Tag / blog writing

by caitlyncallahan14

a cup of coffee and a pen

If you’ve poked around on my website or read any of my blogs, you’ve probably come to the understanding that I’ve always loved to write. Ever since I was a kid, I’d be making up poems and short stories, family newsletters, articles, journal entries, and anything else I could click out on the typewriter or scribble in my notebook.

Throughout my life, I’ve never lost that love or passion for writing, which is why I am where I am today – working in the marketing field, freelancing and owning my own digital consulting business. And while the consistency ebbs and flows, I still write as much as I can.

I believe practice makes perfect. The more you practice a new skill, the better you become at it. If you believe Malcolm Gladwell, after 10,000 hours you will be an expert at that skill. That’s 416 days of constant practice. I’d say over my lifetime, I’ve accomplished 416 days of practice writing. I’d say that makes me an expert.

However, just because I’m an expert doesn’t mean I get to stop practicing. I have a few pretty consistent writing gigs for clients, generating blog posts on various topics for their websites. I also write for my full-time job. While I do consider this practice, because I’m still writing, it’s not what helps me retain my expert status.

Instead, it’s the writing I do for fun. The journal I try to update every day. The poetry that sometimes just flows out of my brain. This blog. “Short stories” or scenes I see while I’m laying in bed or day dreaming watching the birds in my backyard. When I have to grab a pen and scribble as fast as my hand can write, or type it out on my laptop or phone because it’s faster and I don’t want to forget. Most of the time it’s whatever comes however it comes, without editing or thinking. This is the practice that will help me to rise above and continue to improve – for myself and my clients.

Here’s a challenge for you.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee. Or tea, if that’s what you prefer. Pick up a pen and notebook, or scrap piece of paper, or grab your laptop or phone or tablet – whatever “writing” instrument you prefer. Sit and place the cup of coffee within your eyesight, or you can hold it. And write. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? How does the coffee smell? How does it taste? Describe the cup. Write about your surroundings. Detail the coffee, the way the creamer swirls around or the steam rising off the top. Spend about 5-10 minutes just writing. Don’t think, don’t edit, just write.

Did you complete the challenge? That’s practice.

For as long as I can, I will continue to practice. Continue to improve myself and my ranking as an expert. I’ll do it for my clients and my career, but also for myself. Because I love it, and it can be as simple as writing about my cup of coffee.

by caitlyncallahan14

i don’t edit my blogs

I don’t edit my blog posts.

It’s quite the opposite when I work on pieces for my clients.

Once I’m finished with a piece for a client, I put it to the side and don’t look at it again for a day or two. Then, I print it out and edit the old fashioned way – with a pen. Reading the piece out loud, I mark up as I go. Once I’m finished, I make all the corrections on the electronic copy. If the piece is long or a complicated topic, I’ll print it out and hard-copy edit again. Or, I’ll read through the electronic copy, making additional edits as I go.

Depending on how extensive the piece is, I can spend up to an hour editing. I don’t rush. Sometimes I’ll put it to the side and sit on it for another day or two. I find that giving myself space from the piece clears my head and gives me additional clarity. Most of the time I’m able to go back and catch things I missed, make additional edits improving the flow, or realize something that made sense when I wrote it no longer does.

Giving my clients exceptional work isn’t just so I can continue to have a business, but it’s also what I expect from myself. Spending extra time editing and making sure what I submit to them is perfect is simply part of the job. It helps ensure I’m adding quality pieces to my portfolio, and it keeps the client happy.

However, when I write my own blog posts, I feel differently.

On my own blog, it’s important to me to be authentic. To be real, and honest. I write like I’m having a conversation with you because that’s how I want you to feel. And by editing and re-writing, I feel I lose some of that authenticity and spur-of-the-moment conversation feel.

This isn’t something I’ve always done. When I first started my blog, I felt like everything I wrote had to be perfect because I wanted people to trust that what I’d create for them is perfect. But over time I’ve found that there is a separation between my work for my clients and writing for my blog, and there are different expectations.

Building a relationship with my clients is critical to both of our success. If you want to see my portfolio of my professional work, and learn what you’d expect if you hired me to write for you, go to callahancommunication.com/portfolio. But if you want to understand me as a person, what I represent, why I do what I do, and why you should trust me to help you with your digital marketing, read my blog.