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Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is what is on deck this week:
HOW DO YOU KEEP GOING WHEN SOMETIMES BLOGGING FEELS LIKE TOO MUCH?
Blogging is hard work, we all know that - even when we try not to let it go that route. Every one of us has goals, ambitious or not. Every one of us is afraid to let go and be forgotten. Even when we can't post often, we do our best to be consistent - to avoid long gaps between a post and the other, or longer gaps than usual. At the very least, blogging is an outlet, and we want it to be the best representation of ourselves and the things we like. That in itself requires a huge amount of time and energy, so that, when real life gets in the way...even a thing that we do out of love can become a burden.
Blogging is the only real outlet I have. It's the only thing that makes my life tolerable these days. That, and all the people I met/will meet through it - both the friends and the authors I had/will have the pleasure to work with. But sometimes you just need a break (from blogging, that is. Not from stalking your friends and authors on their own blogs or on Twitter or wherever 😉). There have been times when I just needed a gentle kick in the butt to sit and write that review that had me procrastinating for days. So I kicked my own rear and set to work, and as if by magic, the words flowed...until, one day, it didn't work anymore. That's when I realised I HAD to take a break from the very thing I love to bits and want to do till the last day of my life. Luckily, I had enough posts scheduled to take that break without disappearing - I only lacked a couple or three non-review posts in order to be able to go on a month-long hiatus, and they were relatively easy to write. I'm sure I would have hated to leave my blog unattended for weeks...But the fact is, when you need a break, you should know better than not listening to your tired brain (and body).
Day by day, blogging IS the thing that keeps me going. My life is full of problems I can't solve (or I don't know how), and miserly with good things - so blogging (and reading) is how I evade, and carve a small place for myself to be creative and connect with the world. But as I said, even that can feel like a weight on your shoulders on occasion. So I don't have advice for you to keep blogging despite life getting in the way or your brain feeling drained at the end of a long, hard day...but I can only tell you this: don't be afraid to take a break. Even if you don't have enough posts to cover for your absence. Don't feel guilty for needing your space and neglecting your blog. Sometimes it can't be avoided, so simply embrace it - and you'll come back bigger and better when the time comes. And, surprise! all the people you left behind will still be there for you when you do - and cheering! 😉
Day by day, blogging IS the thing that keeps me going. My life is full of problems I can't solve (or I don't know how), and miserly with good things - so blogging (and reading) is how I evade, and carve a small place for myself to be creative and connect with the world. But as I said, even that can feel like a weight on your shoulders on occasion. So I don't have advice for you to keep blogging despite life getting in the way or your brain feeling drained at the end of a long, hard day...but I can only tell you this: don't be afraid to take a break. Even if you don't have enough posts to cover for your absence. Don't feel guilty for needing your space and neglecting your blog. Sometimes it can't be avoided, so simply embrace it - and you'll come back bigger and better when the time comes. And, surprise! all the people you left behind will still be there for you when you do - and cheering! 😉
Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of July:
- July 2nd: What are some books you would recommend for vacation reading?
- July 9th: What are some of your favorite books set in other countries?
- July 16th: What are some of your favorite road trip books?
- July 23rd: Fun post: share interesting things about yourself.
I'll be back for the meme on July 23rd, since I don't do seasonal reading, I've only read the random book set in "other countries", and my only road trip book so far is part of a series.
Now tell me something...how do you manage to go on blogging when you feel burnt-out? do you take a hiatus or try to brave it out? and how do you manage to blog at all when life gets in the way?
I'm glad your blog can make you happy, or take some of the burdens of life off your shoulder. 💜 I originally started my blog, because I felt like I didn't have anyone in my life who I could talk to about books to the extent I wanted to - thankfully, that changed, I made friends who love reading, but the blog itself & the friends I made through blogging have helped me A LOT. I love blogging SO MUCH, but yes, it is work, lots and lots of work that sometimes isn't as appreciated as we expected it to.
ReplyDeleteI think for those who are thinking of quitting, it's a great idea to either take a break and see how they feel after (like you said, breaks can really help!), or to list the pros and cons of blogging, and chose whichever option outweighs the other (quitting vs. staying, I mean).
As always, this is a really thoughtful discussion from you! :)
It's great that you had the chance to make those friends IRL too - though I'm sure you won't let go of the ones whom you met through blogging *waves hand* LOL. Seriously, when I see how you and Ruzi bonded from such distant corners of the world, and coming from such different ways of life, it warms my heart.
DeleteBlogging IS hard work that sometimes gets dismissed by the very people who should appreciate it more - authors - and can lead to drama among the bloggers/readers themselves...but in my experiences, it's also rewarding, and one of the best forms of self-therapy. And when it gets harder for some reason, or life gets in the way too much, yes - there are breaks. We're allowed to take them! And, as you said, there are lists. I love lists LOL.
At this point, I really enjoy blogging. I felt more pressure, when I first started, and was trying to do things the way everyone else thought I should. Once I got over that, and was doing the things I enjoyed, it didn't seem like a chore, and I look forward to drafting my posts.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky, because as much as I love blogging, sometimes I get lazy and don't feel like drafting them at all...but thank goodness I always find my mojo back. I can see how passionate you are, because it always seems a miracle to me that you manage to put forth 5/6 posts a week, what with your brutal commute/working hours. I want to be you when I grow up LOL.
DeleteYou know all of my blogging ups and downs lol but the truth is that I always miss it and the people if I stay away too long.
ReplyDeleteThere's just nothing IRL that feels as rewarding to me. It's so weird but when things happen - bloggers are the first ones I want to share it with. And they are the most supportive!
I'm so glad you are still here even if it's stressful at times and that it's an escape for you.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Blogging IS hard, even when you do your best not to treat it as a job, but it's, indeed, rewarding...even for people like me who don't have many friends/readers. So, I suppose the best thing you can do is to step back for a while before you get burned out, and to wait for that spark to reignite again. Usually, it doesn't take long...and WE REBEL 😜 🤣.
DeleteI think that, for shy people like us, it's much easier to share things with other people who don't know us in person - plus there's an unwritten rule in the book blog community: don't judge.
Me too...and it's mutual 😘.
I'm with you. Blogging is usually the thing that takes me out of my real life, and I need that pretty consistently to stay grounded. Books have always been my happy place. I never imagined I would love blogging about them so much, but I also can't imagine a point where I would want to give it up now. And I'm SO happy to have friends like you in the blogverse. 💛
ReplyDeleteOnce in a while, the social aspect gets to me. I go through moods where I can't "people" anymore and making conversations feels exhausting, but if that's the case, I just give it a day or two and come back to it. I know I'll feel like it again once I get some rest/food/alone time.
Quote: "And I'm SO happy to have friends like you in the blogverse."
DeleteAwww. Me too! 😘
I don't have issues with the social aspect of blogging, but then again, I have very few friends I talk to on a regular (or semi-regular) basis, while you probably know a lot more people. Then again, it's something that may happen in real life too...and we all need some "me" time. If anything, I'm in awe of your ability of reading AND reviewing so many books, especially since you write such in-deep and insightful reviews. Now THAT takes time and effort, though you make it sound like it's so simple, because your words always seem to flow.
I actually don't have much of a social life outside of family/work. I moved back to my hometown after school, and most of my college friends are scattered around the country. Blogging has really been a nice social outlet. It's a comfort that no matter where I've moved, I've been able to take my virtual friends with me.
DeleteHaha, that's very sweet of you. I get blocked just like everyone else though, and it's been difficult lately. With my reading challenge and my NetGalley queue, I feel like I'm reading practically 24/7, and the reviews I need to write just keep piling up. I think it's a good thing I can't keep up this pace all year round or I'd get burned out.
Quote: "I actually don't have much of a social life outside of family/work."
DeleteI was indeed talking about our virtual social life. I have a feeling that you know/talk to more people than me...
It is! I need to review my books right after reading/rereading them. I've tried to take notes, but I need the actual book to kick me in the butt LOL. If they piled up, I wouldn't be able to review them. #EvenMoreInAwe
Haha, oh that! It's possible. Tumblr and my Goodreads group have lovely book communities. It's by no means an everyday thing though, unless you want it to be.
ReplyDeleteI am having a little trouble with that right now! Even though it was only a week ago, two at the most, that I read it, it's getting harder to summon details/motivation. I want to talk about whatever book I'm reading right now!
LOL, I get it.
DeleteI wonder where you get your patience with your scheduled posts even during a hiatus. I have tried scheduling posts but that only makes me more lazy somehow. Plus, I've always thought if you're taking a break from blogging, you really shouldn't schedule anything. But it is a good way to keep blogging so readers won't miss you.
ReplyDeleteI have never really taken an actual blog break aside from the ones I keep doing on a daily basis. I honestly love blogging but I also kind of hate it sometimes. Often I feel blogging is great but now and then, I would be like Lucy from 'I love Lucy', making that guilty face because it seems I might have done something wrong, if not accidentally.
I've read a lot of blogs where people returns from blog breaks or for not posting for a long while and they apologized as if they did something wrong. But they didn't do anything wrong and they shouldn't apologize at all. There should be no guilt what so ever for not posting even if you take a year off, you shouldn't feel bad about it but we are people with emotions so it's hard not to feel something.
I think my motivation to keep blogging is other people's responds to my posts. I mean, I don't blog for myself, I like readers. I like knowing people read my stuff even if they don't like it and they don't have to like it of course. But it's nice to be read even if by a few people.
Have a lovely day.
Quote: "I've always thought if you're taking a break from blogging, you really shouldn't schedule anything. But it is a good way to keep blogging so readers won't miss you."
Delete"There should be no guilt what so ever for not posting even if you take a year off, you shouldn't feel bad about it but we are people with emotions so it's hard not to feel something."
You're making a lot of sense. But there's something about blogging - especially blogging about books - that brings the anxiety and guilt to the fore. We feel like we'll be forgotten if we don't have a consistent internet presence. We feel like all those amazing books need to be screamed about, and we're doing them a disservice if we don't do it in a timely manner. But I think it's mostly something that happens if you've developed a relationship with authors and publishers, and you're afraid to fall out the loop if you stay away for too long. I mostly blog about backlist books, so I feel less anxious and guilty than some of my fellow bloggers...except I can't avoid feeling that way entirely. The reason why I schedule is that organising things is what I'm best at LOL. But seriously, it's a way to always know where I stand, and not to go too long without posts. On the other hand, if I should feel like I need a hiatus and not have enough posts to cover it, I would go for it anyway. When your mind says "stop", you better listen to it.
Quote: "it's nice to be read even if by a few people."
I know the feeling! 😀