Blogging That Works - Part 2: A Repeatable Writing Workflow

A topic map answers “what should I write?” The workflow answers “why is this draft still open after three weeks?” Most stalled posts are not hard to write; they are being asked to do several jobs at once. Separating those jobs is the whole trick.

1. Capture Without Judging

Keep one inbox for ideas: a notes app, a ideas.md file, or a board column. The rule is that capture is cheap — one line is enough:

- post: why static sites still need a server budget
- post: SQLite is probably enough for your side project

Do not outline in the inbox. The point is to never lose a thought, not to finish it.

2. Outline Before You Write

Convert an idea into an outline in ten minutes. An outline is the list of headings plus one sentence per heading, and it is the cheapest place to discover that a post is actually two posts.

If you cannot write the one-sentence summary, the idea is not ready. Put it back.

3. Draft Ugly, Edit Later

Drafting and editing use different parts of your brain, and switching between them is what makes writing feel slow. In the draft pass:

• Do not fix typos.
• Do not look up links.
• Do not worry about the intro.

Write the body first. The introduction is easier to write once the ending exists.

4. Revise in Passes, Not in Circles

Give each pass one job:

Pass	Question
Structure	Does each section earn its place?
Clarity	Would a tired reader follow this?
Evidence	Are the claims true and sourced?
Mechanics	Spelling, code, links, formatting

Doing these one at a time is faster than trying to do all four on every paragraph.

5. Publish on a Schedule, Not a Feeling

Consistency beats intensity. A post every two weeks for a year outperforms six posts in January and silence after that. Pick a cadence you can keep during a bad month, and protect it.

6. Repurpose After Publishing

One finished post is raw material:

• A code snippet becomes a short note.
• A list becomes a checklist.
• A section becomes the answer to a question.

This is not about flooding platforms; it is about getting more than one use from work you already did.

7. Batch What Repeats

Some parts of publishing happen every single time. Batch them:

• Draft outlines in one sitting.
• Edit two posts back to back.
• Write social copy for the month at once.

Switching costs are real, and batching removes most of them.

The Pre-Publish Checklist

Conclusion

The workflow exists to protect one thing: the time when you are actually writing. Capture cheaply, outline briefly, draft without judgment, and edit with a checklist. Part 3 takes the finished post and gets it in front of people without turning into a spam machine.