Blog writers (especially topical writers)...

[Arwyn]

...how much do you revise? Do you just write and then post? Do you have drafts?

I'm a constant re-writer, and edit everything a thousand times (emails, posts on MDC -- although I've largely gotten over that, thank the god/dess), and I'm trying to figure out just how perfect a post has to be before I should be willing to post it. It's not a diary, but it's not a dissertation either, right?

How much editing do YOU do?

[dearmama22]

It depends. If I'm writing on just what I'm thinking or my thoughts or something like that then I generally just write and than post. Sometimes I'll look it over first before posting. I think how I talk- so what I think goes directly onto paper ( or keyboard, whatever) without trying to make it different.

If I'm writing research or educational material than I revise and edit it a lot more.

[dynamicdoula]

I just edit for spelling/grammar. I read/fix everything as I'm writing it, I read it a few times before I post it. Sometimes I miss thing and have to fix it later, but I only read it probably 2-3 times before I post.

[brightonwoman]

I use firefox which has a spellcheck built in.
I usually write a researched sort of article over several days--collecting links etc. I just save the draft and come back to it. I will re-read through it a couple of times, maybe shuffle a paragraph or two. Aside from a couple of read-throughs though, I don't give it much more than that. Once I've published, I sometimes notice something (usually just a formatting thing--missing a comma or putting an extra enter before a paragraph), and then I do go back in and edit.

For less formal posts--the chatty ones, or telling stories about my kids or whatever--and also for forum posts, I rarely even fully re-read what I've typed. I sortof type it as I think it, then hit publish.
Sometimes I have to go back in and edit, but most of the time it's because I mistyped a smilie code or something dorky like that

[snowbunny]

I do virtually no editing--write, post, read. I'm lucky because DH reads after I've posted and will go into my admin panel and edit for me.

[papayapetunia]

I read through it a couple of times and edit for typos and weirdly worded sentences, but I don't get epic with it. I think it's important for your readers to hear your natural voice coming through, and over-editing could make it too sterile.

[MyTwoAs]

On my personal blogs (both my mom blog and other topical blogs) I write and then do a quick spelling and grammar check. For my client's blog sites - I write in MS Word and edit, revise, etc before posting.

[Thandiwe]

I'm super crazy about NOT editing; I think it's not being true to yourself. Our words are little snapshots into our souls at that exact moment - why change it? I had an acquaintance who stabbed me in the back just before Thanksgiving. I vented about a lot of the issue on my blog (including some personal issues I've struggled with), and while we were *briefly* trying to reconcile, she asked me to erase. I took great offense to that, because I didn't feel it was being true to myself. Come to find out the whole reason was because she was passing my blog address around and didn't want to look bad, but that's a whole 'nother story altogether...

So, no - I don't edit. I keep my words as true to when I wrote them as I can.

[Arwyn]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm just a natural editor I actually feel like I get closer to my voice with some (minimal) editing. But I'll keep it minimal.

[Twocoolboys]

Arwyn - I edit too. I edit a lot sometimes. I also feel like I get closer to my voice when I edit. I tend to be redundant when I write my first draft, so I cut out a lot of the repetition. And, I tend to explain things that don't need to be explained. I love to edit! LOL

There is a quote by Mark Twain about writing that I really like. I can't find it now and don't have time to google, but it is something along the lines of 'when you think you've finished writing is when you begin the process of really writing what you intend to write'. That's an extremely bad paraphrasing - lol. But it is something along those lines. I used to have it in my signature.

ETA - I read the newest entry in your blog and think it's great! I found myself nodding my head in agreement with a lot of what you said. And - I think your style of writing lends itself to editing. It seems to be more of an article style blog than a journal style blog. Honestly, I read a lot of blogs that could use some editing - lol. Not yours, though. Which, means that you've already done it.

[Twocoolboys]

Originally Posted by bens_mommy_2005

I'm super crazy about NOT editing; I think it's not being true to yourself. Our words are little snapshots into our souls at that exact moment - why change it? I had an acquaintance who stabbed me in the back just before Thanksgiving. I vented about a lot of the issue on my blog (including some personal issues I've struggled with), and while we were *briefly* trying to reconcile, she asked me to erase. I took great offense to that, because I didn't feel it was being true to myself. Come to find out the whole reason was because she was passing my blog address around and didn't want to look bad, but that's a whole 'nother story altogether...

So, no - I don't edit. I keep my words as true to when I wrote them as I can.

Really? I'm not trying to be snarky, just trying to understand your viewpoint. You think it's ok to write about things that make others look bad? I think you have to be very careful not to cross the line into slander, which could get you a lawsuit. I have no idea what you wrote or how bad it was, but if someone took offense at something personal that I wrote about them (which I would never do) and they asked me to remove it, I would. My true voice isn't more important than someone else's privacy. She has a right to not be talked about in your blog, no matter what she did to stab you in the back. I think you have a moral obligation (and possibly a legal one) to remove that post about her, or at least the parts that pertain to her.

I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts about this.

[Arwyn]

Yea, I'm an essayist by nature and training. . Editing out repetition and sidetracks is most of what I do. Although I'll also mess with individual word or punctuation sometimes, because I'm anal like that.

The issue of how much information it's ok to put up aboutvother people is fascinating to me. I actually have some photos I'd like to put up, but they have other people's kids in them, so I haven't yet

[Thandiwe]

Originally Posted by Twocoolboys

Really? I'm not trying to be snarky, just trying to understand your viewpoint. You think it's ok to write about things that make others look bad? I think you have to be very careful not to cross the line into slander, which could get you a lawsuit. I have no idea what you wrote or how bad it was, but if someone took offense at something personal that I wrote about them (which I would never do) and they asked me to remove it, I would. My true voice isn't more important than someone else's privacy. She has a right to not be talked about in your blog, no matter what she did to stab you in the back. I think you have a moral obligation (and possibly a legal one) to remove that post about her, or at least the parts that pertain to her.

I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts about this.

I'm going to have to leave this vague, since there are people who were involved in this directly who regularly post on MDC. I definitely see where you're coming from; confidentiality must be respected. But we still also have a right to reflect on the impact someone else's actions have on our own lives. I'm talking feelings, how it affects you, what has happened *to you* as a result of someone else. We're definitely not talking about having a *b___h*'fest; not by any standards. But when gross injustice has occured, we all have our own rights to vent...especially on an anonymous blog.