Why this discussion now? I think this is something we all end up asking ourselves at some point. And I’m sure most by this time have already experienced a lot of the ups and downs that make up the blogger’s life. But we can’t deny that sometimes the downs just seem so low, and they appear so often, they make us think about quitting altogether.
The Cons
Life gets in the way
It just does! And I know the drill is to set time apart for blogging, but the thing is, as much as we’d like to think we’re super cool having our blogs as a priority, they’re just… not. Even when we fall over ourselves to deliver and be there and show up. When push comes to shove getting that degree is more important, spending time with our families is more important… And that’s okay. That’s perfect.
But it is something we have to deal with. The fact that we’re not always going to be able to show up. Like we’ve discussed other times before. Blogging just bleeds into our lives in a way that it’s very hard to say like ‘I’m going to dedicate two hours to blogging’. Blogging is with us all the time, but we’re not always right there with it.
You put so much work, and don’t see any ‘results’
Always frustrating, isn’t it? It depends on what you’re expecting, but in any way, it usually ends up in disappointment. You fall into a sort of existential crisis about why you’re still doing this, and why you should even continue. In fact, you come to read posts like this one in hopes that it will give you the push in the right direction (I’m sorry, I can’t do that for you!).
It starts getting too competitive and that can get you down
Related with the above point. It’s not only that you’re not getting results. Other people seem to have gotten those results, and in even less time. What is it? Sorcery?! You’d rather be chill and be happy for them and do your own thing, but why is it so hard?! You can’t stop thinking about what you must be doing wrong, what you’re missing. And it messes you up. It messes up your blogging motivation, your attitude towards the community, and even your content; struggling to ‘measure up’.
There’s a point when other blogs stop making you feel happy and inspired, and just plain get you down. What’s up with that?!
And don’t get me started on the competition for ARCs. We all know how that’s going.
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Why in spite of everything, we continue doing it
We love getting comments
Don’t tell me each time there’s a comment notification waiting for you, your heart doesn’t make a flip. We love hearing about those darling humans that take the time to share their thoughts on our blog. It means the world, and this alone sometimes makes it all worth it.
We’ve put so much work into it!
I have considered quitting the blog at least twice before. Both times, I had joining someone else at their blog as a less stressful option, because I didn’t want to quit completely. But I never did quit.
The fact that I’d made it to where I am, not much progress, but still, not where I started, always stopped me. We know we’ve put blood, sweat and tears into our little corners of the internet. We’ve made the graphics, we’ve come up with the titles, written the content, coordinated the design, networked… It’s like a mini business that doesn’t actually make any profit XD. But it’s still our work, and it pains us to leave it behind.
It’s become part of our lives
Remember I said it bleeds into our lives? Yes, it does.
We love being able to say we our bloggers. It’s part of our identities. Not all that we are, but an important part of it. Because of all the work we’ve put into it, our lives tangle around blogging and everything else. It’s difficult to let go.
Is blogging worth it for you? Why? Have there been any times when you have considered quitting? What is the hardest part about blogging for you?
I’ve tried answering these questions for myself for the longest time… But in the end, I come to the conclusion that blogging has just become part of my identity, and it’s hard to even separate the reasons of why I want to do it. I just do. It’s part of my life somehow.
That last point is key for me. I can’t believe how much of my life is now defined by the fact that I’m a book blogger—five years ago, I had no idea that would happen!!
I don’t think most of us expected for that to happen! XD I actually thought I’d give up sooner rather than later, but we’re still here!
I’ve been blogging for almost a year now, and the thing I wasn’t expecting when I first started blogging was definitely how much time it would take me to write and post and reply to comments. The thing is, if something really is your passion, then the amount of time you put into doing it shouldn’t be something you dislike — passions can invade your life and you’ll still be fine with it because, well, it’s your passion. 😊 This is such a wonderful love letter for the blogging experience, and really relatable too. It is difficult to let go of blogging when it’s become such an integral part of our lives — especially when we love it so much. 😄❤️
Wow, congratulations on almost a year then! I hope it’s been filled with awesome people, awesome books and experiences in general! Thank you for stopping by!
I don’t think I’ve ever seriously considered quitting, but I get what you mean. It’s tough – but blogging is definitely a part of who I am now. And I’m so with you on comments and feedback in general! I love “meeting” new people this way.
-Lauren
Yes! For example, I don’t think you’ve been around here before, (if you have and I don’t recall, I’m so so sorry!), but anyway nice to have you here!
I am feeling increasingly confused. I keep seeing bloggers talking about the competition and the need to keep up and read the right books and…where is this pressure coming from? Am I not reading the right blogs? I’ve been blogging for six years and have never felt pressured by other blogs. The reality is, book bloggers, compared to other bloggers, don’t get that many views and hence don’t get endorsements or any other monetary compensation. There really isn’t much to compete for. As for ARCs–I don’t care about them. My TBR list is has over 400 books on it. If I don’t get the latest release, I’m hardly going to be bored waiting to get a copy from the library! 😉
I think a lot of the pressure comes from ourselves. In my case, I came here to be heard, and when it seems you’re screaming into the void, it sucks. No one really makes anyone do anything. I think all of this comes back to what you want out of blogging, and what kind of person you are.
You seem like a cool blogger that is blessed with a steel will and is completely cool with her huge TBR! Not really caring for ‘pressure’ and those things. Other people just kind of want to be -in- and do all these things to keep up. We are always talking about ‘BE YOU’ and all those things, which is how it SHOULD be. Like you! XD But it’s hard to have that attitude, because of jealously, and pettiness, and just a bit of -not always bad- ambition.
The blogosphere seems to be moving away from it though, slowly acknowledging these problems and trying to chill a bit. But, honestly, while there is someone who is doing ‘better’, there is always going to be the question ‘why not me too?’
All in all, OMG 400 books! XD Thanks so much for your comment!
I can see where we might see someone else doing something cool and possible view-generating and want to try it, too, since, as you say, no one wants to scream into a void. However, I’ve come to accept that I only have so many hours in the day. When other bloggers say they spend hours each day commenting, for instance, it’s pretty clear they have different life circumstances. They’re probably not employed, don’t have a family or small children to care for, don’t have a heavy school load, etc. I literally can’t compete with that because my real-life responsibilities don’t give me hours just to comment, let alone read, read other blogs, write reviews, do social media, take picture of my books, etc. And that’s why I don’t put pressure on myself to compete. I’m never going to win when I’m competing with someone who has hours I don’t have. Maybe I can hire an unpaid intern, but until then, I’m stuck. 😉
Yeah, my TBR list is only on Goodreads so it’s not like I have to swim through my books to get to my door or anything. So I guess that’s a blessing! But every time I go through my list and take off a book by thinking, “Huh, why did I add that? What is that book even ABOUT?” I go and add two more. :/
Huh, I agree it depends a lot on each other. I’m guessing a lot of us have different responsabilities and the stress comes when we just can’t accept that we have them and that we can’t dedicate the time an effort to blogging that will make us ‘big’. I’ve been trying to, but it’s hard. Lol.
My TBR is in Goodreads as well. XD I can’t afford to buy a ton of books I don’t know if I’m going to read. So our curse is purging the TBR digitally. Which is worse because buying books, the limit is money, and well, shelf space. But with GR, THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST.
I definitely relate to so much of what you’ve said here! Sometimes I get kind of despondent with blogging because of things like lack of time and results etc., but at the same time I love it so much and I’ve been doing it so long I kind of can’t imagine not doing it now. Plus the thought of throwing away years worth of work kind of terrifies me…
Great post! 🙂
It IS so terrifying! Even if I eventually did decide to quit this blog, it wouldn’t be easy at ALL to let it fade into oblivion. You know when we say our blogs are our babies. Well, they are! XD
Thanks for stopping by Laura!
I definitely agree with your pros and cons. Sometimes the cons do take over, though. That’s when I think it’s best to step back and maybe take a break. But quitting? I don’t know. After years of pouring thoughts into a blog, it’s tough to walk away. Besides, there’re so many great friends in the blogosphere, I think they’re the ones who keep most of us tethered, even when we want to give up.
Hi Joséphine! Breaks definitely help. And friends are the best. You can go and make another blog, but nothing will replace those friends, and the back and forth of talking about books and all the things!
I could relate to this post so much!
I’ve been blogging for years and I love blogging but sometimes it does get disheartening when you see your blog not getting ‘good’ results when compared to other bloggers even though you tried hard not to.
But I’m not going to quit. Maybe I’d go on hiatus for awhile but I’d always be back to blogging because blogging is more than just writing and publishing it on the internet. It is my home. My safe haven.
I get what you mean! It’s just… Maybe one day I’ll make the decision to leave, but meanwhile, I just keep coming back to it. You know, I actually think that the fact that it gets so disheartening sometimes is what keeps us going. If it wasn’t hard, then it wouldn’t hurt so much to leave it, since we look back at all the challenges and everything.