Hey there.
It's been a while since I
posted, hasn't it? And to be honest, I'm not sure I'll be posting
again anytime soon. Maybe I will—I'd like to think I that I will.
But if you know me, you know I have a tendency to aim high and crash
low. When I tried to revamp this blog last year, I had grand plans
for it. I was going to get involved on all kinds of social media
networks—Instagram, Twitter, Bloglovin', etc—and gain a vast army
of followers, who would all click on my blog's tasteful, relevant ads
and earn me gobs of money.
Didn't work out that way—and
serves me right.
For one thing, I didn't put
in the work. Oh, I did some research on successful blogging, making
money, etc. But the spark fizzled out fast—and once the spark
fizzles, the passion dies and the wheels stop turning. It takes more
than a solitary spark to achieve success. 1% inspiration, 99%
perspiration, people! ;)
In that moment I realized
that it wasn't worth it, to me, to do the actual work and research. I
can't spend hours every day on the computer networking, reading and
commenting on blogs, or writing several posts a week. I have an
energetic almost-three-year-old that doesn't sit still and doesn't
like competing with the computer for attention (unless he's watching
Peter Rabbit). I'm a slow writer and I can't churn out posts in the
amount of time I have available to me without sacrificing something
more important—my quiet time in the morning, family time in the
evening, or time with Dean during the day. I do have time to
write—but not enough to fuel the sort of endeavor I was attempting.
And anyway, wasn't I resolving this New Year's to spend less time
on the computer and more time in the "real world"?
(Not criticizing any
hard-core bloggers out there—for me, personally, too much
time on the computer saps my energy and concentration and makes me
feel like a zombie. That's just me.)
That said, I would
like to start blogging again. This time, though, I want to set more
realistic expectations for myself. So, I'm not trying to make money
here. (If it grows into that, great, but that's no longer my
objective.) I'm not going to post three or four times a week—probably
only once (twice if I'm feeling cocky). I don't even know what my
niche is, or if I'll ever develop one—that'll take care of itself.
At this point, this blog is
of no interest to anyone at all except a couple of my immediate
family members, one or two friends, and...myself. Mostly myself. :P
That's OK. I want to write, and the only way to start writing is
to...wait for it...start
writing. It's really the practice I need, in order to meet my other
writing-related goals. Of course if you want to tag along, I'd be
overjoyed to have you. A writer needs an audience, and, of course,
friends to chat with along the way.
Bravo Christa! I personally much prefer hearing your everyday stories of mothering and family making. Just enjoy it. I look forward to whatever the future holds!
ReplyDeleteRachael Stahr
Thanks, Rachael! I think I prefer writing about kids and homemaking and all that stuff, too. Hopefully that'll be more fun and less stressful. I think it will. :)
DeleteBlogging IS a lot of work. I'm a slow writer, too, and trying to post even just once a week can be really difficult sometimes...and I don't even have a family to take care of like you do!! Seriously, Crista. Don't feel bad that you haven't been posting as often as you had planned. It's totally understandable. But don't give up either. You're an excellent writer, and I love your blog. Just write about the things you enjoy, when you have time for it, and don't stress over it. I will definitely be tagging along. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I agree with Rachael Stahr. I love your everyday stories about mothering and etc. (With pictures of Dean, of course! ;)) And for the record, this post itself was very enjoyable to read, because it's just so you. And I can relate to it a lot, too. (The whole computer zapping your energy and making you feel like a zombie thing? Haha. That's me like right now. ;))
Looking forward to future posts! Love you! :)
Thank you, Miss March! Sage advice. :) Glad you enjoy the blog...and I can promise more Dean pics and other Dean-related posts coming soon. I have LOTS of pictures to catch up on!!
ReplyDeleteLove you too!