Writer's block is a funny thing, isn't it?
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.
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New to blogging? Or lost your blogging mojo? Read on for plenty of advice!
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:
Appreciate Your Followers
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.
Use Twitter
Twitter is a great platform for attracting more readers. A large chunk of my readers now come here directly from Twitter.
I use Hootsuite to schedule tweets to promote my blog when I'm out or busy. That way, I know that I don't have to keep on revisiting Twitter constantly throughout the day.
Don't spam your followers though! Post a maximum of four tweets a day when you publish a new post. Also ensure that those tweets are posted with intervals and that they're scheduled for peak times.
I use Hootsuite to schedule tweets to promote my blog when I'm out or busy. That way, I know that I don't have to keep on revisiting Twitter constantly throughout the day.
Don't spam your followers though! Post a maximum of four tweets a day when you publish a new post. Also ensure that those tweets are posted with intervals and that they're scheduled for peak times.
Don't expect miracles
You're not going to become a success overnight. It takes time to hone your writing skills. Keep on grafting and rest assured that someday it'll pay off.
Publish Regularly
Write as often as you can. I've written something nearly every day for the past month, despite not having published every day. Readers will show more interest in you if you can prove that you're taking your blog seriously.
Get Organised
I like lists. There, I've said it. I also like making tables and schedules. Which is probably why I don't have any friends... It's really helpful to devise a loose schedule for every day of the month. Even if you're not planning on publishing every day; it really helps you to know when you can find the time to write drafts, take photographs and edit photos and posts.
Don't Be Hard on Yourself & Learn from Your Mistakes
So your latest post didn't exactly take off like you expected? That's okay. Learn from it and move on. Now you know that not as many people are interested in cheap blusher as you thought. Harness that and bear it in mind when creating new posts.
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.
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).
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).
Put Effort into Photography
What's the first thing that readers see? Your photos. It really pays to ensure that they look impressive.
If you can afford it, use a DSLR. I recently upgraded my old Pentax K-X to a Canon 600D. Expensive as they are, they allow you to really take control over your photos and the quality that they produce is wonderful. If you're not into photography, at least have a crack at it!
- Try and take your photos in daylight too. I'm guilty of this and it can't be helped at times, but photos taken in artificial light never look as good as ones taken in natural light.
- 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!
Pat Yourself on the Back!
At the time of writing this, I've been writing my blog for about three months, but in that time I've picked up a vast number of new skills: Photography skills, blogging skills, photo editing skills, SEO skills, basic HTML coding skills, Social Media skills... The list is endless! Be proud of what you've achieved so far and look forward to learning even more skills in the future!
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