Blogger’s Block And Blogging Burnout

I didn’t post daily in January. I also didn’t even write a blog post every day. Even though I was a little bothered by that, I’ve been more bothered by other things. Like burnout and blogger’s block, which is like writer’s block but worse. I had an easier time writing than blogging last month.

New month, new me. That said, I won’t be blogging all the time because I need to live my life. But I’m ready to get back into the grind. It’s not always easy, but I’m grateful for every opportunity.

I want to address being blocked so to speak. I don’t want to wait for inspiration. I’d rather get to work. For some reason, I didn’t have many great ideas in January. Even promising ones didn’t pan out. For instance, I drafted a one-word writing interview/Q&A. I liked the idea. I didn’t like the draft. And because I made it my goal in 2019 to publish content I’m proud of, I don’t want to post something for the sake of posting.

In regards to burnout, I started this blog in 2013. At the time, I wanted to publish every day. I was in high school. I wasn’t as busy. So I had more time and energy. But a lot has changed in five, almost six years. I’ve changed. WordPress has changed. What didn’t change was my stubborn commitment to blog daily. But 2018 was a hard year for me. I got hit by a car at the beginning of the year. Recovering was a long and exhausting process.

I was fortunate enough to go twenty years without anything truly traumatic happening to me. So I guess my point is that trying to blog every day while trying to let my body and brain heal made me burnout in a way I never experienced before.

It’s been nearly a year since my life changed forever, and I’m ready to live fully again.

Posting Content On Other Platforms

For the longest time now, I’ve been meaning to post content on other platforms. Even though I love WordPress, I’m always looking for different places to publish my writing.

Unfortunately, I’m lazy. I procrastinate all the time. Still, I want to make more of an effort to get my work out into the world.

I haven’t worked through all the logistics just yet. I have a WattPad account, and I want to put more of my creative writing on there.

I’m also testing out Medium to see if I like the platform. I most likely won’t create another blog, at least not right now. Perhaps in the future. I can barely keep up with this one though.

I need to let myself experiment and try out different platforms. Once I get things going, I’ll share more details.

More than anything, I hope to have fun and enjoy myself. Which for me means creating content I like.

Of course, I’m still growing and maturing. As the writer evolves, the work will as well.

When people ask me what I want to do, I almost always say I want to write. And that’s true. I do. I wish I could write without worrying about anything else.

I like to think this blog is my home base. Even though I’ll post content on other sites, I’m not going away. I’m just going to new places and meeting new faces. I feel excited to see where my journey takes me.

Some Reasons Why I Love Blogging

• I love creating. It’s my favourite. I like making stuff. It’s fun to start with nothing and turn it into something.
• I love the community. Honestly, I never expected it to be so supportive and encouraging. Other creators inspire me.
• I love control. I get to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
• I love the old editor. More than the new one anyway.
• I love seeing my progress. Sometimes I get so caught up with life that I don’t realize how far I’ve come. So it’s nice to look back and see where I was five years ago compared to where I am now.
• I love receiving feedback. Positive or constructive. Both let me know what works and what I can work on.
• I love growth. Blogging has helped me grow in so many ways. I’m grateful for this journey. I hope it never ends. I’ve not only grown as a blogger, but I’ve also grown as a human being.
• I love learning. I’ve learned a little about a lot of things through trial and error. I know there’s still a lot for me to learn.
• I love being challenged. When I started, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Blogging is hard. If it was easy, everyone could be a blogger.
• I love connecting. I’m terrible at interacting with people in real life, but I really appreciate every online interaction. Thank you.

The Evolution Of This Blog

In 2013, I was a naive fifteen year old on WordPress.

Today, I’m so happy I went out on a limb one evening and started this blog.

Becoming a blogger has made me more keen to learn. As a result, I now have more interests than ever before.

Along the way, I’ve felt the need to stick with the status-quo. But I want to push the envelope, challenge myself, and improve. I can’t improve if I don’t move. That’s my motto literally and figuratively.

I read tons of advice about how to blog. But to be honest, I like learning what works and what doesn’t on my own.

This blog will continue to evolve as I grow and change. It may not always seem like it, but I’m doing my best. I know you are too.

There are so many posts I want to write, projects I want to tackle. I’m a little limited in terms of time, money, etc. That being said, I try to take baby steps every day.

More than anything, I hope the next five years will bring more progress.

I’m not perfect. I never will be. My goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistent practice.

As always, thank you for being part of my evolution as a blogger and as a human being.

What I’m Doing With My Blog

I haven’t given too much thought to my blog lately. But now is as good a time as ever to think about what I want to do and where I want to go.

I’m happy blogging for myself and no one else. That being said, I always want to change for the better. If you have any suggestions as to how I can improve, feel free to let me know.

I know I’m not being too specific, but vagueness is my weakness. I’ve had people call me out for being too general. I can’t help it. I like hoarding secrets.

I also don’t want to promise anything yet not deliver on my promises. Safe to say, I have plenty of ideas I want to explore and stories I need to share. Storytelling is a basic need.

In 2013, I created this blog on a limb. I want to make it a fun place for me and for all of you. I’ll update it as often as possible. I’m 99.9 percent sure I haven’t gone two days in a row without posting something. I’d like to keep that streak alive.

In terms of content, I’ll continue to read and review books. I post my reviews on WordPress and on Goodreads.

I’ve been making blog graphics for a while now. I like how they look, so they won’t change much. Visual interest is never a bad thing.

For a number of reasons, I love sharing poetry on here. Going forward, I would love to experiment more with different styles.

If and when I publish something somewhere else, you best believe I’m letting all of you know. Key word being if.

I also love lists. So expect to see more of them from me this year.

I haven’t posted a short story in the longest time. Maybe I will once every blue moon. I tend to submit to contests or competitions first.

Please don’t hesitate to comment and speak your mind. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Feeling Behind In Blogging

I’m behind on a lot of things, especially with this blog. I blame school. OK, fine postseason baseball too.

I’m not sure I’ll ever catch up. That’s okay. There will always be more work to do and not enough hours in the day.

I try to write and blog every day. I don’t have a problem doing so. But because I handwrite, I have to transcribe what I’ve written onto WordPress at some point.

I’ve been struggling to keep to say the least. I have poems and stories I wrote in 2016 still not typed up. And blog posts dating back to last month.

Luckily over the summer, I kept up with blogging quite well.

Then school started.

By the time a post is ready for publication, it’s dated. Not even relevant sometimes.

As university gets busier, I fall more behind. I can only dream of catching up.

Since I’m someone who likes being on top of things and feeling like I have my life together, this situation doesn’t bode well with my psyche.

Even if I had an entire month where I didn’t have anything else to do, I’m not sure I’d be able to type up all my written poems, posts.

Aside from falling behind, I’m also a bit overwhelmed. Books and baseball don’t mix. Who would have thought?

Word by word. Day by day. I write those lines in my journal as a reminder to myself. I can’t get to the end without first beginning and focusing on what’s next. Tomorrow happens tomorrow after all.

I don’t have to write or blog, much less do so every day. But I want to. And so I do my best to make it happen.

If I was just a student I’d have a lot more time. I will never be one thing and one thing only. I’m a writer, a blogger, a reader. I’m a daughter. I’m a sister. I’m a friend. I’m all these things and so much more.

Finding that balance is perhaps the toughest, trickiest part.

I only have so many hours in the day and so much energy to expend on any given project.

As much as I want to do almost everything, I can’t. But I’d much rather do a few things well than do a lot of stuff badly.

 

What I Learned After 4 Years Of Blogging

I started this blog over four years ago. Some days, it feels like I just started. Other times, I feel as if I’m going on forty years. 

And even though I still have plenty to learn, there’s a lot I know now that I didn’t before. I love that I’m learning something new every day.

Thanks to blogging, I have a better inderstanding of myself and what makes me tick.

When I first started, I wrote for myself. I created art for my own sake and sanity. So I continue to try to blog for myself. It’s more fun than blogging for other people. Trying to please everyone and their mother is impossible.

I think before I became a blogger, I didn’t trust myself enough. I relied on the judgement of those around me. Nowadays I’ve gotten better at trusting my gut, partly out of necessity. I didn’t have anyone to hold my hand throughout this insane journey. Anytime something came out of left field, I had to trust my instincts. Thankfully, it’s gotten me here today.

Blogging taught me to stick with my vision, even and especially when the going gets tough. As I grow older, I get more cynical. Yet I still dream. I envision a better, happier life. I know what I want to do, what I hope to accomplish. I also know I’d rather die taking risks and doing what I love than pass away playing it safe.

One of the toughest lessons for me has been coming to terms with the fact that I can’t control everything. I have to remind myself constantly to control what I can. More importantly, I tell my mind to let go of what I can’t.

These are just some of the things I’ve learned from blogging. I could go on and on and on and on. But I won’t because I want to know what blogging has taught you about yourself.

Thank You For 4 Years

This isn’t an April Fools’ Day prank or some practical joke.

I started this blog exactly four years ago.

See, I’m not a liar.

In April 2013, I went out in a limb and created a blog.

Fast forward to April 2017 and I’m still blogging.

I like to think a part of why I try to blog every day is because of other bloggers. So thank you. All of you.

Thanks for the support.

Thank you for putting up with me.

Thanks for being there through the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys.

It hasn’t always been easy, but interacting with people I never would have connected with otherwise has been enjoyable. Beyond what I ever imagined.

Here’s to four more. Here’s to blogging forever and ever.

I hope one day I’ll be old, sitting in a rocking chair, drinking a glass of water (because I don’t like coffee or tea or any other beverage really), and blogging away.

Side note: four years later, I still can’t figure out how to center the text of an image caption. Maybe in 2021 I’ll learn how. No guarantees.