Okay, I’m not giving up blogging all together. I could never leave my Wordbitches, but I am leaving my personal blog behind. I know that most of you don’t even realize I have a personal blog and that’s mostly because I haven’t promoted it (like at all). I’ll explain why in a bit.
Most of the current advice out there right now is that writers must have a social media presence and usually this means a blog. Without a blog, how can you build a following of readers for your books. I do believe that having a blog and a presence online can only help an author. So why am I giving up my blog? A few reasons…
1. Not enough time. Life is busy. Yes, it’s busy for everyone, and I do agree that we can make time if we truly desire too. Even if it’s only a few hours a week. I do agree that I could have used more of my evening time for blogging, especially if a post only took me an hour to write. But here’s part of my problem. One post takes me hours to write. Usually the time is taken up with the thinking of an interesting idea to post, the writing, the editing, finding the picture, etc… I can’t seem to just ‘whip them off’. Non-fiction blog writing does not come naturally to me. It seemed to be taking a disproportionately large chunk of my available writing time.
2. Losing my daydreams. But really, it wasn’t the day to day task of finding the ‘Butt In Chair’ time to write a post that really sucked the life out of me. I managed to get my posts out. I was proud that I found time to do it all. But my novel suffered. My creativity was way down and it took me a long time to figure out why. Rather than the actual writing time, it was the time I spent thinking about the blog that hurt my novel. It was more about the off-time, the in-between moments, the time I spent thinking about my blog that stole my creativity. (I’m talking about the times when your subconscious, or daydreaming mind works on a problem, or creates stories.) For me this happens when I’m in the shower, cooking, driving or standing in a line for any reason. My mind wanders and it usually wanders in the direction of my story. But not lately. Not since I started my blog. Now all of these moments were (unconsciously) dedicated to my blog. My brain no longer percolated story ideas, but tried desperately to come up with interesting blog posts. I think this is hard for me because of the following reason.
3. Social Media is a Big Cocktail Party without Booze. You see, I’m an Introvert. (Big Surprise!) and spending time on social media (like twitter, facebook, blogging) is a bit like being at a work cocktail party, where you’re in the middle of a group of strangers, trying to be witty on-demand, and forcing yourself to hold a smile, when all you want to do is grab a glass of champagne and chug-a-lug, before running to a corner with the rest of the bottle and a tray of appy’s, where you can people-watch and stuff your face. (What? Isn’t that a normal reaction to a party? Who doesn’t love to people watch while drinking champagne?)
So every time I went to write a blog post I would take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself, as if I was going to walk into the spotlight in the middle of that cocktail party. And yes, I know that hardly anyone reads my blog. I purposely didn’t advertise it hoping that would help, but the feeling of being center stage didn’t stop. Once I’d written a post, my psyche needed a recovery time of a day or so, but then I’d start thinking about what I was going to write next and usually dreading putting my personal thoughts out there (even if I thought the idea was fun). I was so focused on my blog, I was crowding out all thoughts of my novel. (Not such a good plan if I want to be a published author).
So for the next while (probably until my youngest hits grade one in the fall), I will be taking a break from my personal blog. I might post something when the mood strikes, but I’m no longer going to worry about it. I believe now is the time for me to concentrate on my writing. A personal blog is a huge distraction at this point. I know that the general consensus in the online community is that if you want to succeed as a writer then you must make time for social media, be on twitter, facebook, triberr, pinterest, google+ and blog too? Ahhhhh! Apparently, I’m dooming myself to being left behind in this digital age if I don’t have all that and blog three times a week. My platform must be in place before my first novel is ready and without one, then I might as well sell copies of my book from the trunk of my car. I feel stressed just thinking about it.
Okay, I drank the kool-aid. I tried to do it all and my writing suffered. So now I’m taking a step back and re-evaluating. I’m not quitting. I won’t ever quit. (We writers don’t know the meaning of that word, right?) I’m just taking a break. And that’s okay. I will stick with my Wordbitches and enjoy the blogging community through comments and others’ blogs. And one day in the future, when I have a bit more time, a bit more confidence and a novel ready to go, then I’ll head back (slowly) into the blogging world.
And you won’t know what hit you. 
What do you think about blogging? Have you ever felt similarly? What kind of online presence do you have or want? I’d love to hear you any advice you might have.
