OK, here's a question mainly for bloggers.  Having started two different blogs that tanked I'm wondering how other bloggers/designers do it. What happens with me is I start blogging about a game idea I'm fleshing out but then I get so wrapped up in writing that I don't think about blogging for weeks. When i do get around to posting its usually updates on the game. So basically my blogs end up looking rough drafts of my game with a few product advertisements thrown in.

I'm wondering what approach other bloggers take. Do u have a schedule you like to follow or do you blog when the mood strikes you? Do u start formulating a blog in your head before writing it down? This is what I do with game ideas, but I've found it difficult to split time between the two because the game takes priority.

I've come to believe blogging is as much an art form as writing. Anyone can blog, just like anyone can write a game or story. Writing a good blog however like writing a good game or story takes a lot of practice and hard work. Not only must the subject be interesting but the blogger must be able to convey the information with equal parts fact and personal conjecture to keep people coming back for more.

So ant thoughts or tips for maintaining a good blog?

Pete

Edit: I'll add that until recently I viewed blogs much the same way that many here view cell phones--trendy and vain, but unecessary. Recently, however, I realized just how many blogs I keep going back to read (Pundit, Zachary, Rotwang, Bernstein, Clash, etc.) and I started rethinking my position.  

I just start writing. Professional discipline takes over at that point. Sometimes I know the subject of my blog, sometimes I work with a tabula rasa, but I never plan the thing out. I post when I have the time to do something extra, so the Blog itself never detracts from my work. I always work on several projects simultaneously, so I'm used to switching from one thing to another, making the Blog just another project.

I do like to switch around subject matter for the Blog. Sometimes I post on setting material for a project, sometimes I post on a system thing I'm working on, other times I tackle system on a more impersonal scale. I'm mainly a systems guy anyway.

-clash

The Mule Abides is a collaborative blog, which I find really helps because:
- the frequency of posts is much higher than if any of us did it by ourselves
- we comment on one another's posts, so there's not as many crickets chirping as would be normal
- we play in campaigns together, so stuff comes up that we have in common and raises issues on shared topics that we can approach from different perspectives
- the sense of having a conversation among friends makes it easier for me psychologically than sitting down and saying "now I will address the world"

Even if no one in your personal gaming group is interested in blogging, you might see if some other like-minded folks online might want to collaborate, or even see if an existing blogger you admire might be interested in having a guest poster or starting a new joint venture.

My time is limited. I always have a plan.
I try to post every week (I've been better about this for the last month or so); I try to do a drawing with every post; and if I'm talking about my personal philosophy of game design or some crap like that, I only do so in order to explain the thinking behind the meat of the entry (e.g. skill rules, a monster, or an adventure).
I am not interested in doing retrospectives or reviews or general rambling about my evolution as a gamer. Furthermore, if there is some kind of controversy (e.g Carcosa, D&D with porn stars, whatever) I ignore it, because truthfully, I get enough traffic, and nobody gives a rat's ass what I have to say about that shit anyway- nor should they.

I write when I have an idea that seems to be worth writing. That happens around once a day because I think a lot on the bus and I take the bus to and from work. I try to write even when I have only a kernel of an idea -- sometimes it turns into a real idea as I write and the writing feels good regardless.

I don't find it takes an interesting amount of my time, but I can kick a thousand words out the door in twenty minutes if I've been thinking about it for an hour on the bus. Basically as fast as I can type.

I blog when I feel like it, however do not focus exclusively on it. It's a purely recreational activity, in the limited spare available time, for sharing insights, and resources with other gamers. Haven't put up a forum either as I often post on other message boards (Like here), comment on blogs, and also contribute directly to the hobby by running games at conventions (often) and at FLGS (rarely).

The majority of my writings and resources are generated for, and benefit most, the gamers that sit at my gaming table.