This week’s Saturday Sidebar is a spin on one of the writing prompts from Mama Kat’s Pretty Much World Famous Writer’s Workshop:

“How long does it take for an idea to germinate in your mind before it becomes a published post?”

Check out what some of our World Moms had to say…

Alison Lee of Malaysia writes:
“I get ideas for posts very randomly. Some days, I have a ton of ideas and I jot them down quickly, and when I have time, I sit down to just write or flesh them out. They don’t always make it to being published, but at least I get them out of my head! Between my head and my fingers, ideas become posts within 2-3 days.”

Eva Fannon of Washington State, USA writes:
“I’m glad I’m part of WMB where I post periodically, because this is hard for me! I would not have enough time to write stuff for my own blog on a daily basis. I let an idea sit for a few days and start writing thoughts in a notebook I carry in my bag. Once I have enough to work off of, I schedule about an hour to sit and write a post. Then I sit on it for a day and re-read/edit the day after.”

Elizabeth Atalay of Massachusetts, USA writes:

I have a list of posts I’d like to write, but I look at the list and have to feel like writing about the topic for it to come out well. Sometimes it’s from my list, and other times I come across something in my day that I just have to write about or share, and I sit down on the spot and it just flows.

Jennifer Burden of New Jersey, USA writes:
“To monopolize my “not at my computer time”, I spend time thinking about posts before I write them – waiting at a doctor’s office, while washing dishes – those times when the kids don’t need me and I have my mind to myself. Then, when I get down to writing, it makes it a lot easier. But, I may write a post, think it’s ready to be published, but the next day or days after when I go to reread and edit it, it’s a mess! The key for me is to give myself more than one day to write something!”

Karyn Van Der Zwet of New Zealand writes:
“Often something happens with my kids and the ideas just pop. I then chose whether it’s a post for world moms blog or a post for my personal blog and away I go. I like to write and leave a post for a while, then edit and wait again. But sometimes I don’t. LOL”

Kyla P’an of Massachusetts, USA writes:
“In my personal blog, Growing Muses, I have a string of posts sitting in my draft file. Sometimes I’m moved to write about something but don’t have time to finish it or sometimes I get stuck and need to ruminate the topic more. Usually, when I have an idea and at least a two hour window, it goes from head to published. I try to post bi-weekly on my own blog. Often, just like with Facebook, I have droughts because I feel like I have nothing of great interest to say.”

Maman Aya of New York, USA writes:
“I have topics that pop into my head very randomly – sometimes 5 in a row and other times nothing for weeks. I keep the list of topics jotted down in my phone (it’s always with me after all) and eventually I get around to writing it. I usually take a few days to write something, re-read, edit, re-read, and eventually post it. I’m glad that I only write for WMB because I’d never be able to find the time to write something every day. :-)”

Meredith of Nigeria writes:
“Sometimes, I get an idea right away and I can write a post in about 15 minutes; sometimes it seems like I get the start of an idea that takes a few weeks to really process into a post. I don’t go anywhere without my i phone notepad app or at least a paper and pen to write some ideas down when I think of them:) otherwise, the idea is gone just as fast as it came to mind:)”

Ruth Wong of Singapore writes:
“I get ideas quite easily, so I try to jot them down quickly either in my notebook or smartphone before I forget them. From there to getting published on my personal blog, Mommy Cafe, it can be as short as within a few hours, to weeks! And sometimes, I can spend hours (even days) rewriting or editing a post – usually these are posts that are very personal so I take more time with them. I do have a perfectionist streak in me, so sometimes I spend more time editing than necessary! I’m learning to not be such a perfectionist!”

Tara B. of Washington State, USA writes:
“Ideas come and go, but I can feel it in my gut if I hit on the right thing to write about. The words just flow. So the time between ideas varies, but once I have one, I jump on it.”

Purnima of India writes:
“Sometimes my post makes perfect sense the first time I write it. Sometimes it needs revisions. Sometimes the idea kind of comes and I just get it out as a post within 1 or 2 hours. Sometimes I think and think for 2 or 3 weeks. It is never the same for me.”

ThirdEyeMom of Minnesota, USA writes:
“So far, for the last year and a half, I’ve never had a problem finding a topic. I wake up every day and just write! There is so much to write about, the possibilities are endless. If I do find a time when I don’t know what to write about, I pick up the story and see some injustice in the world and there’s my topic. Research time and off I go!”

What about you… how long does it take for you to get that post UP!  

And do you have a question you would like to pose to our WMB writers?  If so, email us at wmbsidebareditor@gmail.com to see what they have to say.

Don’t forget to visit us tomorrow to check out the travel itinerary for next week posted by Kirsten Doyle!

– World Moms Blog

Photo credit to ruifernandes. This photo has a creative commons attribute license.

World Moms Blog

World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children. World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.

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