As a music lover, I always need background music. So feel free to hit play on today's selection.
I have been blogging for exactly 13 days, and it is wearing me out.
I constantly ask myself: What should I write about? Are the page colors too cheesy? How will I increase my traffic? Was the last post incredibly stupid? Am I supposed to have a theme or just go freestyle with this thing? I then "blog stalk" and compare my few posts (and writing skills) to everyone else's hundreds.
So after work yesterday, I went to one of the two places that help me relieve stress. The library. (The other is the bookstore. Big nerd, right?) I read every title in the New Release section when it occurred to me that I was missing the whole point in blogging, I should write about whatever the hell I want to.
If I want to write about not going on a date in months, I will. If I want to write about the last book I read, the last movie or t.v show I watched or my favorite songs, goddamn it, I will. If I want to post pictures of random stuff I see everyday, who's going to stop me? I may want to discuss how my two sons leave their clothes in the middle of the floor, place empty juice bottles back into the fridge and eat like we are facing the apocalypse. (and don't get me started on the whole "pee not quite making it into the toilet bowl issue.")
With that being said, this blog has no real theme. It will be a hodgepodge, "organized mess" if you will, of all things that I feel everyone should know about.
So, now that I've "freed" myself of this ridiculous stress.(You see, this is where the song fits in) Let's get it then.
5 comments:
Hi, Shantel - I LOVE IT!! As much as we think we're different, we're all very much the same! YES, let'er rip because we all want to know that we aren't alone in life. So cheers to your "organized mess", you will find that it matches more decor than you originally thought :).
I am right there with you. I just started blogging "for real" in November and still ask myself a lot of the same questions, but less so now. It took several weeks to realize that what people wanted to read on my blog was MY voice. I have discovered many great bloggers over the last few months and it's a bit of a struggle sometimes to read them and not think "I wish I could be more like that". But then, shockingly, the posts I think are ridiculous, or that I just toss off without thinking about it too much, seem to attract the most readers. I am always surprised and delighted by what people find in my writing. Write away, Shantel! I can't wait to read your "hodgepodge"!
Visiting from NaBloPoMo
how empowering! write on, right on!
Thanks for stopping by ladies. It's always good to know you are not alone. Now get your write on.
I'm hodgepodge too...with a bend toward lifestyle and design. I incorporate a lot of my life into my blog and also objects and art that inspire me. Doing a few posts a week about a great meal, a day out, etc ease the process for me. I also try to spread out and vary between long and short posts.
As for traffic, in the beginning I was a bit obsessed with it. Now I feel that if I really focus on good quality content, I'm happier. I still check my stats daily but not as obsessively. I also do keep active in BlogHer and with other blogging communities, twitter and on my FB page but more with the idea I'm going to share...not just my blog but others too and I limit my time on the social media.
That said I'm thinking of stopping the weekends but the thing is I love the January typewriter NaBloMo pic, I don't want to remove it so maybe I'll wait to Feb? Crazy huh?
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