From Sarah, With Joy

*Poet * Author * Wanderluster*

Thursday, November 3, 2011

3 Steps to Fame, Glory, and Eternal Life

Are you a writer disenchanted with blogging? Are you a new blogger wondering how you're going to make a difference anyway? Are you intimidated by all the social media outlets writers are supposed to know how to juggle, and juggle brilliantly? If you answered yes to any of these questions...

Ok, enough of that. But seriously though, there are so many posts about how different writers feel towards blogging. Like Roni Loren's post about the life cycle of a blogger from yesterday. I'll admit that's the post that got me thinking, but like I've said, I've seen similar posts all over the place. So I figured I might as well add my two cents to the conversation. Halloween was my two year blogiversary, so I have a little experience to back me up.

I feel like there is so much drama llama trauma that eventually pops up with blogging. Which for me, kind of defeats the whole purpose. I feel like things could be a lot more emotionally smooth and satisfying if people just kept three things in mind from the very beginning.

1. Set those lofty goals, but keep them personal. I am the first person who will tell you to dream big. Shoot for the stars. Go whole hog, go for it, all those cheesy, sentimental cliches. (I annoy people sometimes...)But I really mean it. Its no fun and just not as meaningful if you don't have buckets full of gold and rainbows as your end goal. But. Be self-aware and realistic in how you plan to move towards those goals. 3,000 followers on your blog? Sure, why not. But you're not going to get there in a day, a month, even a year, no matter how often you post or what marketing you do or whatever. Its a very slow building process, so know yourself and know what kind of pace and efforts you are comfortable making on a daily and weekly basis. Remember, you're doing this for you. The rest will come.

2. Determination. Stick to it. Grit your teeth. Suck it up. Just do it. Muscle through. However you want to say it. Even if you're very careful in how you set things up, and make reasonable short-term goals for yourself, there are still going to be times when you feel like chucking your computer at the wall. When you're sitting in front of a blank post at one in the morning with no clue what to write about. This is when you have to try and remember why you're doing this in the first place and just do it. This is where you show how badly you really want it, whatever 'it' is. Good things come to those who never give up.

3. Rejuvination. Sometimes you just get burned out, and sheer determination only gets you so far. Don't be afraid to take some time for yourself to get yourself feeling alive again. Sometimes for me all it takes is belting my lungs out to a really good song. Often going to the gym makes me feel better. Sometimes I just need a night of kettle corn, diet Dr. Pepper and a couple good chick flicks. It's kind of like filling up at a gas station, and then you've got the umph to get you through the next few hundred miles. Do what you need to do so you don't burn your engine out completely.

So there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the subject, take them for what they're worth. What are your thoughts on the whole writers blogging thing? Worth it? Too much effort? What have you felt about your own bogging experience?

Sarah Allen

10 comments:

  1. I've only been at it since April, so maybe it's too soon for my opinion. So far, though, I'm really enjoying it. If I stop enjoying it I'll stop doing it.

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  2. Blogging, tweeting, facebook and everything else is just part of the process. Trick is to know how much time to devote to it vs time spent writing.

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  3. interesting ideas!
    http://cookieswardrobe.blogspot.com/

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  4. love your buckets of rgold or rainbows or whatever you said ;D

    My goal was to meet people who are working toward the same thing as me. That's IT.

    I don't care about numbers.
    I don't care about comments.
    I'm baffled when people follow me or leave comments when we obviously have nothing in common.

    I never set out to have loads of followers or to run a blog that people have heard of. And I don't, lol.

    BUT I've met some of my favorite writing people, my crit partners - the people I celebrate with when big things happen, and the people I forward my pass letters to when I get those.
    That was my goal in blogging and I"m totally there.

    Actually - you totally gave me a new post :D

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  5. I find that when the words are difficult to string together, a picture or a .gif shall suffice in their place. :)

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  6. I do really well with blogging when I have an idea in mind to blog about. Blogfests are great for that because they give me material to work with and they're fun!

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  7. I adore you for posting this. Lately I have been feeling pretty burnt out from trying to juggle it all. But this actually makes me feel better about it all somehow!

    http://the-creationofbeauty.blogspot.com

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  8. Good, healthy approach to blogging....and, in fact, to achieving any goal in life.

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  9. In the past three and a half years (yes, you read correctly) I've had a lot of peaks, valleys, burn out, over-abundance, you name it, associated with blogging.

    It's just the matter of both properly pacing yourself and not limiting yourself to a core set of topics so that you can get the most out of your blogging expirience.

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  10. Blogging definitely isn't for the impatient among us. It takes time not only to prepare posts, but to spend time visiting others and forging relationships. I keep meeting more and more people along the way and it's always a rewarding experience.

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