My (slow) blog

When I first started writing blog posts, I felt some pressure to utilize quotas—like three to five posts per week, and at least two should fall into weekly, repeating categories, because that's what would produce the best reader response, they said. Even then, I struggled to adopt a firm schedule, or even set a goal number of posts per week, aside from trying to write at least one post a week.

This post is not coming from a stance of defending myself, as no one has said, "I really wish you would write more content." So maybe this is a moot point. However, I did want to address my frequency of writing and posting.

Since the beginning, I haven't planned posts weeks or months into the future. I nearly always write blog entries the same day I post them online, because I write about what's real in my life that day or week. I write about what's happening in my heart at that very moment, or even on a lighter note, what we ate for supper yesterday. For me, keeping the posts in real-time has kept the posts more real. I don't want to write a post simply for the sake of writing a post. I want to write about what I would tell you about if we met for coffee this week.

I've written before about how I prefer slow living, and blog post inspiration is included in this. Sometimes I need a few days for a post or topic to "marinate" before writing about it. And in the meanwhile, I may not post anything else. Keeping the blog a somewhat quiet place keeps me motivated to keep writing. Perhaps more fundamentally, my patient, incredibly encouraging readers pull me back to this space. Speaking of readers, I went to school or church with some of you, grew up with others of you, and some of you I've never met in person! I love that.

It's the people who read the blog with whom I want to share my life.

I especially like Micha Boyett's take on slow blogging in this post:

So if there’s a moment you find yourself wondering why I’m not writing more, I hope you’ll picture that this slow-down is pressing its roots into the rest of my life as well. I’m walking slowly. I’m taking naps. I’m playing games and making dinners and reading books. I’m learning to live wholeheartedly.

Actually, for me, there will be no "slow-down." Things are already pretty slow around here! I plan to keep writing at the same pace and I have zero plans to stop writing. I just wanted to let you know why my blog is the way it is. This is my way of saying thank you, thank you for reading my slow thoughts. They may be slow, but they are heartfelt, and sometimes slowness is exactly what I (and maybe you?) need as a break from our busy culture. Thank you for continuing to read! It truly means the world to me.