Woe is me…tales from a whiny blogger with a case of the doldrums

 

Not sure if anyone has noticed but it’s been a little quiet over here in BGIM land, yeah part of it was the fact that mini me has been home on spring break and we have been having fun. Nine non-stop days of having an energetic 6 year old home doesn’t leave one with much time to write but the other part is that I am in what I have come to call my quarterly blogging doldrums. It seems in the past year that at least a few times a year, I find myself questioning whether I should go the way of bloggers I used to adore and walk away from this space. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy writing and would still write my monthly column for the local arts publication, but to be honest this blogging stuff is well…frankly depressing at times.

The game has changed and yeah, I have said it before but no sooner than I think I might have a handle on it, boom…it changes again. I didn’t plan on writing today but this piece came across my twitter timeline from a blogger I adore and it really hit home what has been bugging me. Damn it! I am a blogger without a niche in a world that says have a niche or else. Funny thing is if I wrote about what I am an expert at, chances are most of y’all wouldn’t be reading me. I mean really, do you want to know the ins and outs of the non-profit sector? With over 15 years in the non-profit sector specifically the human services end and a consulting practice working with agencies that have revenues under a quarter of a million dollars, I definitely am an expert on something. Yet for the most part, this space has been my creative space, my place to more or less not talk about the work that I live and breathe 24/7 that helps put the cornpone on the table.

The thing about blogging today barring having a very specialized niche is that you need time to hustle and be on your game. Gone are the days when you write your post and bam, folks will read you. You need to tweet, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and probably something else I am forgetting. Gone are the days when readers felt such a sense of loyalty to a blogger that they might consider dropping a tip in the tip jar. The survey I conducted some time back made it  clear that for many blog readers, they have so many choices of good stuff that the idea of paying for any of it makes little sense…trust me I understand.  As a local Mama blogger and friend said to me the other day when we were hanging out while our kiddos played, the reality is if you plan on making any money at blogging, at the very least you need to look at it like a job and put in the time comparable to a job, a part time one at the very least and I think that is true. Yeah, I tweet a bit but that’s something I can fit in while working as I often do…the beauty of having a 140 character limit is you can fire off thoughts in a moment or so. My reality though is that my time is limited, so I am starting to look at ways I can feed my need to write but not feel like I am losing at this blog game. It costs money to maintain this space and takes time; time I am thinking might be spent writing something that can be shaped into a manuscript.

Of course no sooner than I think it’s time to call it a day, I am suddenly moved to post but who knows what the future holds. Funny thing about life is making plans doesn’t always work with the way life actually happens. Anyway just a day of blogger doldrums and feeling a bit woe is me, of course I can just blame this on those silly hormones that have me craving spicy hot chips as I await that arrival of that most unwelcomed monthly guest that pisses me off.

PS: I fully own that this post might sound whiny and like sour grapes but hey it’s gray, rainy and just a blah kind of day and even the ever-joyful are entitled to a bad day.

3 thoughts on “Woe is me…tales from a whiny blogger with a case of the doldrums”

  1. You aren’t alone. Those blahs are hard…and I’m 110% with you on the alone time. My husband travels a lot for work, and he gets time away. Sometimes I just want to sit and do absolutely nothing. It’s not really “nothing” by definition, but it recharges my batteries. We all need that time.

  2. Thanks, right now while we are on almost solid financial ground, I admit if I were able to actually earn something from blogging it would make it easier to do things like visit family. Our families are in Chicago and Arizona, which for 3-4 of us coming from Maine can be a bit much. In any event, my loud mouth isn’t going too far.

    Like you I am impressed by folks who do make it work for them, but the reality is as I am learning I don’t have enough hours in the day to earn money with this. I am fond of sleeping, reading and just being when I am not with the family or work.

  3. Thank you for telling us what is on your mind. Of course if you went away I would miss you, but I won’t start to panic unless you threaten to take off from tweeting.

    I’ve written constantly since I could write. I remember being labeled a “writer” at age 8. Blogging was a great way to continue to write. I haven’t felt much pressure nor necessity to monetize my writing so all this “niche” and work stuff just passes me by. Every now and then I feel foolish I’m not turning my talents into a cash cow, but then again that’s someone else’s idea, priority, etc., not mine.

    I am impressed by those who make a job of it and make it work for them. I hope you can [continue to] find whatever works for you. Maybe I’ll go look for your tip jar.

Comments are closed.