It’s been quite a while since I last blogged, a 2 1/2 months long while to be precise and one might have been wondering “is she even still blogging?” and YES I AM. I’m just…. waiting to feel like writing blog posts again…still. I’m trying though, slowly.
This long break wasn’t planned at all, it just happened. I even missed my 6 year anniversary in May which is kind of sad because I also had an idea for a big-ish giveaway but I guess I’ll just keep that in my mind for another time. SIX YEARS THOUGH. I’m always joking how I definitely want to make it to at least 10 years but now that I’m in the second half, it doesn’t even seem that unlikely anymore. I definitely don’t intend to quit anytime soon, even if it doesn’t seem like that right now.
I’m actually somewhat proud of myself for still blogging after over 6 years, especially considering that quite a few of the blogs that I read when I started are gone by now. Maybe not the best timing to talk about how to keep motivated to blog but this is why and how I kept going over all these years:
Remember that 2 1/2 months of not blogging? Yeah, I didn’t really care besides that it made me sad that I didn’t feel like doing it (I was actually missing it in some way). I definitely didn’t feel bad about not blogging, I didn’t feel like I have a job that I’m not doing, that I’m dodging responsibilities. The only thing I ever feel bad about is that when I don’t blog, I also don’t read other blogs. (I don’t know why these are connected but it’s what always happens) So even when I didn’t feel like blogging for quite a long time, I never felt like quitting because I don’t feel bad about taking a break and not blogging when I don’t want to. Coming back to it is a lot easier when I’m not constantly telling myself that I should get back to it. I just do when I suddenly feel like it again.
Maybe when you don’t have a pile of physicals ARCs sitting around that constantly reminds you that you have lots of books you “should” be reading and reviewing, it’s easier, but I have always treated blogging as a hobby and nothing more. I don’t stress myself over reviews of books that I got via edelweiss or netgalley, books that have been out already or are about to come out. I review them when I feel like it. I write blog posts when I feel like it. Blogging is supposed to be fun, but fun is pretty quick to leave me behind when there is any “have to” involved, so I don’t think that way about blogging and keep it being fun.
I’m not actively reminding myself of this constantly, but I often catch myself thinking something along the lines “you wouldn’t be in this place right now, if you hadn’t started blogging”. Most important to me are the friendships, and even though I don’t really need my blog to keep those up, I know it’s what put me in the right spot to make these friends and this will always motivate me to keep my blog going, to keep this thing alive.
It’s also the little things though. Like I love seeing my review archive grow. It’s kind of silly, but seeing that list grow? Motivates me a whole lot to write even more.
I guess after this long break, I just needed to write down these thoughts and remind myself why I’m still doing this and I hope to break out of this slump soon because I REALLY miss blogging. I have so many ideas and so many books I WANT to review, it’s just my fingers that don’t seem to cooperate and make me lose my motivation as soon as I touch a keyboard.
How long have you been blogging? Did you have a longer break too? how did you break out of that slump then?
Aentee
Oh I am in a slump. I use the post pretty often but I do it like once a week now. Which is terrible because I’ve read loads of books but then I forget and then can’t write reviews. But who cares TBH, like you said, it’s a hobby. OMG CONGRATS ON SIX YEARS THO, that’s such an amazing accomplishment. I’ve only been doing it for 1 year and it feels like a lifetime already ?
Crini
I think I got the math wrong every.single.time because HOW can it be this long already LOL
And I feel you re writing reviews. I have so many books I could review but LOLs forgot way too much to still do that.
Sandra
Glückwunsch!! ??
Schön, dass du immer noch da bist :) Ich hab letztens mal mein Feedly ausgemistet und war auch erstaunt, wie viele Blogs es gar nicht mehr gibt, die zeitgleich mit uns angefangen haben oder sogar noch älter waren. Wobei ich die “Community” auch nicht mehr wirklich auf dem Schirm habe, weder die deutsche noch die englische. Ich denke, das Wichtigste ist einfach sein eigenes Ding zu machen und da gehören eben auch mal Pausen und Veränderungen dazu.
Und Danke, dass du mich dran erinnerst, dass ich Ende des Monats auch Bloggeburtstag habe ^^
Wenn wir echt die 10 Jahre voll kriegen, schmeißen wir ne Party, gell?! :D
Crini
Danke! :)
Ich hab meinen Feed Reader auch ewig vernachlässigt und jetzt nach Monaten einfach mal komplett geleert und wieder neu gefüllt. Irgendwie bin ich jetzt direkt auch wieder motivierter mal wieder mehr Blogs zu lesen und Kommentare zu hinterlassen :D
Die Party machen wir auf jeden Fall! :D
Cait @ Paper Fury
AHH YOU’RE BACK!! I’m pretty sure I followed your blog just as you left.? But I really admire you for just leaving your blog as a hobby and loving it and not stressing about it. I kind of view my blog as *hopefully* being an author platform in the future, so I do let it be a bit of a job for me. But I still don’t like stressing over it! And I’ve been going for 5 years and started to feel it. hahaha. But omg I’ve noticed a TON of my old blogging friends have just disappeared. It’s really sad! Blogging seems to have a fast turn-over??
I usually break out of my slumps by….keeping on blogging.? And when I’m not slumping, I write tons of posts so I can use them up when I’m slumping.
Crini
Pahaha, that’s kind of sad! But thanks for reading my blog!
Oh I totally get that it is different for you as an author and I guess some other people want to use their blog as a tool for whatever job too! Just secretly judging people who “only” blog and stress out unnecessarily LOL
Maraia
YAY, I’m so glad you’re back! I’ve missed reading your blog. But I also think it’s completely okay not to blog all the time, so I’m glad it didn’t stress you out. Also, six years is SO LONG. I can’t believe it. You should definitely feel accomplished.
And now you need to get me to actually start my blog. xD
Crini
WHY AREN’T YOU BLOGGING YET? I thought you being at Sebastian’s while he is at work would be perfect for that XD
Maraia
I haven’t had *that* much time! But mostly I’m procrastinating because I don’t know how to do anything. /o\ xD
Sarah
I totally agree with you! There are weeks or even months where I just don’t feel like it. I just came back from one of those breaks and am really back into it now. With a change from myblog to wordpress as well :D You are right – no reason to feel bad, just do what you like and feel good about it :) It’s a fun hobby but like every other hobby, you sometimes gotta have a break from it.
…happy that you’re back though :-)
Miss Bookiverse
Es freut mich sehr zu hören, dass du immer noch ans Bloggen denkst und die Sache nicht an den Nagel gehangen hast. Habe dich schon zu “unserem” Blog-Geburtstag vermisst ;) Ist auf jeden Fall ne gesunde Einstellung, die du hast. Viele Blogger nehmen dieses Hobby irgendwie zu ernst und ich lese lieber richtige neue Beiträge als zig “tut mir leid, dass ich so lange weg war, aber jetzt wird alles wieder besser” Posts, die dann doch zu nichts führen.
Ich hoffe dein eigener Post hat dich jetzt wieder so weit motiviert, dass wir hier bald wieder mehr von dir zu lesen kriegen :) Und wenn nicht bist du ja zum Glück noch in anderen Netzwerken aktiv :)
Shiku
Alles Gute nachträglich zum Bloggeburtstag dann. :’D
Ist aber schon ein putziger/komischer Gedanke, wie alt die Blogs jetzt eigentlich schon sind. Bei mir sind’s ja mittlerweile auch sechs Jahre und – als ich angefangen habe, war ich noch in der Schule. Jetzt ist die Uniphase quasi abgeschlossen, und der Blog hat all den Stress trotzdem überlebt. xD
Wobei da auch größere Pausen drin waren. Ich glaube, seit September 2014 bin ich in einer On-Off-Beziehung, und oft kommt auch die Lust wieder, aber an Kreativität mangelt’s und wenn nicht, dann will die Zeit auch nicht so richtig. Aber wie du sagtest: Es ist ein Hobby. Sich da unnötig Stress zu machen, würde ja auch eh nur noch mehr die Lust am Bloggen zerstören.
mel@thedailyprophecy
In February I celebrated my 4th year of book blogging. I’m currently in the biggest blogging slump ever and I’m taking some time off, but like you, I’m not planning to quit any time soon :) It’s a shame you missed your blogoversary though! A belated congratulations, I guess? Haha.