How Long Does It Take You To Write A Post?

"How long does it take you to write a post?"

No, no one has asked that question, but it is kind of an interesting concept that folks might like to know - after all, I would assume that at least some of my readers do not blog on their own.

The answers, of course, is that it varies.

My writing time is usually around 0530 in the morning.  Sometimes when I sit down to write I have a very definitive idea of what I am going to write about, a thought or incident that my brain has already started working on for writing.  At other times I just sit there and watch the cursor blink as I wait for an idea to come, or maybe even just starting typing only to delete the sentence after I type it.

It is very exciting when a good idea comes to fruition.  The words seem to fly through my fingers onto the screen as the idea takes shape. These sorts of postings take the least amount of time - in some cases, I can be done in 10 minutes with a very full page.

It is less exciting - but more common- that the ideas take longer as I have to struggle a bit more to write.  The subject may not motivate me as much or the thoughts do not easily connect together.  Here writing can take a great deal longer as I have to search for the words and connections - perhaps 20 minutes, perhaps more.

Sometimes, of course, I simply have no idea what to type,  In times like these I may default to a haiku - which can actually take more time than one might think if an idea has not presented itself - of break down and type the "second-best" idea as no "first-best" idea can be found.

Example:  this post, a post about posts, has taken about 10 minutes.  This is one of the mornings where the idea did not leap out me.  

Do I mind that ideas do not always leap out at me?  Not so much as you might imagine.  Sometimes something will take fire the midst of a very ordinary article.  And having worked through 6 years of regular writing on all kinds of things has certainly given me the ability to be confident that when I sit down to the keyboard I can type something, even if it is not always world-class literature.

But arguably the best sensation is still that of the idea which is engaging and exciting, that flows (as Ray Bradbury would say)  "White Hot" from your brain through the fingers, the one where all you can hear is the steady stream of clicking keys like the chatter of sparrows in the morning.  Like the birds greetings the morning, it is the sign of a good idea taking form.