I Flushed My Best Blog Articles Down the Toilet! Help!

This is a true story. After you read “I Flushed My Best Blog Articles Down the Toilet! Help!” you’ll definitely be able to relate!

What is your mental process for writing?

As was stated on Are You Overwhelming Readers With Too Much Content?, I do not write every day — Nor do I want to! Do you?

I’m not a “struggling with writer’s block” kind of person. That’s not the problem. I chose my blog’s subject well and am prepared to write hundreds, if not thousands of original content on the subject.

Sometimes an article idea hits me at random moments of the day. I’ll run to draft mode and plug in either a title, copy and paste a quote or comment, maybe even write a couple paragraphs of thought. You never know when inspiration will strike!

At that point, I’m good. I’ve captured the essence of what I hope will be another compelling article, safely locked away in storage…and I return to what I was doing.

It’s in here, somewhere!

Well, about a week later, I’m sifting through my saved drafts and there it is – just as I left it. It’s time to get this baby written. Minutes later, as I hit the second paragraph, I notice I am on a tangent about a strong sub idea from the main topic. I didn’t really want to go too far off-topic here. Readers get restless when you overload them.

Suddenly, it hits me like a lightning bolt! Why not take make this into its own article?  I copy and paste most of that second paragraph into a new article. I’m fiercely typing away now. I suddenly look down at my hands and they appear to be moving on their own. Line after line of hot content is developing into quite a killer piece.

It’s brilliant! I can’t wait to share it with you! It’s 100% original content, and the topic is rather unique. It’s well-written, intelligent, relevant, and engaging.

I’m about halfway through and about to drive my point across in the final paragraphs of the article! When the post is done, I’m going to Digg it, Reddit, and Mixx it! (laughs)

Out of my trance, a voice rings through, “…Honey…Honey, would you mind throwing some steaks and a few baked potatoes on the grill? My sister and her husband are stopping by…”

4 Coronas later…

3 hours pass. Some good steaks; a few beers; good conversation. We all had a nice time. After a little clean up, I’m back to it! Finally!

But, something is woefully wrong. Suddenly the article I was writing looks foreign to me. Where was I going with this idea? I reread it a few times, made a few adjustments and formulated it into a finished product.

The next day I reread what I wrote and was not 100% satisfied with the results. I wondered why I was so looking forward to posting this? What had happened?

Do Not Disturb!

Obviously, the time I spent away from the article threw off my thought pattern. Like my college days, I do not write in increments. I would make sure I had all my research and resources ready, so I would write a complete, coherent paper all the way through in one sitting.

As a blogger, that hasn’t changed.

Looking back on it, this has happened many times. An unexpected board meeting, the plumber coming to the door without my wife telling me beforehand, or my son’s guidance counselor calling about a problem… right as I was in full blogging mode!

I realized that due to these unfortunate interruptions, some of my best material never made it to my blog and to you as a reader. You could say I was literally flushing my best blog material right down the toilet this way! Wasn’t I?

Your turn!

Has this happened to you? What do you do about it? If I gave you one half of a written article and asked you to complete it, would you write it the same way every time?

Think about it.