Behind The Scenes of Blogging

Blogging is a labor of love. Anyone who writes consistently about something they are passionate about is probably working their butt off. I am in total awe of my favorite bloggers (Joy The Baker, Shutterbean, Daily Garnish) for somehow managing real life, producing constant amounts of quality blogs, and their subsequent impression on my life.

Blogging is tough because coming up with original content is not easy. I don’t have any interest in blogs that regurgitate topics or offer unoriginal insights so I try not to do that here. I’ve made it my mission to provide anyone who reads Domestocrat with an original, fun, and useful slice of life.

Let’s talk about behind the scenes of blogging, shall we? Most of my blogs require a lot of forethought and planning. Specifically recipe blogs. I usually spend about a week thinking about a recipe before I make and photograph it. My method when it comes to recipe blogging is to take 3 times as many pictures as I think I’ll need and take tons of notes along the way.

Uploading all of my photos, editing, outlining, and writing the actual post can take anywhere from a day to a month. This usually depends on the topic though. For example, a blog that took me just a day to capture and write was my Lavender Mead Arnold Palmer post. On the flip side it took me about 3 weeks to master the Sourdough Boule recipe and its baking technique.

The same applies to my other types of posts too. One post that took me only a day to write was my First Time Home Buying post (mainly because I was super revved up and had a lot to say). On the other hand it took me a full month to plan, photograph, edit, write, and complete my DIY Reclaimed and Refinished Side Table post.

The question I am asked a lot is how do I have time to do all of this stuff? The truth is I do a lot of my blogging on the weekends (recipes, travel recaps, product reviews etc.) and space them out during the week. My goal is to publish one post per day on weekdays and to create the content for 3-6 posts over the weekend.

I’m also asked a lot about inspiration. My blog started as just a way to share my thoughts and my life. I blog about what I like to read about – food, adventures, relationships, crafts, and cats – with some humor and fun on the side. So, every day life is my inspiration. I would be doing every single thing I blog about anyways, I figure I might as well snap some pretty pictures and try to share it in case it could be of use to someone else.

I’m not a writer. I don’t think my writing is actually any good which is why I’ve chosen an instructional format for my blog. I also believe in switching it up. In the past when I’d get asked what type of blog I write I would usually say something like “oh, um, recipes…sometimes travel…but mostly pictures of my cat.” Lately, as I’ve delved deeper into the blogosphere, I think my blog could more accurately be labeled as a lifestyle blog because I offer up real talk about recipes, travel, home projects, DIY ideas, product reviews, wedding planning advice, and sometimes deep thoughts.

I really hope you are enjoying Domestocrat so far in 2012. I’d love to know your thoughts and if there are any topics you’d like to read about going forward.

(The food pictures shown here were legit prep photos for the following blogs: Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Domestocrat Guide to Spicy Spices, Cucumber Agua Fresca, and Two Bean Veggie Burgers.)