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Welcome to our weekly BlogAnon meeting where we confess a particular blogging sin and turn to you for support, suggestions and that blogging bond so we know we're not all alone. Don't be shy. Read along and let us know if you identify with us this week.
Is it a summer slump that causes such apathy? Is it contagious? Harmful? Whatever it is, I have seen lots of posts out there in the blogosphere the last few months from bloggers who are in a funk. Myself included. Last week I talked about tips for capturing ideas for future moments of blank slate syndrome. I'm not talking about a lack of ideas now though. I'm talking about being uninspired to bother with any of them at all.
When you lose your blogging mojo, what do you do? It happens to everybody in the blogosphere. We aren't machines. This isn't a job. It is for many of us a hobby, something to do for fun, to meet people, or to build confidence in talents we're reluctant to unveil in the real world. So when the fun stuff becomes a chore, that's a problem.
When my mojo decides to take a vacation, so do I. I step away from the blog. I step away from the feed reader too. No Twitter. No Google chats. No e-mail. No Facebook. Well, OK, I'm not even on Facebook. But you get the idea. For the most part, I just take a cue from my missing mojo and give myself a break too. I don't stress out or go looking for that mojo. I go my own way and let it come back to me when it is ready.
Now - a prolonged lack of mojo can spell death to a blog, if you care about such things. I do care about such things. I can't help it. I like having visitors stop in, even if they don't always say hello. And I'm not going to apologize for it either. I know many of you don't care. You blog for you and you alone. And that is just as valid an attitude too. Either way, an extended mojo vacation means that it is trying to tell you something.
Sometimes what that absent mojo is saying is that this blogosphere is not so fun anymore - and you need to give it up and stick to living your life beyond the blog. Sometimes it means that you are just stuck in a rut and need to shake things up a bit - become braver, or more active or more focused in whatever it is you want to do out here. Sometimes it doesn't mean anything deep. It is just a reminder to get those priorities back where they belong - on the real world around you every now and then. After all, face to face living is good for the soul - and the mojo too.
What do you do to get Mr. Mojo Risin'?
18 comments:
I still haven't quite figured out how to get the mojo risin. I've been in a slump for months when it comes to writing posts. I've been reading a lot though. I'm going to see 2 nights of Phish at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. Maybe that will pull me out of my slump!!!
My mojo just keeps going down, down, down. I'm expecting it to wink out one of these days!
I've been really busy this summer, so my mojo has been lacking in the blogging department. I make the time to post on my site, but I have to admit to not wanting to visit many other blogs each night. I try to do an hour's worth, but it never seems enough to thank others for coming to my site.
I don't have any great answers on how to overcome that, but I am hoping winter brings me back into returning comments more often.
I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas either. I wouldn't say my mojo was way off but I definitely don't have the enthusiasm I had even six months ago. I've observed the same thing on most of the blogs I follow.
I'm blaming it on the very hot weather in North America as well as to the general need to take vacations. I'm planning to take some time off in a few weeks. I want to use that time to do some brainstorming on changing up my blog a bit. I think I'm just in a rut.
My rut extends to reading which is a problem for a book blogger. Right now I just feel like reading the easy stuff. That doesn't leave much substance to write decent reviews.
Thanks for sponsoring the BlogAnon meeting. I liked the cookies.
Molly, yes we did talk about this before. My mojo comes and goes. When it leaves, I make no special effort to get it back. I just let it happen. Sometimes it's gone for much longer than I'd like, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. I just ride it out until something comes along and I feel like posting again.
I think like you I like to take a break, I do however find inspiration in the weirdest places. Like my post on the little bird who fell out of the nest... I draw a lot on experience for my posts so it's hard sometimes when all you have to post about is cleaning up vomit since 4 am this morning... as in today!!! eeewww!
I agree; take a break. Better no content than crap content. But keep watch for things that inspire you.
I don't know! I guess in a way I want to write about stuff but I'm sure folks will find it a bore so I just don't put the effort in.
I am constantly in the entertainment news section so I was thinking of doing a weekly celebrity hottty. Like a showcase but I don't know if folks would be into it :)
Thoughts?
I'm taking a blog-cation and taking care of real life :)
but you are right. My traffic is down to less than 10 a week--will it come back when I start blogging again?
Hmm. Sometimes I am uninspired, especially in the past few months because I've got a lot going on. But I love my visiting blogging friends too much to completely stop. Challenges keep me on task as far as reading goes and the weekly quiz date keeps me honest.
I stopped stressing out about writing 5-6 posts a week. If four is all I've got I'm okay with that!
Oh, I am so there sister. Bleck. I'm behind on my reviews because I'm not feeling clever, I struggle to make my rounds to people's blogs, I'm not in a good reading routine. I think it is just the fatigue of summer. I am certain this shall pass after I get back into my routine...
I unplug. And then I feel guilty. And then I worry that folks will be bored. And then I panic, because after all what could I possibly say that would interest anyone? Round and round and round it goes...
I'm often in a blogging rut, mostly because I feel bad not having time to visit other blogs, and that is a thing I want to do, because like you I also like to have visitors on my own.
Thanks for the post, Molly. So good to know I am not alone in this feeling! My reading mojo isn't lacking, it's just the will to write any decent posts. Hopefully all this will pick up in September. Have a great weekend whatever you do.
Oh dear...this couldn't be more prescient. See tomorrow's post for more information on this subject. :)
p.s. your book is on its way!
Everyone needs a break once in a while. Just because you blog doesn't mean you're married to it--and even if you were you should be allowed to a take break. Then you can come back refreshed. :)
Personally I've inspired lately by judging for BBAW. Seeing what a broad range of bloggers do has given me some ideas of what I do and don't want to do, and how to be more creative and unique with my writing.
My blogging mojo depends on the books I read, and what I have going on outside of the blog, like work and other hobbies. Sometimes the books I am reading are not so great or uninspiring, so why blog about them. Other times work is so busy, I don't want to look at the computer when I get home. I did that all day.
And yes, sometimes blogging seems like a chore. That's when I try to visit other people and leave and comments. It can be inspiring. I will say the summer so far has been a killer for a lot of things. So hot that I just want to come home, get naked, and sit in front of a fan while the air conditioner is on.
So if I'm not feeling the blog thing, I take a break, but not for long. Just for a few days,a nd then I ususally bounce right back.
My secret to not losing my mojo is that I blog about a subject that I am really passionate about. I used to have a home dec blog and while it was successful, writing each post was torture for me. I love the subject, love to create, but hated doing tutorials and all that. It was killing my creative mojo to have to stop and take pictures of every step.
Since I switched gears back to book blogging, I have to hold myself back. There are tons of things that I want to post about, take part in, and share. It is easy, because I am passionate about it.
Tina Frey's "Blogging for Bliss" is what lead me to switch gears and for that book, I will always be grateful.
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