What I learned from a year without blogging

Are you there Blog? It’s me…P.J.

For the first time, ever, I took over a year off from blogging. A little more than a year, actually.

I began my blog in December 2011, when I pushed down my fears and decided to share with all who cared that I had completed the draft of my first novel. Pushing against my introverted self, I continued to share about my writing and publishing journey on Blogger and I used the title and subtitle, “Awakened by Dreams to Write: the Journey of a writer who found the courage to live out her dream.”

I enjoyed blogging as I shared my writing journey, along with all the ups and downs that occurred along the way. From the beginning, I had decided I would share my journey in an authentic way and in doing so, it provided me with an outlet and also a useful tool for reflection as I continued on my journey as a new author. Blogger provided basic stats and it was fun to see how many people around the world read my posts, but the process of blogging was more about what it benefited me personally rather than what I could gain monetarily.

Skip ahead eight years and after publishing multiple novels, I decided to put on my big-girl author pants and I created a website to better promote my work. I liked the new look and the new way of visually sharing my books, but what I didn’t anticipate was that blogging would no longer feel like a creative outlet. Instead, when I created each post, I was pushed to focus more on keywords, SEO, algorithms and metadata. Writing a blog post became more of a chore as I tried my best to get a green smiley face from my web-hosting program in all the areas that seemed to matter.

When forced to do something we don’t really enjoy, eventually we pull away, which was evident on my blog. In 2012 and 2013, I enjoyed blogging and shared on average 100 posts per year. By 2019 on my new site I was down 20 posts, in 2020 and 2021 only 12 posts each year, and then in 2022 I was tired of it…sharing only 3 posts for the whole year, and those were only to share book promotions!

What happened in 2023?

I shared zero posts. I just didn’t have it in me, and when my actual writing time was suffering due to a relatively new day job, there was no way I could squander my limited free time on blog posts. Which is sad…I never wanted my time spent on blog posts to feel as if I was wasting my time.

Today is the first day of a brand new year. As always, a new year prompts us to reflect on the past, review, revise or remove what hasn’t worked, and to focus on areas we want to improve or add in order to enrich our lives.

So what does that mean for my blog?

I took more than a year off from blogging, and I miss it. I want blogging to be less work and more fun, so I’m not going to chuck it, but I am going to change it. In order to do that, I have to focus on what I want blogging to represent so that I can enjoy blogging again.

Based on what I’ve learned, and the permissions I’m giving myself, these are my top 5 when it comes to my blog:

1. Share what or how you’re feeling, not how the algorithms push you to write
2. Focus more on the writing and publishing journey and less on keywords, metadata, SEO, algorithms and stats
3. Use the blog as an outlet, not as an income source
4. Blog from the heart and be authentic, with the knowledge that you have permission to do so even if it’s imperfect
5. Use blogging as a creativity tool, and a way to cultivate and continue your writing as you keep your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard

This is the first day of a new year, where expectations always run high.

Will I be able to keep up with a blogging schedule? I can’t say for sure, which is why my “imperfect” and “authentic” self will share posts when I’m able and I have something to say. My initial hope is that I’ll post at least once per month, maybe twice if I have more to share. And while I won’t treat blogging as an income source, I will share when I have new releases or special promotions, because that’s part of the publishing journey.

In addition to blogging, I will continue to share my monthly newsletters, which I enjoy since it feels more personal with those who I know want to hear directly from me. If you are not on my email list, you can always sign up here.

Now that I’ve finished this post, I can still honestly say I don’t care whether I was awarded a green smiley face, or even a red frowning face from my web-hosting program based on SEO content. Instead, I will admit to some relief at having finally shared my first post after such a long dry spell. I also look forward to what I’ll continue to share with you as I move forward with the intention that this will be an authentic, creative and purposeful year.

Happy New Year!