By Alison Chino

Do you ever get excited about writing something and then realize that it is not really a great fit for your blog?

Maybe you write a fashion blog, but you were inspired this month to do a piece on MLK Day?

Or maybe you write a blog about church, but you went to a restaurant you really loved and want the world to know about.

Maybe you have a food blog, but today you needed to record a story that came to you while you were walking the dog.

In the age of “branding” or trying to fit a “niche” in blogging, we sometimes limit ourselves to what we have determined our audience will appreciate.

But as writers, I think it’s important to allow ourselves time to write the stories that touch our hearts.

So I hope you hear me saying (shouting) out this word of permission (also for myself):

Allow yourself to give in to whatever muse strikes your fancy.

It’s invigorating.

And here are a few suggestions for what to do with a piece that doesn’t really fit on your blog.

Publish it on someone else’s blog. 

Guest posting is a great way to introduce your blog to a new audience. So find a blog that your piece would be a great fit for and reach out to see if another blogger would be willing to publish it with a little bio and link back to your site.

Publish it on a news blog.

Would your post fit in a local or national new setting? Little Rock Family, Arkansas Outside, Babble or The Huffington Post? Find the contact pages on these sites and send a request to guest post.  I find that people are more excited about accepting a guest blogger when the piece is already written.

Publish it on Medium.

If you don’t already have a Medium profile, well, you probably should go ahead and set one up. You can use your Twitter handle. Medium is a cross between a social media network and a blogging platform. Its simple format makes it a joy to compose on, and there are lots of users hanging out and reading over there that might not otherwise find your blog. I especially like to use Medium for long form writing. Medium readers are not scared off by a post being over 800 words.

Publish it on Arkansas Women Bloggers.

One of the reasons I started this monthly contribution to the AWB site is that I really enjoy writing about blogging. I was doing tons of research and reading about blogging, but I did not have a place to share what I had learned. This community is great place for sharing your writing about many different topics and Julie is always looking to fill up the editorial calendar, so give her a shout.

Publish it on your blog anyway.

Maybe you just can’t bear to let this piece of work go somewhere besides your own site. That’s ok. Sometimes your readers will surprise you and be enthusiastic about seeing a different side of your writing life. Last year in the middle of all my outdoorsy posts, I wrote a story about my sister that I just wanted to share for her birthday. It turned out to be one of my most read posts of the year. 

Don’t publish it at all.

Sometimes I write something that I know I just need to sit on for a while. Usually this happens when I have written something I feel very passionate about. Or sometimes I find that I have recorded a memory that I just need to hold to myself. At least for the time being. Maybe a day will come later that I should release it to the world. Or maybe not. Either way, I think I will still be glad I took the time to write it down.

Sometimes I forget that the reason I started my blog is that I love to write.

And in order to keep blogging with joy, I have to keep being inspired to write.

I’m so curious!

What have you written about lately that has nothing to do with your blog?

Where else would you add to this list of places for publishing your work?