A lot of people applaud me for being one of the many who could publish 1 article a day. Some even thought that writing was easy for me because of my freelancing experience. Well, how I wish those are all true, but they're not. Just like you, I struggle, too. From thinking about the topic and writing my first sentence up to customizing my cover photo, everything takes forever with me.
Getting the right topic to write
There are times that I could write an article in less than 1 hour. It only happens, though, when my brain is in the mood to write or that I am inspired to share about something that I personally experienced. However, this only happens rarely to me. Most of the time, I have no idea what to write.
Sometimes, I would stare at my phone or monitor for a long time hoping that by staring, I could find the right topic to write for my next article. It's like staring through my own brain, digging for some possibilities. In short, for the topic alone, it consumes my time already.
Writing my first sentence
Oh, man! Here's another struggle most of us might have experienced, the introduction. Just like getting the right topic to write, sometimes writing for an introduction takes forever, too. Well, if you rarely experience this issue, congrats to you! It only means you're exceptional coz you rarely having issues like this.
As for me, even if I already have experience in writing, I don't still consider myself a pro. I am a noob as the noobest, except that I know the dos and don'ts in writing. So when it comes to writing my first sentence, it usually takes me a bit of time. The good thing is, it doesn't take as much time as getting for the right topic. It will only take probably less than 30 minutes.
Finishing the entire article
As I've said, there are times that I could finish an entire article easily. However, a lot of times, I don't. Sometimes, even if I know exactly what to write, finishing the entire article would still take up so much of my time. I guess my brain is just preoccupied that it takes me forever to construct my sentences.
Proofreading
Yeah, I proofread my work first before publishing it. Sometimes, even if I already published it, I would still edit it again whenever I see something odd in my article. So don't be surprised if you see my article in your notification twice or a few times.
Thankfully, we have Grammarly that helps us correct our grammar and typos. If you're using a desktop, you could also check your article for punctuation, conciseness, readability, word choice, and other writing issues. Unfortunately, you can't do all these things if you're only using a mobile. But as I've always said, as long as it's readable enough, then that's fine I guess.
Adding photos and customizing my lead image
Sometimes, I would go the extra mile if I was in the mood to do some fanciness. For instance, I would edit the photo with a personal touch by yours truly to make it look perfect (although there is no such thing as perfect).
Then here comes my lead image. Back then, I only used Unsplash images. Then I got inspired by @Cryptonators for his sticker. After that, I was inspired to do my own and thankfully, I learned how to use Canva after so many attempts. As you have noticed, my lead image or cover photo has always a touch of my signature Club1BCH photo. I just want to be unique, and I'm happy that because of my article before about cover photos, many are also doing their signature lead image.
Hitting that PUBLISH button
Finally, after 3 hours of writing for a 3- to 5-minute reading time article, I can now hit that publish button and relax afterward. This reminds me of my laundry by the way. Washing all your dirty clothes manually takes so much effort and time but as soon as you're about to hang them to dry, all your struggles are gone and what's left is pure excitement. Once they're all hanged, a feeling of satisfaction follows because finally, you've done an amazing job despite all the struggles you have encountered.
Closing thoughts
As for this article, I started writing this around 10:25 pm, and it's already 11:34 pm. I hope I can finish my cover photo in less than 10 minutes, though, so I can publish it before midnight. Actually, I was supposed to write a random yet nonsense article inspired by @Eybyoung's Blogging Out From Nonsense, but this topic suddenly came out of nowhere. Lol. I'm glad I have this topic, though.
Anyway, the bottom line for this article is that I feel all your struggles, too. Writing is never easy but because of my goals, I choose to continue. Although it's time-consuming and takes a lot of effort, writing will always be my top priority.
Escribir no es facil cuando no lo sientes en el corazón, es mi humilde opinión porque en el día a día y con sus vivencias siempre nos da temas para redactar con sus introducciones, desarrollos y finales. Solo es poner a volar la imaginación y darle ese toque único que tenemos cada uno de nosotros. Lindo martes te deseo lo mejor. Te saludo desde Cuba