Saturday, February 23, 2013

2013 Book Blogger Love-a-Thon: A Letter to My Younger Blogging Self

Dear Younger Blogging Self,

It's really hard to believe that it's been almost a year since Ally and you set out together on this little adventure. You know what they say about hindsight being 20/20, so Future You is here to offer some observations and maybe even some helpful advice.

You knew going into this that blogging was going to be a lot of work, but perhaps you underestimated just how much. It's not as simple as reading a book and writing about what you thought of it. Those reviews need to be formatted, images need to be uploaded, links need to be shared. That's something you really were not prepared for—the social networking component of book blogging. You had no clue what Twitter was all about a year ago. It was definitely something you should have researched during the planning stages of the blog instead of learning on the fly a few months after the blog went live. Your Facebook page and Pinterest still need major work, too, so those are two items on your to-do list that you need to take care of this year.

The most important thing you need to remember is that blogging is supposed to be fun. You're doing this because you love books and chatting with other readers. Stressing out because you didn't participate in a meme for a few weeks isn't fun. Worry about page views isn't fun. When something turns into a daily grind, you need to step back and think about why you got into this in the first place. Allowing blogging to become a chore will lead to burnout, and you came very close to it last year. In your heart, you don't want that to happen because thanks to blogging, you're more in love with reading than ever, and you've rediscovered your love of writing. So, continue to hold to the resolution you made at the beginning of 2013: blog because you enjoy it, and because you love books.

Sincerely,

Your Future Blogging Self
(Who hopes she's a tiny bit wiser now)

20 comments:

  1. I adore your letter to your younger self! The social networking was one thing I was not prepared for either but boy am I glad I finally just jumped both feet into Twitter otherwise I'd still have no idea what I was doing! Your letter came out super sweet <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! :) I had no idea how important Twitter was until I started blogging. I had to just jump in, too, and it was a little overwhelming at first, but it was the only way to learn.

      Delete
  2. Nicely done, it is definitely important to focus on what really matters and not stress about it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was stressing out about the blog way too much last year, and it came down to either taking things easier or burning out. I still obsess over the blog sometimes, but for the most part, I'm more laid back this year.

      Delete
  3. What a great idea! Your older blogging self is definitely very creative! :) For me, the memes are the first to go. I rarely have time anymore, but it's nice to know that if I'm not busy on that day, I can pick it right back up and join in again. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We enjoyed doing the memes, and still participate in some, but we had to cut back because of lack of time, too. And you're right- when you're able to participate, you can just jump back in and do so.

      Delete
  4. So many great points in this letter! I think it is so important to remember that the reason we all do this is for FUN! It's easy to get stressed out and feel the pressure to get posts published-- especially when we all get sucked into twitter!! haha Keep up the great work-- glad I found your blog today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I reached the point where blogging wasn't so fun anymore, and I had to think about how to make it fun again. For me, it was to post when I was able to instead of pressuring myself to do a set number a week.

      Delete
  5. Great letter! It's so important to remember that pretty much all blogs are started because it's fun :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely! I was starting to feel like I was back in school again and had to get my homework done by a certain date. I still make up a rough schedule in my head, but if a post gets pushed back a day or two, it's not the end of the world anymore.

      Delete
  6. What a lovely letter and blog! I'm loving finding all these new blogs to read :) It's amazing. So glad i found yours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today has been a lot of fun and a great way to meet other bloggers!

      Delete
  7. I love your letter! I love how you say blogging made you more in love with reading AND writing. That was the case with me, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't done much writing since graduating from college, and blogging made me realize how very much I missed it.

      Delete
  8. SO important to make sure that the fun isn't lost. I think we all stress so much on the little things that sometimes we forget to hold onto that. I know that I love your blog and your doing an excellent job :D Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words, Jaclyn! It is easy to forget that this is supposed to be for fun, and I've been trying to do a better job of remembering that.

      Delete
  9. Blogging is definitely a lot harder than it seems! And breaks are totally needed at times, but the hard work normally pays off, especially in this wonderful community! Great letter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blogging does require a lot of hard work, but you're absolutely right about it paying off in the end!

      Delete
  10. What a lovely letter! Very wise words, you're right blogging is a lot more then just reading & writing the review. I'd been active on Goodreads for 5 years before I started blogging but I still wasn't fully prepared for it all! I think everyone here is doing a fabulous job in any case!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Getting into book blogging has brought so many surprising, but very welcome, changes to my life. It's rekindled my love of writing, as well as motivated me to brush up on HTML and other tech-related topics. The last I'd really seen of those was way back in college, and it turns out that I really missed coding and things like that.

      Delete

We love hearing from our readers and do our best to reply. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!