Pros and cons of stream of consciousness blogging
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As with most blogging tips, stream of consciousness blogging has a number of benefits and drawbacks to be aware of. In this post I'll be looking at 5 pros and 5 cons relating to this style of writing. What is stream of consciousness blogging?
(Today's post includes an image taken by magannie.)
Pro #1: Discovery
While planning your posts is a good idea as it helps you to define the path you'll be taking, it's not the only approach. If you write a stream of consciousness post, it can lead to discoveries that you didn't expect.
Pro #2: Natural
Writing in this style can generate posts that feel much more natural. I think you're more likely to make connections with your readers if they can relate to your posts, and they're more likely to relate if your posts feel natural.
Pro #3: Ideas
You'll probably find a lot of potential tangents to write about as you write your posts. If you ignore these for now, you can come back to them in future posts. Therefore, this style can generate plenty of new post ideas.
Pro #4: Series
If you don't stop writing until you've run out of things to say, you may find that you have a lot more content than you want to post in a single entry. This could then be used to create a multi-part series of posts, which can look at a topic in far greater detail than a single post can.
Pro #5: Variety
Writing posts in the same style can quickly get boring. Varying the style can give you and your readers a break from the standard style of posting. Perhaps this isn't what you want - but how long will you be able to write new, compelling content in the same style? An occasional shake-up can work wonders.
Con #1: Planning
You can't really plan this type of post, otherwise it wouldn't be a stream of consciousness post. As a result, it's probably not a good idea to write in this style unless you already have a supply of posts ready to be published, and you're not writing a post to be published within the next hour or so. Ironically, you have to plan your other posts so you can write a stream of consciousness post with the minimum of stress.
Con #2: Wastage
Some posts just don't work out. That's fine if you've only written a few bulletpoints, but you can waste a lot of time if you write a stream of consciousness post and find it isn't working out once you've already spent an hour on it.
Con #3: Distractions
Without a clear plan, it's easier to be distracted and lose your train of thought. A tangent may become the new path once you return to your post, which means you end up on a totally different point to where you started. That may not be a problem, but you should try and save the tangents for a future post.
Con #4: Detail
By writing things down as you think of them, it's all too easy to miss out on some important details. On the other hand, leaving things for readers to pick up on can help to boost your comments. But what if you miss several key points - won't that harm your reputation as a writer?
Con #5: Completion
If you've already listed a few points that you're going to write about, you'll know once you reach the end. But when writing a stream of consciousness post, it can be very hard to determine when you're done.
Con #6: Order (bonus tip)
Planning your post allows you to organise your points in a logical order. Without this, you may find your best points end up in the middle of the post, with average comments being made at the start and end of the post. This doesn't help a reader to get through the whole post.
What do you think? Have you tried stream of consciousness blogging? Can you think of any other pros and cons?
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Comments on Pros and cons of stream of consciousness blogging
2
Hey Saph, thanks for the detailed comment. You make some great points and I think you've really helped to carry the post forward. Thanks again!
3
No problem. Was a great post and easy to comment on. ;)
4
I use the 'stream of consciousness' technique often.
This style of writing is much like writing a short story, or prose, or poetry. You start with a topic in mind, but not necessarily an end. You let the words take the journey and see where your mind takes you. The downside is that sometimes the result is unclear and pointless. Thankfully those few pieces that don't work out the first time can be modified, rewritten and broken up into multiple articles! I regularly type up quick thoughts into my Apple Touch, which I go back over numerous times to tidy, clean, reword and turn into a article worthy of publication.
5
This style of writing is much like writing a short story, or prose, or poetry
I hadn't thought of that. I like the idea of seeing where your mind takes you. To me, that is what this style of blogging is all about. :)
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Well, see, you've touched on a subject I like. Not too long ago I wrote a tip about the "Conversational Style" of writing, which is basically your "Stream of Consciousness." It's the way I write every blog post I've written. I completely agree with your Pros and Cons, however, I'd like to make a few remarks:
Pro 1 - Yes. SoC is definitely an "experiement" in writing every time you do it.
Pro 2 - I agree. Natural "Conversational Style" writing is much easier to read because it normally has personality.
Pro 3 - Very true. I have often come up with ideas for new posts just by writing my posts.
Pro 4 - That has recently happened with my Katrina posts.
Pro 5 - Definitely. I tend to write many styles. The reason I reworked the blog was because some of the posts were just bad and the categories were just plain incorrect. I decided with the new blog to write in certain styles/genres, and those are now my categories.
Con 1 - Actually, you can plan these posts, at least the topics of them. I have a list of topics in Evernote that I reference for new blog posts. Once I plan out the topic, the post takes a life of its own.
Con 2 - It's possible to make it work though. Although it won't be SoC anymore, it can always be refined. Most SoC posts have SOME good ideas and such, you just need to work with those and rewrite other portions when necessary.
Con 3 - Depends on the writer. When I do a SoC post, I'm focused on that post. Distractions don't happen very often, and if they do, I have sticky notes I write the tangents on and then get back to my original idea.
Con 4 - Very true. This is the only time I normally have to go back and add to the post. But sometimes, the readers find the missing info in the comments and then we have a cool discussion, just like you said. And I've never had it harm my reputation.
Con 5 - If you write them often enough, then you get the "end" more readily. Like anything else, practice makes perfect.
Con 6 - As long as you follow the rules of writing, you should be fine. Always lead off with something that catches their attention and always end with them wanting to read either more of the current story, or just more from you. Practice and letting friends read your stuff first helps with this.
So those are my thoughts on the topic. ;)