @erb!
Bringing collaborative work onto Steemit
If you've been on the platform for a while and have old/new friends, try making a joint account that has a project or theme-based purpose. It may seem counterintuitive to share a unique key, but teamwork can really play a productive role in supporting an account. This introduces so many new creative components of how to produce through teamwork. It also helps achieve the first point of project-based endeavors.
1 + 1 = 3
No, I'm not that bad at arithmetic, but this is a mentality that I try to maintain when posting on my personal account. Why create stand-alone posts when you can snowball into a larger series or narrative? If you can weave a number of perspective, angles and story phases, it'll keep your creative juices flowing into various directions. Try out “Part/Phase 1, 2, 3” in your titles and encourage yourself to keep running with the same topic rather than starting out with a completely new theme each time.
Go Off the Rails
No, don't “shit post,” but it isn't bad to try throwing something completely random against the wall from time to time. I try to maintain an account that focuses on contemporary Korean culture in both English and Korean but I often take mental breaks by veering into my passions of gaming or crypto's impact on art/design. Consistency is king but a little variance can also keep consistency rolling.
So what do you think? What are some actionable ways that you've been able to overcome the daily grind of blogging?
