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I've been a book blogger for over a year, but I've been blogging regularly since April, 2000. I've had a blog almost all of the last eleven years, with the exception of a few months here and there. I honestly don't see myself stopping blogging anytime soon!
When I started blogging, I was envious of bloggers who received a lot of books and my goal was to have a book blog of high quality so I could receive books as well. After a few months of having my blog as a top priority I decided that I couldn't continue that way as the practice was becoming joyless, and it was also taking away from my writing time.
I now have a love for my blog because it doesn't overtake my life. I've talked about how I blog before and how planning ahead works well for me. If I didn't blog that way, I don't think I would have continued to blog if I didn't schedule things ahead.
I also stopped worrying long ago about my stats, comments, and whether I'll be placed on a publisher's list. I don't begrudge those that care about those things, but I just don't. I can only worry about so many things in a day, and whether my blog is popular or not just isn't one of them. I know I will focus on networking and things like SEO at some point in the future when I want to use my blog as a networking tool for my writing, but for right now, I'm just going with the flow.
I blog mostly for myself, to keep up with my reading and to press myself to reach my reading goals, and to discuss my progress through my writing journey. That others want to read what I write is thrill enough for me.
How do you maintain your joy for blogging?
I used to look at stats everyday but now I rarely look at them. It takes a lot of pressure off.
ReplyDeleteI don't dwell on stats either. It just takes too much energy.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I am still a stats stalker, but I stopped caring about followers a couple of months ago so there may still be hope.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! When blogging stops becoming fun, is it really worth it? I'll admit, I do check my stats, but I think I'm always going to do things like that. The field I'm entering is social media marketing, so it would be weird if I DIDN'T check stats. However, when a blog starts to overtake your life that isn't good. It should enhance your life. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteHere is my post about blogging!
I sometimes stress out - then I think about the fact that this is supposed to be fun and that helps. Love books - love blogging - just have to find a balance. Happy reading.
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