Over the past few days, I have felt all of the possible negative emotions related to blogging and writing--up to and including deleting Everyday Revelry out of existence. The worst part is that I am not exactly sure why.First, I am suffering from a terrible case of writer's block. I would sit and stare at the blinking cursor with nothing to say or comment on. I ripped up my list of brainstormed backup content ideas because I didn't like any of them. I can't escape the feeling that I need a niche for my blog.
Speaking of the blog, there are other things bothering me. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep up with it (and to leave comments on other blogs, which I consider part of the territory of blogging). It seems like a lot of energy for 11 readers. Those 11 readers mean a lot to me but with the sense of being overwhelmed that I was feeling, it just didn't seem worth it. I will have even less time in the next few weeks as the fall semester starts and things ramp back up at work.
I was also overcome this week with a sense of wanting to hide. I felt like I didn't want anyone else to read my writing. This wasn't just about the blog. I also got to thinking about Twitter and Facebook, as well as the LiveJournal I used to keep and my paper journals. I started to feel like I didn't want that stuff out there in the universe (or around my room, in the case of the journals), where others might seem them.
My Freelance Writing e-course starts next week and I am going away this weekend, so I think my goals for the week will be simply to keep up with yoga and my morning pages. I'm not sure I can handle much more than that at this point.
Any suggestions on how to get more followers and how to get good backup content would be appreciated!
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I'm sorry you're feeling so stuck. It's okay to take time away, it really is. It can bring clarity. I hope you have a lovely weekend, even if it means we'll be missing you twitter. ;-)
ReplyDeletexoxo,
C
I'm sorry you're feeling stuck, exposed, and overwhelmed by your writing. Especially since you're about to start the freelance writing course. What about Tiny Posts? There's nothing wrong with those to keep your hand in the game while you are ramping up for the new school year and everything else?
ReplyDeleteYou asked for tips on more readers - have you downloaded Zen Habits' free e-book on how he got 100k subscribers? There are a couple of podcasts that come with this as well - http://www.alistbloggingbootcamps.com/get-leo-babautas-free-report/
Hey Lauren~~I'm sorry to hear you're feeling stuck. Those feelings of stuck and overwhelm are definitely part of the creative process--there might be some growth in new directions that'll come once things start flowing a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI hope your e-course is off to a great start and as for gaining my followers, I think I've found a lot of cool people/blogs by posting comments on kimberly wilson's and carolyn's blogs.
ahhh, i know that feeling. some weeks i feel like a terrible blogger because i just can't keep up with everyone else's blogs when i can barely keep up with my own. and, one blogger i know recently quite twitter cold turkey because of privacy issues and time issues. so, that feeling is definitely shared by others.
ReplyDeletei know that i understand that bloggers all have "real lives" and that their attention will wax and wane as they face real world demands, and i'm okay with that. i hope others feel the same way too and cut me a little slack here and there.
i think the best advice i can give, that i give myself, is to be kind to yourself, and nurture yourself. listen to your intuition and what it thinks you really need, and go from there.