This is a ranty, jumbly, unimportant post. Just warning you. lol
I love reading and I love blogging and I love the bookish community. That being said, lately I’ve been very blah about it all and it’s been making me feel all sorts of crazy things..such as quitting…which infuriates me because I’m not a quitter. Ok I quit playing lacrosse in 11th grade because I was sick of having a crazy coach who put trash cans on the field and made us run until we threw up…a mini Pat Summit practice it was called.
Anyways, I’ve lost that gusto for it all at the moment. I’m hoping it is just one of those slumps that happens. I pressure myself to read and blog and tweet even when I don’t necessarily want to all the time. Sometimes I’ll finish a book and really just don’t feel like reviewing it…I just want to let the book BE and not even try to put my thoughts to it. But then I stress because I won’t have a review so then I guilt myself into it. It’s CRAZY. Or sometimes I’ll get down about my blog and wish that it was something that it’s not. And again, that’s crazy. I LOVE my readers. I have some kickass people that come to my blog every freaking day and talk books with me and for that..I want to hug them all.
It reminds me of relationships. Everything is great..it’s all fireworks and lovey-dovey awesomeness and then, like a brick falling from 100 feet up, you are hit with the ending of that honeymoon phase. Everything seems like such a struggle and an annoyance and just so not as fun as before…it becomes a bit more work.
Anyways, I keep trying to figure out if it’s just a slump I’m going through or if I’m just not cut out for this consistent blogging thing…I never was good at keep a diary. So bloggers, especially ones who have been doing this a long time, have you ever been in a slump like this..like the “honeymoon phase” has worn off? How do you keep it fresh? How do you keep it fun and not put unnecessary pressure on yourself? I want to fall back in love with blogging again! Or at least definitely know that I am just not cut out for it in the long term. lol
Books for Learning says
I am relatively new at blogging, but sometimes I stop and wonder why I am putting all this time in on something I am not paid a cent to do and not even sure anyone cares. Then, I get an email from a publisher, an author, or reader. It makes me feel (hope) I am making a difference. It gives me hope that my passion and writing will lead to my aspiration. If you have people interacting with you and talking with you about books, you must be making a difference. I do give myself permission to not write on everything I read and to take days off from blogging when I am busy with life. Maybe you need to do that for yourself š
KatieDoll says
Absolutely! I have slumps all the time. And though I never quit, I do cut back at times. Right now, I'm in a slump. I've got so much other stuff going on and my heart just isn't 100% into book blogging right now. But I post when I can. I write reviews when I have time and when I feel like, not when I have to force them. That overwhelming love for blogging ALWAYS comes back to me full force eventually.
So my advice is to just blog when you want. Don't force yourself to post anything to appease anybody. The slump won't last forever! š
Cat the Librarian says
This sounds mean and offensive to my readers, but I don't blog for them – I blog for me. If I don't want to review a book – I simply don't. If I want to ramble on about something other than books, I do. If I want to nerd on about a weird unusual book that no one expects me to read – yeah, I do that too. And some days/weeks/months are better than others posting wise, but I try to only to do the things that I love and enjoy, rather than making it seem like work to myself. I totally understand your slump, good luck!
danya says
I totally understand what you mean about sometimes just reading a book and letting yourself enjoy it without having to review it after. I don't review every book I read by any means because I don't want to have to analyze every single one! Definitely commiserate about the blogging slump, I've been there before and doubtless will be again LOL.
One way I try to keep it fresh is by doing different discussion or feature posts on my blog. Just reviews and the same old memes gets boring after a while and so I've been trying to come up with new things to talk about, topics that I'm actually interested in and excited to hear other bloggers' thoughts on.
Anyway I hope you can get out of the slump soon! š
Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) says
I've been blogging for about 1 1/2 years and only recently have I begun to not enjoy it as much. I actually posted about how I was feeling very overwhelmed with life, work, and blogging. The best advice that everyone kept giving me was to take a step back, take a break, and do whatever it is you have to do.
Blogging is supposed to be fun, but when it becomes a fun-sucker, I think we really just need to take a break. If you miss it or you come back and realize it's still for you, then that's great. But if you don't, then that's okay too.
Blogging consumes a lot of time and a lot of energy and if it's not done out of enjoyment, then I don't think you should do it. I've devoted more time and energy to my blog than to many other things in my life and I did that because I felt strongly about it. Now, I still enjoy it, but I feel obligated to post all the time too. And I need to not feel that way. It needs to be okay for you, for me, and for all other bloggers, to take a break and live our lives outside of the internet, try to enjoy reading without the blogging and posting all the time.
I hope you're able to come out of the slump, Jamie and get back to enjoying blogging š
Jillian says
Haha funny how I recently posted about the exact same thing. I think it's pretty normal for any blogger or any writer to have a slump. For me, I would do exactly this; I would ramble about it. Your readers would like to hear about it. I might also take a break, no longer than a week, and just get back on track the next. It's like working out… you love doing it but sometimes it's so darn tiring. You take a break, hop on it, and next thing you know, you're back in shape. Good luck!
Chachic says
I think it's normal to experience blogging slumps, I've gone through those as well. And then I read a book that makes me excited to write a review and it's back to being in love with my blog. The thing is, you shouldn't pressure yourself to do things that you don't want to. Feel free to cut back if you don't feel like posting as much as you used to. That's what I'm doing now. I used to post everyday but then I decided that I wouldn't want to be pressured by the blog so I just post whenever I can, usually three times (or even less) a week.
Rachel @ Bookshelf Lust says
I go through this a lot myself. I honestly just think like the seasons, it's a cycle. Just like feeling "blah" during cold weather. That personally had a big impact on my blogging, but I digress. I don't think we can all be "pro bloggers". I have friends (on the fashion blogging side) who do it as their job, and they are always exhausted, and burnt out. I take breaks all the time! I have two blogs, and a personal journal for friends, and sometimes I just can't keep up. And don't even get me started on keeping up with emails.
My book blog is new, but blog #1 is nearing 2 years old. Taking breaks is the only thing that's kept me sane/still doing it this long! I love blogging, but when it feels like a chore? It's time to step back. As for missing out on reviews, maybe try what I do: I have a notebook I jot down book feelings and ideas in for review writing later. Whether I post it immediately or not, I can go back to it whenever I actually feel like writing. Sometimes, that's right when I finish. And sometimes, that's 2 months later (or never!). I mean overall, most of us do this because we love reading. It's important not to forget that, and have fun too!
Tahleen says
I feel that way sometimes, and honestly it's not worth being upset about. I usually just take a break and review when I can. Sometimes I don't review a book for a week or more, just because I don't have time or feel like writing a review. I'll post random things, or a meme here and there, but that's all. I actually made a new year's resolution this year to NOT review every book I read; I hate feeling obligated to review something (though I will review a book sent to me by the publisher). Take a break and see how you feel after a week or two. I promise we'll stick with ya!
Sabrina says
Right now I'm going through a reading slump that has affected my blogging. I only review the books I liked and when most of the books you read are just ok there's not much to blog about.
So right now there are not a lot of new posts on my blog (2-3 a week) however I don't want to start doing a meme every day just to post something. I will just go on as usual and maybe blogging less and concentrating on the books I really enjoyed is the perfect way for me.
Madigan McGillicuddy says
I'm kind of in the opposite vein right now, as I'm really enjoying my blog at the moment. But if I was in a slump, especially when working on reviews, here's what I'd do: try blogging about some different topics. Try posting some book related videos or pictures, or heck, even LOL cats. Do some memes, if you haven't. Get somebody to write a guest post with you, or do an interview. Basically, try something different.
That's step one.
Step two: read something outside your normal genre. Something you know you won't be reviewing. When you start to hear your inner reviewer remarking on this or that on how you'll write it up for the blog, take a deep breath and remind yourself that this isn't going on your blog.
Step three: schedule some posts in advance so you can take a little break!
Bibliophile says
I occasionally get very fed up with blogging. It mostly comes out as reviewing fatigue, but I have once or twice not felt like blogging at all. I have discovered that stopping completely for a while, even if I announce I'm taking a break, is a good way to lose readers, so I try to keep up a presence by posting quotations, videos, book-related news items, links, surveys, photos, memes and other material I don't have to spend a lot of time on, just to keep the blog going until I feel like writing again.
I also keep a number of prepared blog posts at the ready to post at such times, so that there will be at least one or two posts per week that show I am still active.
Chrisbookarama says
I don't think I have much more to add that hasn't been already said. Yes, I have slumps. They come and go. Usually I get tired of it and think about quitting then something interesting happens that I want to write about and I'm back at it.
I agree with the commenters that say try something different. Shake it up a bit and don't worry too much about your readers. We're pretty flexible. š
Peppermint Ph.D. says
I agree with Cat…I blog for myself. Period. It is the only thing I really do just for me…Do what you want to do, Jamie…like Chris said, "readers are pretty flexible"…it's not about us anyway š Hang in there š
Ginger @ GReads! says
Jamie, if you ever have doubts about blogging & reading to review – then that's when you need to take a break from it all & just step back. Come back to all of this when you're ready again. I told myself if I ever felt like my blog was a job, then I know it would be time to put it on hold for awhile. Fortunately I have not felt that way… yet.
The wonderful thing about books, they'll be here when you're ready for them. And the even greater thing about friends, they'll be here too.. š <3
Meredith says
I deliberately try to schedule "blog vacations" throughout the year. We all need vacations from our real life – why should our blogging life be any different? Don't feel as if you have to quit. Just take a step back, take a few deep breaths and do whatever you want to do for awhile. There are no rules that say you have to blog a certain amount of times per week or write a certain amount of rules – your blog can be whatever you want it to do and the only rules are the ones you make for yourself. Though I know it's easier said than done, cut yourself a break and make up some new rules.
I also try to purposely read books I won't review every now and then. If I've read a lot of review books, I'll take a week or two and just read whatever I want. I feel like I'm getting away with something sneaky and then I'm ready to go back to blogging.
Good luck – I hope whatever you decide, you'll keep this blog as an archive of all the great stuff you've written so far.
Library Gal says
I'm with you in the slump dept- I'm there now. I'm not reading or reviewing at the moment. I guess the best thing to do is just accept that it's okay not to post, read or review if we don't feel like it……
I love what Ginger said above- totally perfect.
Kelly says
You've gotten some really great advice already š I definitely know what you're going through. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to blog or write reviews. I've noticed that this usually happens when I have a lot going on in my personal life and am really stressed out. When that happens, I usually just take a step back and focus on relaxing. Usually after a few weeks I suddenly have an urge to start writing reviews and blogging again. Sometimes it's good to just take a step back from your blog and focus on other things š
Sarah says
I think it's normal. I haven't gone through a blogging slump with my book blog yet, but I definitely have on my personal blog.
I think it's important to not feel pressured to do anything. Don't feel like you have to review every book you read, don't feel like you have to post a certain number of times per week. If it feels like a chore, it's not going to be fun anymore. Plus, you maintain your blog AND help out on TB&TB blog, so you're doubly overworked.
I actually feel this way about Goodreads lately. I love GR, but I'm just too lazy to go on everyday and keep up with the 4 different groups I participate in. I miss one day and I'm SO behind in the discussions and such. Lately I've been ignoring the groups and only log on to switch what books I'm currently reading.
Your blogging slump makes me feel less guilty about my GR slump. I guess I should take my own advice, and not stress about logging on if I don't feel like it.
Also, we're SOOO bombarded with social media (blogging, facebook, goodreads, twitter, etc.) It's really understandable to take a break. Maybe you should take a social media detox break? Spend like a whole week, or weekend, not doing any of that stuff online. A mini-vacation from the internet might make you feel a bit refreshed :o)
Hope you start to feel better about it soon! I completely understand if you take a hiatus or just start being lazy about blogging in general, but I do like your blog so I hope you don't quit it completely. That's just me being selfish.
The1stdaughter says
I absolutely go through reading/blogging slumps. It's inevitable and I try not to beat myself up over it too much. Recently I've been having one. I think a lot of it has to do with having too much to read, too many choices, and too many obligations. My husband is the one that usually tempers my anxiety over it all by telling me to remember it's not a job, it's a blog. And though we've made commitments…it's not something we're getting paid to do. It's something that should be fun and if it's not…take some time off and come back. If I take a few days away and forget about it all that usually tends to help. Also, finding a really good book usually gets me back into my groove again.
Good-luck! I know it's difficult, but if you decide to step away I think we will all understand…though we'll definitely miss you! ;o)
Annette says
I think your comparison to a relationship is accurate. I'm still new, but I've often wondered when I'm going to hit that slump. Good luck. Don't make yourself miserable about it.
Nina B. says
I think I may be experiencing that slump right now, but not really because I'm tired of blogging, but because I'm really busy and have difficulty finding the time for blogging. But I still try and put up a few posts – I'm trying to make the relationship work š
Brush Up On Your Reading
bookspersonally says
Thanks for this very open post- as a newish blogger, so interesting to hear everyone's (very excellent) advice. I do think you have to be true to yourself and write what you want to write about, it really helps to feel excited about something you are reading and really want to share (sometimes it's a downer being between really great reads), and it always helps when the feedback is positive… at any rate here you have a great bunch of people and we all enjoy your blog, whenever you post!
christina says
There's something in the water man! Seriously. I know of about six other bloggers that are experiencing the same blahs that I am.
It'll pass. Eventually. Just take a break Your readers will still be around. š
I Eat Words says
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like this. Luckily, I have a partner to run the site with, but we are BOTH still really busy with life and work. I started realizing I was reading just to get it over with and review, and once I realized that I started to read slower and actually enjoy the book. We also try new things, like video reviews and new memes. Not everything should always circle around reviews. It's your site, so have fun!
Bethany says
If you're tired of blogging, take a break until you feel ready to do it again. It can get stressful, and there's no reason to put so much pressure on yourself that you end up hating the thing that you used to love.
For what it's worth, I lovelovelove your blog and don't want you to go anywhere! But, you have to do what's best for you. *hug*
Kate says
I have slumps a lot. I haven't been blogging for that long- but everyonce in awhile I just get so tired of writing the reviews and participating in the memes and what not, that I just get overloaded and have to take a break. Usually I just warn my readers that I'll be MIA for a bit and eventually a book will get my attention and drag me back in.
I try to remember that the blog is for me more then anyone else and if I need a break that's okay!
Kelly says
I don't have much to add to this conversation, since everyone else has already said great things that I would've said. Like so many other bloggers, I know what you're going through, because I've been going through a major slump for a while now (which actually leads me to believe that maybe it's not a slump, but a sign that I should no longer blog). I loved blogging at first, and even though I was fairly active, I decided I wanted to be more active, so I was posting more and commenting more. I did that for a few weeks, but it took up so much time–hours sometimes–that it got to be too much. I've found that I don't enjoy working all day, then coming home and spending an hour or two blogging, plus doing housework, making my lunch for the next day, and then going straight to bed. It wasn't relaxing; it felt more like I was doing more work after getting home from work.
I posted about it on my blog, and got no responses. I took a break for a couple of weeks, and I've been posting again, but not nearly as much. Recently, I also lost a reader, and I've posted a couple of reviews that no one has commented on. As it turns out, the majority of the comments I receive come from memes, which I don't participate in anymore because I don't enjoy them. So I was already in a slump, and then these things happened, and it makes me lean toward not blogging at all that much more. On top of that, there are so many other things I would rather focus on that blogging is no longer a priority for me, and it's not something I'm purposely making time for.
For now, I'm sticking with it, since I have to review a couple of books that come out in May and June, but after that, who knows? I like the advice everyone else has been giving you. Thanks for posting about this. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who is feeling this way.
Midnyte Reader says
I am so glad you posted this. I definitely feel like I'm in a slump at times. Reading everyone's replies and advice, I must say I agree with everyone and I feel so much better!
TNBBC Super Mod says
God, you always have so many dang comments here! How could you want to give this up?
I am currently in the same slump. It's not that I've lost my love for it. It's more like I've burned my brain out on new and fresh ideas to keep the blog posts coming… I am going longer and longer without posting something simply for the LACK of something to post about.
My reading has even taking a nose dive, I am not finding the time or the motivation at the moment. I would like to think that it's because I am sick of all the cold and snow and dying inside for spring – true spring – to get here.
Maybe the reviving warmer weather will breathe new life into our motivation, huh???
Orchid says
(forguvene if anything sounds loopy in this comment, I just took some benedryl and should really be in bed.)
Luckily I haven't hit a blogging slump. I think the main reason for that would be that I don't take on more things then I know that I can handle at a time (plus i keep my schedule pretty open).
While I haven't hit a slump, I think that if you find yourself needing to take a step back from blogging you should (so as not to turn yourself off of something you like), plus no one's going to hold it against you for needing a break.
Best of luck with shaking off the blogging slump. ^_^
Orchid
The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
Heather R. says
I've been feeling like this lately myself and have been trying to figure out a way to get past it because I don't want to quit either! I think I got into this slump because the book I've been trying to read has been boring me to pieces. I also just feel so rundown from life in general. I hope you get through your slump though because you are such a lovely part of the blogging community!
Becky (Page Turners) says
I have been blogging for two years with 2 major breaks and little slumps as well. Its natural. Life catches up with you and you need a break – my advice is if you are in a slump just forget about blogging. Easy. We will all still be here when/if you come back to it. Life is too short to worry about blogging if you don't feel like it.
Nina B. says
It's great that you have a post like this. My honeymoon period with blogging is now wearing off and I am currently debating whether to continue blogging or not. I really love books and I really love blogging, but sometimes it just gets too much, especially when I was not yet blogging, I would gush about a book I've just read and would go read it again and again 'til I get tired of it, but now, whenever I finish a book, all I ever think of is the work I need to put in to write a review about it. It just gets too tiring sometimes.
Thank you so much for writing this post, as well as for the comments it gained. It's helping me sort things out – it hasn't changed my mind about this 'slump' but at least I know I'm normal š I'll deal with this with the positivity that I gained from reading this post and other bloggers' perspectives š