Monday, September 26, 2011

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

Dude, if you sort of sing that in a sing-songy voice, you'll be right with me.

So I've been giving this a lot of thought. You know, the I've-been-stewing-over-this-change-for-about-three-months type of a lot of thought.

I've put it off. Put it back on. Talked to a few people about it. Kept even more in the dark. Complained via IM. Took all that back.

You know the drill.

But today, I'm going to make the change.

I know you're all on the edges of your seats, wondering what I could've possibly been squirming about for months.

Here you go: my blogging schedule.

I just can't keep up. I can't keep up with writing my posts, and I can't keep up with reading everything out there. I can't even keep up with simply reading the blogs of those who comment on mine.

So, in an attempt to A) free up more time for myself, B) write better blog posts, C) visit your blogs as much as possible, D) ease my guilt, and E) write two more books by the end of the year (that's right, baby! Two more books in three months!), I'm going to change my blogging schedule.

From now on, I'm only going to blog on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. So, uh, I guess I'll catch you on Thursday? Yeah, Thursday.

What's your blogging schedule like?

82 comments:

Laura Pauling said...

There's nothing wrong with that. Writing has to come first. Has to. B/c that's what we do. I think you'll love your new schedule.

Jemi Fraser said...

Good for you! I've never tried daily blogging - no way I could pull it off. I don't know how you've done it for so long with all you have on your plate.

As for me... schedule??? I blog at least once a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times. Depends on the mood :)

Christine Danek said...

Nothing wrong with that. I had to do the same thing and you are way busier than me, lady.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

In life, change is good. Shows growth. :) You know what's best for you. I cut down to three days this past month.

Anna Staniszewski said...

I wondered how you were managing to blog so much! I started off blogging five days a week, but after a while it became way too much. Now I do MWF, and so far it's been working really well. Less is more. :-)

Stina said...

Smart Move, Elana. More writing time for you means more books for us to read. :D

I had to change my blogging schedule last year because I couldn't keep up. And that was when I wasn't get so many comments. During the summer I cut down to twice a week.

Unknown said...

This sounds like a good plan. Two more books by the end of the year sounds awesome. You rock and you can do it. Whenever I sit down to revise I always think about your Edit Your MS in 30 Days. I'm not quite there yet but I do get closer every time.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I can totally relate to this. That's why I mostly only blog on Mondays. It's all I can handle.

And you're actually doing us a favor by cutting back. I love your blog and am trying to follow a zillion blogs, including more of the ones who follow me. It's taking too much time and I have to cut some of the blog time so I can actually write.

virg_nelson said...

I am excited about the two books!!!

Gina Ciocca said...

I used to blog Monday Wednesday Friday, but that got to be too much. Now I do Monday and Wednesday and find it much more managable!

https://booksthoughtsadventures.com said...

When I first started blogging, I was trying to be like everyone else...truly not me...now I just do what I want when I want...lol...and I am loving it...if every other blogger in the universe is posting "Mailbox Monday"...I won't...actually I hate doing that...it makes me feel bad...and what truly is the point of that?

Peggy Eddleman said...

Good for you! I bet that was a hard decision to make. And best of luck with writing two books in three months. That's huge!

I blog every day, m-f. I love it, and the more I blog, the more my list of things to blog about grows. It's just that it's HUGELY time consuming. The thoughts of keeping up with that for years and years is.... Let's not go there. Blogging this week is GREAT!!

storyqueen said...

I have no blogging schedule. I just make a commitment to myself to do it twice a week.

(two more books by year's end??) Impressed.

Shelley

Sarah said...

I'm still trying to get a handle on my blogging schedule. I was faithfully M,W,F for months, but with deadlines and work closing in, I just took a long hiatus and am trying to get back into it. Good luck with getting your books finished!

Deana said...

Good for you! I'm not even a published author with all these deadlines and craziness going on and I had to drop my schedule from three days to two. Good for you for setting boundaries and knowing what works for you. Everyone is still going to love you to pieces:)

Kelly Polark said...

2 books by the end of the year?! GO, Elana! I will be happy when my first draft is done after Nanowrimo!
And I also cut back on blogging due to time issues. You just can't do it all.

Kelly Polark said...

Oh! I'm almost done with your book!!!! I love it! Can't wait to see how it ends!

Christine Fonseca said...

Good for you E. I did the same thing months ago - and it is SO MUCH BETTER. I am blogging m, w, f and an occasional bookanista post on th.

And WOOT on finishing two novels - ROCK STAR!

Caroline Starr Rose said...

Good for you. Cutting back to three days a week was much more manageable.

Amanda Bonilla said...

I blog twice a week. Once on my personal blog and once on my group blog. Between FB, Twitter, and blogging, I have to keep the blog activity to a minimum if I want to pay attention to all of my social media platforms AND finish books by my deadlines. I think it's important to remember that without a product, we have nothing to sell.

Michelle McLean said...

I recently changed mine also. I blog on my personal blog MWF (and Fridays I just do funnies so I can do them quickly) and I blog on Thursdays on my group blog. I couldn't keep up with every day anymore :)

Anonymous said...

Whoa. Two books in three months. No prob. You can do it!!!!!

If you need some sprinting encouragement, let me know. I sprint almost DAILY! We get tons done!!

Woot!!!

Jessie Humphries said...

Can we survive without our Elana-crack everyday? But two books in 3 months???? Say no more.

May-Day_Aura said...

Two books in three months?! Good luck! :) I can understand the need for a blogging schedule. My blogging schedule is Tuesdays & Thursdays with the occasional Saturday post as well. But sometimes even that is difficult for me and I don't have nearly as much stuff to do as you. It's okay if we don't hear from you all the time. You need the time to focus on other things. Now go work on those books! ;)

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

M,W,F is what I've been doing for a while, and I'm even considering cutting back on that, for the same reasons - I need more time to write! And two books?? Holy cats. You rock.

Miranda Hardy said...

I don't know how you can even keep up with that. I try to blog once a week. Lol I do, however, try to keep up with everyone elses blogs daily. Otherwise, the blog posts would be too numerous.

Tara Martin said...

I blog when I feel like it, honestly. I haven't had a lot of original content lately, just participating in a few memes and such. I'd rather do that then stop blogging all together, because I think if I did, I'd never start again.

I also try to spend time every month-6 weeks to work on the blog and schedule posts. That really helps me stay ahead.

Nicole Zoltack said...

As long as you don't cut back completely! Just joking. I know what you mean. I'm going to get back to blogging myself, at least 3 times a week, more if I have time. I think 3 times a week is often enough without overstretching yourself. Good luck writing those 2 books before the end of the year! I would love to do that myself, but I don't think that's realistic for me. But I'm still gonna try!

Misha Gerrick said...

I think that's a good idea. Quality is always better than quantity. :-)

Have a good week.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's why I only blog on Mondays, Thursdays, and the Weekends.

Stephanie McGee said...

Change must be in the water here. I just announced over the weekend that I'm reducing my blogging time, including my schedule.

I'm now only blogging on Tuesdays and Thursdays and limiting myself to half an hour of blog reading per day.

That and replying to comments via e-mail as I have time but that might not be until the weekends.

And I officially announced closing my other two blogs that I have, neither of which I've posted to in ages.

Good luck with your drafts!

Emily said...

I will miss the everyday, but be satisfied with the TWO books by the end of the year (AMAZING).

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

See you on Thursday.

Chantele Sedgwick said...

Nothing wrong with cutting back. :) Good luck on writing 2 books by the end of the year!! :D I may have to try that as well... ;)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I think this is probably the best decision for you right now, Elana. Good for you for doing it. :-)

Unknown said...

Smart move, Elana. I took myself down from five days to three (and then eventually to no set days, just whenever)and it saved my sanity. Plus, I enjoy my blog again whereas before it had become some kind of weight around my neck.

Cherie Reich said...

Sounds like a great plan. Sometimes you have to cut back to find time for everything else.

Right now I'm doing five days on my blog, but I try to be really organized and do posts days and sometimes weeks in advanced. If I had to wait to the day of or the day before, I'd never be able to handle it.

Anita Saxena said...

I try to do monday, wednesday, and friday, but someones it shifts to tuesday, thursday, saturday. Writing always comes first, then blogging :)

Carol Riggs said...

Whoa, 2 books in 3 months?? I don't blame you for cutting down the blogging time. You're a writer, and you have to have time to write (don't feel guilty!). I decided a year ago to post only once a week, and sometimes THAT even feels like too much. Good for you!

Talli Roland said...

I cut down my posts from daily to three days a week when I was really struggling with edits. It really helped! I can keep up with things much better now, and I don't have that continual always-behind feeling.

K.T. Hanna said...

I think this sounds like a fantastic idea. If you spread yourself too thin, you'll break. So don't.

Two books in three months is completely doable. You've got this. Good luck :D

Paul Greci said...

Good move, Elana. And, happy writing!!! My schedule: I post about once a week on my blog during the school year. And, I'm committed to posting twice a month at Project Mayem.

Jenny Lundquist said...

I know I'm not one of your usual commenters (I'm sorry!) but I read your blog everyday, and I think changing your schedule and doing what works for you is a great idea. Writing always has to come first. Here's hoping you have a manageable fall! As for my blogging schedule, it goes something like this: I'll think about writing a post, then I'll think, what's Elana blogging about today? What's Laura Pauling blogging about today? Several clicks later, I'll realize an hour has gone by, and that instead of focusing on my blog, I actually need to get back to my WIP. Yeah, so, let's just say I won't be winning any blogging awards anytime soon! See you Thursday...:)

John Sankovich said...

I can agree with that. Blogging has taken a backseat to my other writing and have actually finished another book, my 4th, and all because I dropped to blogging only 3 days a week.

I will miss you though.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I only post three days a week, but I'm online every day. Might be scaling that back some to write soon.

Abby Fowers said...

I think that is smart Elana. I can't blame you one bit. I blog Monday - Friday right now and I can barely keep up and I am no where close to the stage you are in. Just do what you can. I think a change is nice even though I will miss hearing from you every day. And, BTW, I loved POSSESSION! Have a told you yet? I will send you a shout when I post the review on my website :)

Alice said...

Change can be good. I only blog on Mondays, if even that. It's amazing with all you have going on you can still blog several times a week!

Christina Lee said...

Good decision and good luck! I feel so much better since I made the change to M,W,F!!!

Matthew MacNish said...

Too much, too often. I need to scale back myself.

J said...

Sometimes we all need a little bit of a change to alleviate some stress. :) Good luck with your new schedule!

Lindsay said...

I was totally singing along with that title :)

I think the new schedule sounds great. I blog three days a week. I used to blog every day, but it got a bit too much. Three days suits me better now :)

Patti said...

I think blogging everyday when you have a following like you have is an almost impossible task. Good luck with the new schedule hope it works for you.

Ghenet Myrthil said...

With a full-time job, kids and books to write, I don't know how you've written 5 posts a week for this long! It's really impressive. I'm at 2 posts per week now (Wednesdays and Fridays) which is a good number for me. :)

Mel Woodburn said...

Man, that you're reducing to three times a week blows my mind. I can barely keep up with 1x a week.Granted my campaign blog is new as of the campaign, i expect it'll settle down to once a week like my other blogs. Or maybe the multiple blogs is my problem, still 3 posts per week is a lot. Hats off to you.

Krispy said...

I've always been amazed with how you manage to keep up the blogging schedule that you've had. I don't know how you managed to more or less continue it with the kind of schedule you have now. So go you for making a better schedule for yourself!

I'm at twice a week and sometimes I feel overwhelmed. :P

Angie said...

I'll look forward to your posts whenever you post them. Good luck with everything!

Theresa Milstein said...

I think it's better to blog less and visit more. This way you don't have to zap creativity for posts, but you can still keep up relationships.

Good luck with your TWO planned books.

I'm down to once a week. With a full-time job, a night class, and squeezing in time to write, I have to lower my blogging rate.

Rachele Alpine said...

The good thing about blogger is that you can go away for a few days and then you'll magically appear in google reader again! I used to blog every. single. day. for over a year. I'm not quite sure how I did that. Now I just blog when I get the chance and hope it shows up in google reader when people want to read it!

June G said...

Honestly, I don't know how your posts could get any better. They're awesome! I look forward to them, whenever you do them. Enjoy your extra time :-)

Unknown said...

Don't feel guilty. You are amazing for tackling two books before the end of the year! That's more important, anyway.

I'm new to the blogging and trying to keep up with it. It's already making me dizzy. So I can understand how you must feel!

Here's a playlist to keep you motivated. I know you don't have to worry about agents rejecting you anymore (congrats), but maybe it'll help keep you jazzed up.

Jennie Englund said...

I'm completely dying myself, trying to keep up with blogging, and I'm not even a world class published author like you!!!

Sounds good, your proposal. In fact, it is still really, incredibly impressive!

Anonymous said...

It sounds like plenty to me. I think we need to have periods when we blog less or we wouldn't get our books done. At the moment I'm writing for 6 different blogs, 3 twice a week, oneonce a week and 2 of then once a month. I'm trianing myself to write a post in half an hour and I'm getting better at it.

A couple of these nlogs are new though and once they're well established I'll drop back the number of posts.

amberargyle said...

Ha! I can barely handle once a week, and I'm thinking of cutting that back.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Your blog is here to serve you ... not the other way around. Do what your instincts tell you to do. They are seldom wrong, Roland

Amy Beals said...

I was wondering when you were going to change your blogging schedule! Good luck with all you do and I will see you on Thursday!

L.A Speedwing said...

Two more books in three months? And I thought to be pleased with myself if I could achieve two books in three years! God almighty. I'll just go away and groan to myself.

Sarah Ahiers said...

dude, i hear that. I've really cut down on my commenting. I mean, i always comment on the peope who comment on my blog, and then i have a few other regular blogs i hit. But otherwise, i just don't have the time to comment on everyone's blogs i read unless i have something really important to say. I feel a little bad, but since this change i've written a new novel AND a new short story, so i guess the proof is in the pudding

Carolyn V said...

I only post once a week because of life. It gets too busy. Dang it!

Good luck with the new schedule, I'm sure it will be great!

Roxy said...

Hey, Super Woman. I think you are amazing to accomplish all that you do. I will read your blog post whenever it springs up. No worries.

Anonymous said...

Hi Elana. You have to do what works best for you.

I was all over the place with my blogging for the longest time. I decided to set a schedule of posting only on Mondays and Thursdays. There will be a couple of extra posts on my blog the end of this week because of commitments made before changing blogging schedule. Now I just need to get a schedule set as to when I will read blog posts. Trying to get more organized with everything in my life.
: )

Mina Burrows said...

No worries. Blogging...it never ends *sigh* I'm not sure if you're interested, but you may want to have more guest bloggers. It can't hurt. Maybe profile other authors etc... during really busy times. It gives you a break and all you have to do is schedule the post. Just a thought. Take care!

Hannah said...

I just recently changed mine to Tues, Wed, and Thurs. This way I have four days to myself with no interruptions to write, read, catch up on my favorite shows and clean like a mofo. It's working so far!

Jeff King said...

I blog when I need help or feel like sharing something. Lately I haven’t had internet access so it hasn’t been a blogging schedule.

Claire Dawn said...

I'm not even published, and I have trouble keeping up with reading and writing blogs. I'm in favour of anything that gets more books out of you :)

Lauren said...

Less is more. The writing HAS to come first.

Lauren

Lauren-ritz.blogspot.com

Creepy Query Girl said...

yeah, I only post on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll surf the blogosphere though to keep up with things and meet new people but sometimes I just need a break and stay away from the internet.

Nichole Giles said...

Good for you! Good luck with finishing two books by the end of the year. I know you can do it.

Stacy Henrie said...

Way to do what you need to, Elana! I blog once a week because that is manageable for me, right now. Good luck with the two books!

Shari said...

I think you're doing good to get three posts in a week. I can only do one. And I find it really hard to keep up with all the visits. I don't know how you keep up with it. Please let me know how you do it. I could use whatever time traveling device you are using.

ali cross said...

Hey. Weren't you the one who said, make a blog schedule and stick to it? That it didn't matter how often, whether a little or a lot, you posted, just so long as you were consistent?

Yeah, I think that was YOU!!!

Paris said...

I'm new to blogging and really trying to get myself committed to blogging on a schedule. I kept thinking to really build my blog I needed to blog everyday and since I wasn't, I was obviously going to fail. Your post came at the perfect time for me. I really just need to make sure I'm consistently blogging even if it's only one day a week to start out. Thank you Elana and all of the rest of you who commented about your schedules. I feel better now.

RaShelle Workman said...

Elana - Holy crow on a nightstand, that's impressive. Two BEFORE Dec 31???? You go girl. I'll have one finished (book 2 in the Connected series and it'll be written during the fabulous month of Nov so it'll totally suck, but hey, it'll be done). =D

Ishta Mercurio said...

I do the M-W-F blogging thing. And I only do it in the mornings - anything I don't manage to get to in the mornings is just not going to get done. (Except for this week, because my husband has had the computer all week while he was working from home. The first thing I'm doing when I get a book contract is buying myself a new laptop OF MY OWN.)

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