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China Elevator Stories
How Long Does It Take To Write a Post?
Blogging involves time, effort, and a creative process that goes beyond just writing posts.
21/02/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
I remember when I first started my blog in November 2012—I had zero knowledge about blogging. The great thing about blogging is that there’s a wealth of information available online. If you want to start a blog, you can simply google “How to create a blog,” “How to create a successful blog,” or “How to create a blog in 2025.”
Nowadays, people tend to watch videos more than they read blog posts. Whether it’s Instagram videos or YouTube Shorts (as you might notice while taking the subway in the morning), video content has become dominant. However, some people still prefer the written word over watching videos.
I started blogging shortly before I met my Chinese ex-husband. At the time, I was waiting for my residence permit in China, which took a few months. This left me in Shenzhen without being able to start my job as a graphic designer at an advertising agency.
Once I began working at the company, I met my ex-husband. He worked as both a graphic designer and a UI/UX designer on the same team as me. I primarily worked as an illustrator, though I also did some graphic design.
I remember this job as the best I’ve ever had—not only because of the company’s amazing office, a loft designed according to Feng Shui principles, but also because of the creative work environment. The office even had a fish pond, though many of the fish kept dying. According to Feng Shui, this could indicate financial troubles, as fish symbolize wealth in Feng Shui. However, from a more practical perspective, it was likely due to poor pond conditions, inadequate feeding, or some other issue. I’m not really a “fish person” and have no expertise in their care, so I’m not sure why they kept dying.
In my free time, I blogged. While living in Shenzhen, I often encountered friendly strangers who would strike up conversations with me. Some Chinese acquaintances told me that people weren’t as open with them as they were with me—perhaps they felt safer sharing their (sometimes very personal) stories with a foreigner rather than with another Chinese person.
Reading a blog post only takes a few minutes—perhaps even less if it’s a short post. Looking at an illustration doesn’t take long either, but creating a blog post takes much longer than one might assume. If I need to research a topic, I spend time reading, whether from books or online articles. Since I’m an avid reader, I enjoy this part of the process. However, research can take hours, especially if I struggle to find the right sources or if the topic is complex.
Writing a blog post usually takes a few hours. While some posts don’t require as much time, most take longer because I need to refine my wording, rephrase paragraphs, check spelling and grammar, and sometimes google specific words or concepts.
Creating an illustration also takes a few hours. I start by sketching with a pencil, then outline the drawing with a black pen. After that, I scan the draft and color it in Photopea. The entire process typically takes around 2-4 hours—sometimes as little as two if I work quickly, but four is more realistic.
Taking photos is faster than creating illustrations, but it still requires effort. I need to travel to the right locations, which often means taking the subway. Since I live on the outskirts of Vienna, traveling to the city center usually takes more than an hour. After capturing the images, I edit them in Photopea, a free software similar to Photoshop. If I encounter a hacker, which happens frequently, publishing a new blog post takes much longer.
Once I finish writing, I also need to add keywords and optimize the post for SEO.
Writing the first draft of this post only took about 30 minutes. However, all the additional work—adding pictures, editing, making it SEO-friendly—takes much longer. Since I didn’t need to do any research for this post, it was faster to write than many of my other posts.
When I lived in Shenzhen, I used to spend my weekends working on my blog. My ex-husband, who freelanced, would sit at his desk in our living room working on weekends, and I would usually sit on the sofa and work on my blog.
Once he finished working, we would do other activities together—visiting places in Shenzhen, going to the supermarket and cooking lunch, or eating at the Lanzhou noodle restaurant downstairs.
How long does it take you to create a blog post?
On a side note:
I had disabled comments for the past few years due to stalking. I’ve now reactivated them on all posts, so feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page. Please stay polite and respectful in your comments, or I will have to delete them!