DaveOlson.ca

Today we welcome our first guest blogger Rory Sullivan. When he’s not writing for DaveOlson.ca he keeps the readers of Hamelife.com entertained with his wit and insight. Please give a warm welcome to…. Rory Sullivan!

Do these sort of symptoms sound familiar to you?

• The need to write a post every day. More than one if possible!
• Blog posts are three lines long, but at least you wrote something.
• You find yourself rooting through other people’s blog posts and stealing their stuff.

You could well be addicted to blogging. I suggest you find yourself a blogging confidante.

A confidante is a friend – a real flesh-and-blood, sitting-in-front-of-you, look-you-in-the-eye friend – that you can regularly meet with and engage in casual conversation about your thoughts and ideas. Someone that you can kick suggestions around with. Someone whose opinion you value and whose criticism you will take to heart and act upon. A confidante keeps you grounded in reality.

A confidante won’t save you from blogging, but he will save you from bad blogging: hasty blogging; suspect subject matter or argumentation; a weak approach.

Your confidante does not have to be a reformed blogger, but it helps to find someone sympathetic to the cause. He does not necessarily need to be interested in the subject matter you write about – in fact, it could help more if he isn’t. He graciously reads your material and is not afraid to comment, giving you an unbiased “outsiders” viewpoint, like a new visitor has happened upon your site from a search inquiry. He is in possession of your passwords so that he can go in and read draft posts and help you rewrite certain parts of it – or strip it back and start from the beginning. A confidante is a trusted friend.

Your confidante is also complimentary, pointing out certain points he liked, turns of phrase he felt made a strong impact. He cares about your writing, and sometimes appreciates the direction of your blog more than you do. Addiction can be blinding, and your confidante can help you to see the way, to re-focus, to get up on your feet and walk the straight line again.

There are many aids suggested for the addicted blogger: Get yourself a notebook – a journal – to write down your thoughts; take a step back from your blog; get out and breath the fresh air. These are just some. I suggest that you reach out and appeal to a friend, and secure yourself a blogging confidante. You won’t regret it.

by Rory Sullivan

Thanks Rory… Don’t forget to check out Rory’s blog at Hamelife.com