To Blog or Not to Blog

Some refreshing honesty came my way today from a friend who is a virtual assistant and writer. She gave me my first paid writing job many years ago, now. She admitted in a blog post that she’s tired of blogging. She’s been blogging consistently for six years plus and is word weary. It appears that I am too by the dearth of posts over the last year or so.  A similar thing happened with an author who sends a weekly newsletter for other authors. It was just too much and she took a significant break before resuming this past week.

Any writing exercise (blogging, newsletters, social media) can become a grind even when writing is what you love to do. Conventional wisdom says authors need to blog consistently and post regularly on social media to build their audience and keep their current audience engaged. But what happens when the well goes dry and you feel like you’ve eked out the last drops of engrossing text? It’s time to take a break. Maybe a month or maybe longer. There’s nothing wrong with a break. Life is always in flux and as circumstances change. Sometimes your writing time is condensed or even evaporates.  Both have happened to me at different times—and it’s okay.

So, if you’re dreading coming up with next week’s post or, consider what would happen if it didn’t get written. No. The earth won’t stand still and the sun will still rise and set as usual. Your readers won’t run off and desert you. They're busy too. You have permission to take a break and breathe. Get outside. Have lunch with a friend. Do something out of the ordinary for yourself. Recharge and find inspiration away from your laptop.
I’ll be attending (Lord willing) a Sisters in Crime meeting this Saturday and the topic is oddly enough, inspiration. A notebook is tucked into my purse for this one. I need all the help I can get and suspect others do too. Talking to other writers is always a help when you’re scrounging for a bright idea. They understand the pain.

What I’ve learned in my break from blogging is that first of all, it was needed. It took some pressure off and I could concentrate on research and writing the next book. There were also some lovely life events that filled my days with joy and it was good not to have to think about a blog or sometimes writing at all. (Appalling, right?)

Now, that a new year has begun, will I blog again? I think so—as time permits and topics catch my attention. I’ll take it as it comes with no firm plans. What about you?
 
 

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