Last week I lamented what some may call ‘blogger burnout’ or writer’s block, or a mid-life crisis. Or I called it ‘settled in’. Blogging has become familiar and unmotivating (and ditto for what my posts actually say, at least to me).
I’ve pondered this and come up with a list of things that keep us energized for projects and roles in life:
- Talking or working with other people
- Maintaining goals or concrete visions
- Working from to-do lists or ‘next actions’
Well, guess what…none of these really apply to blogging:
- I am working solo
- My blog is a side-project, not a goal
- There is not a ‘to-do’ list of coming posts
This is true of nearly all blogs. No wonder it is easy to get settled in or burned out. This is a fact of life for a blogger.
What I have resorted to (and was suggested by Ben) is looking at subjects to branch-out to or re-evaluating the kind of posts I make. There is a lot more I could easily write about in my day-to-day job, but I don’t want to say too much about what goes on internally here. (An interesting trap I’ve created for myself.)
The other challenge with new sub-topics is that doing so requires new and more intense focus, as well as significantly more work in creating original content. And because they are new topics, finding exactly what to say can become a cause of writers block. I am hoping that short ‘theme weeks’ could be manageable.
The good news is that sub-topics would be mini-goals…that would create to-do lists, satisfying two of my three motivators! Guess I’ll just have to resort to talking to myself to satisfy the first condition. 😉 Doesn’t completely solve the settled-in feeling, but it does keep things fresh and a little challenging.
When I started my blog I worried about eventually running out of topics, so I deliberately kept it fairly broad. I lost something on the specificity front but gained a backlog of 200+ ideas for entries.
When I started my blog I worried about eventually running out of topics, so I deliberately kept it fairly broad. I lost something on the specificity front but gained a backlog of 200+ ideas for entries.
Dave — I think it’s great that you’re looking for new ideas, looking to branch out.But I would disagree with one point: blogging is ALL about communication with others, meeting others. I can’t tell you how many valuable/interesting people I’ve gotten in touch with because of my blog (including you: my blog led me to look for other blogs, and I found yours.)Blogging isn’t about writing stuff, publishing it and having people read it, it’s about creating a dialogue and community. Sounds cheesy perhaps, but it’s true, and over time it can work.You should visit Successful-Blog’s open mic night (http://www.successful-blog.com) — it’s run every Tuesday night and see what blogging has done for some of us.Good luck and stay in touch!
Dave — I think it’s great that you’re looking for new ideas, looking to branch out.But I would disagree with one point: blogging is ALL about communication with others, meeting others. I can’t tell you how many valuable/interesting people I’ve gotten in touch with because of my blog (including you: my blog led me to look for other blogs, and I found yours.)Blogging isn’t about writing stuff, publishing it and having people read it, it’s about creating a dialogue and community. Sounds cheesy perhaps, but it’s true, and over time it can work.You should visit Successful-Blog’s open mic night (http://www.successful-blog.com) — it’s run every Tuesday night and see what blogging has done for some of us.Good luck and stay in touch!
I appreciate your thoughts on this topic – as I am experiencing the same feelings.
I appreciate your thoughts on this topic – as I am experiencing the same feelings.