How do I Blog?

How do I Blog?

Honestly, pretty much the same way everyone else blogs. I write stuff, look for accompanying pictures and then post. Ok, so there is a little more to it than that.

Where to start? Well firstly I have to find a topic to write about and seeing as this blog doesn’t have a definitive overall theme that can make things a little difficult. However once that topic is decided upon, I go looking for appropriate pictures , which can help to decide how many parts that post is going to be split up into. Then I have to think about what each part will say, what it’ll include and such, which is not always an easy thing to do.

Some people think that writing a blog can be quite quick and easy, but for me I find that most posts whether short or long can take up to a couple of hours if not longer. Sometimes that is due to being easily distracted, but a lot of the time it is due to spell-checking and grammar checking as I write instead of waiting until the end. I often find myself typing a sentence and then reading and re-reading it to make sure it sounds right, not too long, correct punctuation and in the correct places, and also if I'm happy with that sentence, are the other ones around it suitable. (This last sentence is a good example).  Once I'm happy with the written content, then it’s down to layout of the images and overall presentation, making sure there are correct distances between sections, if text is wrapped around an image it has to look balanced and it is the correct size for the paragraph.

Only when I’m happy will I then publish the post or set it for future release. One issue I have always had is that if I’m going to be doing something, I have to really be in the mood for it otherwise I won’t give it my all or I get completely distracted by something else. It’s the same whether I’m painting, doing some web design, modelling, or writing new passages for my novel. There also has to be noise in the background, whether a TV show or music. I cannot work in silence.

Tech Part

Ok so I know people use different pieces of tech to write their posts and I’m no different. Sometimes it depends where I am when I’m writing, but more often than not it depends upon how lazy I’m currently feeling.  Now don’t judge me too harshly. If I don’t feel like sitting at my desk I will write on either my phone or Kindle Fire using the blogger or blogaway apps respectively. I can do my written content and add images, the only downside is the inability to properly edit and position those images where I want them. So once happy with the text and images I want, I will then boot up the PC and then edit and adjust the images to my heart’s content and then publish.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5 and while it is rather outdated now I’m happy with it. Well except for the camera, even though it’s a 16MP, you need to have hands as steady as a statue to get great shots. I’ve never had a camera on a phone as great as the old N Series Symbian Nokias with their Carl Zeiss Lenses and optical zoom. That’s why I’m waiting for the new Nokia 8 to become affordable before upgrading to a newer model. But for the moment the S5 does its job and the blogger app is sufficient to prepare drafts before publishing.

I’ve blogged using a Kindle Fire HD (2^ndGen) and now the Kindle Fire (5^th Gen) and the difference in Fire OS is a vast improvement. However it does have its downsides. While Fire OS is based upon the open source Android OS, because it is Amazon and not Google, there is a vast difference in apps available such as no blogger or NowTV apps just to name a few. Still there is a good range of alternative apps that can be utilised, and you can use it as a book or movie player. It’s not a surface or an iPad, but for what I use it for and for the amount it cost me to purchase, it was a much better deal and it just about fits in my pocket.

Yup that’s right, I’m still rocking XP and I’m not afraid to show it. Yup it does everything I need it to and I have all the programs I need. Don’t get me wrong though, I do like Windows 7, but upgrading is a bit of a problem. A lot of the programs I use were not always acquired in a most legitimate fashion and would be a hassle to reinstall on a new system, but also my rig is almost 9 years old and would need a complete overhaul to run a newer operating system. And when I say overhaul, I mean buy/build a new system and at the moment I have better things to do with my cash. But then that’s not to say I won’t build a new one when I have the time and available funds, but that’s a future project.  Regardless, my current build suffices my needs and allows me to fully edit and finalise my prepared posts so they are presented how I want them.

Ok so how do I blog? Generally, over a couple of hours with the TV on and some film or TV series , and with a combination of my phone, Kindle and PC.

Done