How To Avoid Blog Burnout
Dean
I was asked recently how I avoid blog burnout. A fast set of answers, in what I think are the order of importance:
#1) Write about whatever you want to write about, whenever you want to write about it, for whatever reason you want to write about it. Period. No exceptions.
#2) Never avoid writing about something just because you think someone else covered it better. That's chicken. You have your own voice, and some people will like it better than the brilliant writer who you think said it better.
#3) Write to please yourself, never to please your audience. That's the only way you'll ever develop an authentic and original voice of your own anyway.
#4) The only area where you might want to bend on #3 is to avoid being too obscure with excessive acronyms and recursive asides and jargon and such. Give your audience at least enough mercy not to assume they'll understand everything. This minimizes frustrating questions from your audience.
#5) Unless you really find them oodles of fun (like my often sadistic wife), avoid getting into shouting matches with other bloggers.
#6) If you need a break from it, take the break.
#7) Consider getting co-bloggers so you're less stressed if you do take a break.
#8) When in doubt, return to rule #1.
I wouldn't consider starting a blog myself. I lack the stamina and mental agility. Well, OK, to be honest, I have very little to say. However, as a way of attracting readers, your formula works for me. I keep coming back.
Ha, I've noticed that too, like when I took half the summer off due to illness. Or was it possibly something I said?
Maybe I should link to Dean more often, I see they are marching through like army ants today.
The only bummer is that people generally do not read on the weekends. Sometimes I get some of my best stuff out on the weekends! Oh well...lol.
After about a year of blogging I started learning to do that.
I also consider what I guess I can call ambience. I see my blog as an outdoor cafe where at times we delve into serious conversation, and at other times we're just trash talking or telling jokes, so to that extent I sometimes modify rule #3. My fundamental urge is to entertain. I want to be a good host.
Some blogs I like a lot are more rigorous. Many work harder and put in a lot more time -- Dean for example, or Gandelman. But if you write a blog it becomes a place you go -- a workplace for some people, a soapbox, or for me, a place to hang out.
One of the charms of the medium is that there is so much variety.
Thanks for posting the list- That helps me out alot actually. I've broken rule number 2 already.