THE WRITING ASYLUM

Blogging Every Day vs Having Fun

Blogging is hard work… but does it have to be? Sure blogging gurus suggest this and that. The biggest advice they offer is to pump out shit (my words, not theirs) every day or at the very least every other day. Like many, I have attempted to follow this golden rule several times and every time I wind up wanting to quit altogether. But here I am doing it again like a cat that won’t take no for an answer.

Blogging on Medium

My current try to post daily is on Medium. Medium is like Twitter and WordPress having a love child or YouTube for writers. Two weeks in… how do people come up with constant ideas? I’ve dribbled, I’ve bitched, I’ve recycled content from my blogs. The ability to upload posts from my blogs drove me to try Medium, to extend my reach.

My aim is to post most days something to Medium and give the platform a damn good try before I commit to paying for a year. Giving my best includes engaging socially on the platform. For a lurker, this is challenging and probably good for me. And damn it, I’m enjoying it! (click here to follow me)

Medium: The Highs and The Lows

So now, the Debbie Downer. Starting any platform is a series of highs and lows. Every follower is a WOOHOO. But sometimes the potential followers can’t be enticed despite your effort to engage. Last night I hit a low. Bring out the bloody stringed violin.

Medium creates a fixation on the goal of 100 followers. Once 100+ followers are conned… er achieved, writers can apply to be paid peanuts. Reaching the 100 Club is motivation and a motivation killer. My follower count was stuck at 34 all day… all freaking day. I posted, I commented, and I stalked. FUDGE CAKES! 

Getting ready for bed, I grumbled, I swore, and I wailed like a toddler  — actually, I did none of those things, but I did ponder. When I started my WordPress blogs years ago, I knew growth would be slow. It’s like planting seeds in the garden. Seeds take forever to take hold and become established.

One Blogging Rule to Rule Them All

Juggling, two blogs, a writers’ group, and health-related stuff, 2022 became the Year of the Burnout. So many projects and commitments vs so many hours in a day. Something needed axing for my sanity. 

The Writing Asylum blog was on the chopping block (I blogged about it here). As many writing gurus explained before me, followers of a writing blog are not the same audience as your fiction fans. Crossover is there, but it’s minimal. This is the reasoning behind my two blogs, one for readers, and the other for writers. Posting quality stories on The Writing Asylum every week is taxing on time. 

At the burnout crossroad, something had to give. Joy evaporated from everything. Activities I once loved became chores. I seemed to be achieving nothing. So I gave myself a talking to, and it went a bit like this —

What if you only engage in what you enjoy? What if you only posted to The Writing Asylum when you have something to share? Who cares how often you post? Hardly anyone follows. Write for you. Fuck em. If people want to follow your madness —Yay! If not, cool, document your thoughts for you. Whatever you do, have fun. And stop crying over the botched final season of Game of Thrones.

Tannille’s thoughts

My “one blogging rule to rule them all” rose from the burnout ashes. Demanding joy extended to all aspects of my life. Of course, some tasks are non-negotiable. Chores are an unfortunate part of life. Keeping up with basic hygiene is a must — I’m no skank, sorry to disappoint. As a result, I’ve been quite productive this year and keep a smile on my face. Ok, a smirk.

I understand why we are advised to post frequently. I’ve also read the blogging world is saturated with content and quality is now better than quantity for SEO (Google search). Medium’s social media aspect might require frequent content? The key is to write.

Takeaway

Having fun slows the production line, but blogging is a marathon, not a race. Think of blogging as a never-ending story (clap to you if The NeverEnding Story movie theme is stuck in your head). Write good content and let the baby grow. I forgot about my “have fun” rule as I dove head-first into Medium. Writing regularly doesn’t necessarily mean writing every day. I need to slow down, have fun, and let my new infant blog grow into her own. On a high note, I woke up to two more followers and was just alerted of another one — WOOHOO. Let the high continue.