Giving up blogging has been an educational experience. I’ve been writing in this blog regularly for at least six years, and the last more-than-three-weeks is the longest period I’ve ever gone without writing a post. I fully intend to return to blogging because, oddly enough, I find that I miss it. I’m also craving writing something – anything – that isn’t my fledgling novel at the moment, so I thought I’d share a few observations.
The first one is that, to my actual surprise, I have been drawn immediately to longer books now that I don’t have to review anything. Lifting the pressure of writing reviews has also lifted the pressure to read things I can get through quickly. I almost instantly continued my re-read of A Song of Ice and Fire and I’ve gotten through A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows. I’ve been wanting to finish my re-read of these since the TV show started, especially because I haven’t actually read A Dance with Dragons, and while I’d actually read the first two a couple of months ago and started A Storm of Swords in October, this re-read in close succession has been delightful and reminded me of why I loved these books to start with. Namely, amazing characters, world-building, surprises that I’d forgotten – a world that actually feels as though it lives and breathes every time I go back to it.
I also started reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King, who is another of my favorite authors that fell by the wayside when I became more attracted to shorter books. It’s taken me ages to read this, mostly because my husband and I went to Spain for a week, but I love that I don’t feel pressure to get through it quickly. I can just enjoy reading it as it comes. I didn’t realize how much of my impatience on getting through books was because of blogging; I actually thought it was just because I’m an impatient person in general (a character flaw).
I’ve also learned a ton about what I need to do to actually write a successful novel because this attempt has felt like flailing around in mud and slowly sinking, but I think that’s a subject for another post.
Lastly, it was really nice not to have to think at all about blogging while we were on holiday. Of course, when I decided I didn’t have to, I immediately thought about how I’d write up the trip for my blog. It’s almost as though removing the pressure and the need to write a post every so often has given me back the desire to actually write posts (and that’s where this one comes in). Having a week off from work helped, too.
Malaga Alcazaba
In any case, I think I’m ready for my return to this little corner of the internet in a week’s time, or at least I feel as though I am now. Let’s hope the week of work and frantic novel-writing ahead doesn’t change that, and I’ll see you all here next Sunday.
Have you taken a break from blogging? What did you find?
I’ve been giving blogging breaks some serious thought lately; thinking about maybe even taking the whole of 2014 off blogging in a desperate attempt to avoid constant anxiety and burnout – but part of me worries that staying away for a long period would make it even harder to come back. I don’t know; I think the trick is to somehow manage to ease the pressure to update constantly and to produce new content and to stay on top of things and be relevant that internet culture is so good at inducing without necessarily having to go on an official hiatus. There’s no blogging bylaw saying we’re not allowed to do things on our own terms – now we just need to convince our brains of that. This year I’ve been blogging far more sporadically than in any previous year, and the Internet police hasn’t shown up at my door so far
Anyway, it’s really good to see you posting. I hope you had a great trip and fingers crossed that you still feel positive about blogging in a week’s time.
Ana @ things mean a lot´s last post …Home is where the cat is
I’ve started taking Saturday and Sunday off and it has really help lift the burden of blogging. Before, I was scrambling for content and now I have plenty. Finding the time to write is still an issue at times but I feel much better about blogging since I’ve taken a more relaxed approach.
bermudaonion (Kathy)´s last post …Saturday Snapshot
I had much the same response you did when I switched to part time blogging. It really freed me to read anything I wanted to. I also started reading less, moving on to other activities. I don’t regret it.
cbjames´s last post …Tales of the Common Core: The Grapes of Wrath vs. Charlotte’s Web
Since I decided to write shorter reviews and realized that nothing bad happens when I skip a day, I’ve been much happier. I don’t know why we pressure ourselves so much.
Beth F´s last post …Scholastic Mother Daughter Book Club Picks for November
This was interesting to read! I have taken a few blogging breaks along the way, usually around moving and traveling, and so I really have not seen less stress … because it is replaced with other stress probably! I have quit putting so much pressure on myself to post and have started spending less time online in general on the weekends. This has really helped!
Tif´s last post …Saga: Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
I eagerly await this return you speak of
I’m taking a blogging break right now kind of. I think sometimes its nice to step back and have time to do other things and also catch up on what other people have been doing on the net. The weird internal pressures we create about blogging can drag us away from so many other things that we enjoy. At the same time I have dual feelings about those pressures – they get me down so often but at the same time it’s kind of nice to have something prodding me to get back to writing. With a computer heavy job I can easily imagine sliding into never writing anything for pleasure without people or my own brain occasionally saying ‘So blogging – when are you getting back to that?’. And that would suck because I love writing and I like keeping my writing muscles oiled. Sometimes we need pressures in our personal lives to remind us that the job doesn’t have to consume everything else.
I hardly ever blog any more. I miss it, but I have a really hard time getting into the groove. Sometimes when I take a blogging break it leads to good things for me, but sometimes I can’t seem to read either. I am glad it is leading to good things for you.
Kailana´s last post …The Year of Audiobooks – Part One