Sometimes I feel like I can't stop writing because there's so much in my head that I need to write down immediately. Sometimes I just can't write at all. It's almost debilitating, because you feel like your blog needs a new post publishing now, yet you just can't find the words to say anything.

I'm a perfectionist of the highest order. There, I've said it. Sometimes when one of my blog posts doesn't do truly as well as I expected, or I lose a couple of fickle followers on Bloglovin', it hits me quite hard. I take it personally and blame myself because it just wasn't good enough. I wasn't good enough. 

I always try and second guess what you lovely readers want to read, and I'm not a mind-reader, so I don't always get it right. I very nearly took a break from blogging a few weeks ago because it was all getting a bit too much for me. I can't only write about what's in my head. Doing otherwise doesn't make me happy. Basically: You can only really write about what's true to you, not what you think will please other people.

My publishing schedule has been pretty dire of late, mainly because of the dreaded writer's block. I'm not sure why it's suddenly worse, but stressing about it certainly isn't making it any better. I'm sorry to those of you who enjoy reading Katie Writes*. Please bear with me while I try and find my feet again.

*All three of you.

Blogging is tougher than it looks. It's competitive, and for someone who relentlessly compares herself to others, it's sometimes hard to stand your ground. I'm always striving to be the best I can be, and I hope you can see how far this blog has come in just eleven months. 

But... there's still more to be done. I'm not finished yet.

It's worth noting that I'm definitely not some kind of blogging deity... I'm relatively new to this, but here are some tips that I've picked up so far:

Your followers and readers are the ones who ensure you keep blogging. Appreciate them. Without them, there'd be little point in you even bothering. It doesn't matter if you've got three or 3000 followers, be grateful for their support.

Don't be a careerist idiot

Nobody likes fickle followers. You know, the ones who follow you, wait for you to follow them back (out of courtesy) and then they unfollow you so it bumps their follower number up? Don't be one of those people, please. You're better than that.

If you're hemorrhaging followers, then that's perhaps something that you need to address, but when it's those 'careerist' bloggers and vloggers that are messing you around, don't be too hard on yourself. It's their agenda to try and get their 'follower' number higher than their 'following' number... That's their main concern and it's incredibly shallow.

♥ If you only want to be 'Internet Famous' you're blogging for all the wrong reasons. ♥

It's more important to network than it is to have a ridiculously high follower number. You're guaranteed to annoy people if you follow-unfollow. It's rude, arrogant and rightly makes people think that you've got a high sense of self-importance.

It's not confined to Twitter and Instagram, but also rife on Bloglovin' too. (This is seriously one of my pet hates and if you do it to me, I will unfollow you back on principle, you numpty).

- Focus on the product. Take photos from several angles and decide which ones look best afterwards. If you don't have Photoshop or aren't adept at editing, use a free online editor instead. I use Pic Monkey (www.picmonkey.com). 

- Take photos with the light behind you, not facing into the light! I can't stress how much better this'll make your pics look!

- Lastly, try and alternate the background of your photos to keep them looking fresh!