Is it possible to recover one's blogging mojo?

August 4, 2006 12:25 PM

Boy starts blogging. Boy enjoys blogging. Primary subject of blog becomes tiresome. Boy starts losing interest in blogging ...

Can you get your blogging mojo back? I've been posting fairly regularly for a little over three years, on generally mundane and unimportant stuff. It's been a great creative outlet, and lots of fun. But the main subject of the blog, a baseball team I follow, has fallen on hard times, and it's just harder and harder to get motivated to post. As a result, my readership, not exactly robust to begin with, has rather fallen off, and I wonder lately why I'm even bothering to do this. When I go a few days without posting, I start to feel guilty, as if I'm letting someone down, and that ain't exaxctly the healthiest mindset to have for something I do for free, now, is it?

Is the answer to find something else to write about? To just chuck it all and move on? An unknown Plan C? Anybody else have this experience? Thanks in advance.

posted by shallowcenter to Writing & Language (30 answers total)

Pick a new topic. Maybe something you're interested in and want to know more about, or maybe something you're already an expert in.

What I do sometimes when I'm getting blog-bored is redesign my blog and find new links. Then it's all pretty and new-looking and I start wanting to fill it up with interesting content again.
posted by yogurtisgenocide at 12:33 PM on August 4, 2006

move on
posted by blind.wombat at 12:35 PM on August 4, 2006

Yeah, I've had that happen. Mind you, I had a very limited audience to begin with. Is there a reason why you want to continue blogging? Is there money involved - are you readers making you money via ad revenue? If that's not the case, why bother continuing something you no longer enjoy?
posted by aeighty at 12:35 PM on August 4, 2006

Response by poster: Yogurt: Nice ideas, and something I've considered. I've done redesigns in the past and gotten recharged.

Blind: Any further thoughts?

Aeighty: Did you get your mojo back? I do it because I don't have much of an outlet professionally, so this allows me to be creative. I don't make money off of it, though perhaps I could pursue Google Ads or something similar. I guess, with respect to your last question, I answer with a question: Is it possible to enjoy it again?
posted by shallowcenter at 12:39 PM on August 4, 2006

You won't make any money off of google ads unless you have a large audience. But I understand the loss of blogging mojo. I deleted my personal blog completely because it bored me, and my other blog (it's sort of a shopping, things to buy blog) has been untouched for a couple months now - at one point I had a pretty large readership, but I'm sure they're all long gone...maybe someday I'll pick it up again, but at this point, my interest has moved to offline things. My advice -- pursue whatever interests you - online or offline - its not unusual to get bored by something, and maybe you'll miss it and want to come back in a few weeks or months.
posted by echo0720 at 12:44 PM on August 4, 2006

This Lifehacker posting regarding how to get started blogging might provide some inspiration.

Separately, how are you monitoring your readership?
posted by NYCinephile at 12:45 PM on August 4, 2006

If you're not enjoying it, and it's not providing other notable benfits to your life, give it up.

Despite what some would have you believe, being even a fairly well-known blogger is like being the prince of a tiny kingdom. Sure, it can be fun, but in the long run, it's pretty meaningless, and no one outside your own kingdom is going to think much of you because of it, anyway.
posted by jammer at 12:50 PM on August 4, 2006

Response by poster: Echo: Good thoughts; thanks.

NYC: I love Lifehacker, and will definitely check out the link. I'm monitoring my readership less formally than I ought; my sense that I'm losing readership is anecdotal, based on number of comments posted and number of e-mails I get.
posted by shallowcenter at 12:52 PM on August 4, 2006

I blog about a relatively sucky team too, so I know where you're coming from. The way I deal with it is I try not to be all about the baseball all the time - I write about soccer, I write about fringe-y things in baseball that aren't always Mariner-related, I write about Mariner things that aren't of interest to anybody but myself.

So, basically, what I would say to you is, if you can find something that makes you happy to write about, keep going; if not, stop. Like Jammer says, us out here on teh interwebs are all sort of shouting down a funnel (or a series of tubes) anyway, so it's not like there won't be other opportunities to write again later if you so desire.
posted by pdb at 12:57 PM on August 4, 2006

Response by poster: Jammer: Thanks for the thoughts. I've no illusions about making a lasting contribution society through this meager effort, but good to hear, anyway.

PDB: My condolences. And good tips. Thanks.
posted by shallowcenter at 1:05 PM on August 4, 2006

I wonder lately why I'm even bothering to do this.

That's the issue... You should be blogging because you enjoy the regular writing. Maybe you need to branch out in your topics? Just start writing about random stuff, and see if any of it grabs you enough to continue that subject. Maybe you need to take a creative break?
posted by inigo2 at 1:06 PM on August 4, 2006

Oh, don't just quit, if that's what you've decided to do. Go completely off the rails. Start with a vague conspiratorial notion, and go insane over the course of a month or two. Veer into fringe paranoia, slashfic, magical realism, iambic pentameter. You have the chance to create an internet artifact here. Don't pass it up!
posted by furiousthought at 1:07 PM on August 4, 2006

I go through dry spells all the time, where I'll only post once or twice a week, but if you keep at it you'll eventually get back into the swing of things. My readers will start harping on me if I go too long without a post, so that's a driving factor as well.
posted by bjork24 at 1:09 PM on August 4, 2006

Response by poster: Inigo: Good thoughts, all. Thanks.

Furious: Now why didn't I think of that?

Bjork: Thanks for the encouragement!
posted by shallowcenter at 1:14 PM on August 4, 2006

You shouldn't write unless you have something to write about. Stop writing.
posted by cellphone at 1:48 PM on August 4, 2006

Shallowcenter: as a Phillies phan, I will read your blog everyday, now that I know it exists. Now bring me some good content. [adds blog to Bookmarks Bar]
posted by The Michael The at 1:48 PM on August 4, 2006

start podcasting.
posted by Stynxno at 1:56 PM on August 4, 2006

To one-up Stynxno... you could write your blog entries and put them in the tags of blank mp3s--even easy listening mp3s to make for good background reading music--then podcast those mp3s.
posted by rob paxon at 2:00 PM on August 4, 2006

Though it's probably true that topical weblogs are the only ones that get read, I still enjoy writing for "no one" about whatever it is I just have to say. It's funny to think that, by the dozens, Google searchers looking for something very specific and weird are finding it, or not finding it, in my posts.

So I would recommend starting a second weblog and letting yourself loose there. That way you can just relax, write, and feel good about it. Alternate between the two as inspiration, news, or uncontrollable anger strikes.

And, by all means, ignore player haters who don't experience the pleasure of writing for themselves.
posted by Doctor Barnett at 2:01 PM on August 4, 2006

to one up rob, get very minor internet celebrities to read your blog entries and podcast those with the easy listening mp3s as background music.
posted by Stynxno at 2:02 PM on August 4, 2006

I'm all tapped out, stynxy. :[
posted by rob paxon at 2:04 PM on August 4, 2006

rob, come on, you can do better than that.

i had my next respond set to include a delievery guy, a pizza can, an old old French pr0n star, and a mildy surprised image of the Hoff.

:(
posted by Stynxno at 2:06 PM on August 4, 2006

You shouldn't write unless you have something to write about. Stop writing.

I disagree. Scream inanities into the void with the rest of us. That (and porn) is the purpose of the Internet. One last many-throated shout before we sputter out.

Creativity ebbs and flows. Keep rowing.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:12 PM on August 4, 2006

I find that always writing about one topic is too confining. If you're doing this for fun, and not to get a huge audience and make big bucks with AdSense, write about whatever you want. When you get bored with baseball, switch to music, and then when you get sick of that, write about sailing.

Another suggestion: write more often. Not just in your blog, but in general. Get a cheap notebook and write in it every day. Even if it's not related to your eventual blogging topic, it's easier if you're already "warmed up."
posted by danb at 2:25 PM on August 4, 2006

Have someone else do your blogging for a week or so. A guest host. It works.

It's a nice way to take a break and not kill your traffic. Angelica at Swapatorium was considering shutting down her site but instead had a couple of blogger friends fill-in for her. (disclosure, I'm one of the fill-ins)

It worked out so well she now has people filling in on a regular basis.

Choose a blogger you like. Someone who will be able to relate to your audience.

Hell, even Johnny Carson needed a week off here and there.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 3:15 PM on August 4, 2006

shallowcenter: get someone else to write in your blog for you for awhile, maybe switch with pdb ;)

The fact is you've got a good blog, don't give up on it entirely. Try a different angle, a new voice, a gimmick that'll keep it fresh. The writing is solid, but it needs zing. Maybe tackle bizarre aspects of your team and the sport. People want the inside dirt about the Phillies, so go unearth it. It'll make it more interesting for you and your readers.

I also recommend promoting it more (seo, reciprocal links - free stuff) and it should get you stoked again.
posted by rinkjustice at 3:31 PM on August 4, 2006

The thing that worked best to get me blogging regularly again on my site (after 7+ years, the motivation sometimes waxes and wanes) was having another private blog for talking about stuff with friends and family. That outlet gave me the opportunity to refocus on what I loved about my original blog. Happiness!
posted by anildash at 3:42 PM on August 4, 2006

Why does one need a theme for their blog? Mine is like Eliot described in a recent post at his "Follow Me Here" --

While much weblogging has evolved into either diary, confessional, or pretentious punditry, I have always said that I come from the original late '90's weblogging tradition in which what you post is -- literally -- a log of your interesting surfing. If I surf the net, which is an integral part of my self-informing, I hit a few keys and log what grabs me, albeit finding my own voice in the process.

posted by Rash at 4:22 PM on August 4, 2006

READ THIS.
posted by Wild_Eep at 9:42 PM on August 4, 2006

thanks for the love Wild_Eep, but i think i had a better post about blogging mojo aka writer's block here (self-link)
posted by tsarfan at 1:55 PM on August 5, 2006