Wanting to get back on the blogging wagon, I decided to write a small addendum to this series. It won’t break new ground but it may help some see a bit of the darker side of blogging.
A few months ago in the early throes of one of the most powerful creative surges I had ever experienced, I wrote the following:
Somewhere in the first few months of blogging you will hit a wall. Blogging will start feeling like work. You’ll feel you have to post something new. You’ll feel all your posts end up saying the same things. Worse still, Writer’s block will set in.
Much like a gym membership, you’ll start to rationalize why you’ll skip the next post and you’ll feel guilty about it.
(Snip)
If you forge on through this without some reflection you’ll eventually go through blogging burnout and most likely quit for an extended period of time.
I should read my own stuff and listen to my own advice more… 🙂
Like all creative outlets, writing a blog, especially one about a narrow subject range like RPGs, is subjected to cycles.
After having blogged successfully for over 18 months, I’ve hit several blogging slumps. I can attest that there are going to be more than the first one and they come back several times.
I’m not going to go into the why of blogging crashes, the reasons are usually pretty personal and are often not linked to the relative success of the blog.
Suffice it to say that my “Blogging is like going to the Gym” analogy was spot on. While both exercise and blogging have been totally beneficial for me, as soon as I stopped my routine of getting on my computer at 8h00 PM every night to spew yet another epic tale about my laundry, I’ve stopped wanting to do it.
After a while the guilt goes away and the rationalization takes over.
Then the Inner Demons wake up… whispering dark, melodious and sweet reasons not to blog.
“You don’t need to write tonight, why don’t you watch The Big Bang Theory”
“Look at all those new RPG bloggers, maybe you should just let them do the job and move on”
“You don’t feel like it? Then don’t!”
“Ohhh look, a Terry Pratchett Novel! You’ve read it? Read it again!”
I don’t have an easy solution about dealing with a blog burnout because I’m living one right now. I know others have gone through it and found good alternatives. My pal Zach re-launched after an hiatus in a format he was more comfortable with. Martin Ralya, another friend and role model quit for a few months and started a group project that became one of the most read GM-focused blogs within a few months.
Knowing myself, I’ll probably blog about exploring what needs to be done to want to start blogging again. Confused? Cool, so am I!
I’m a writer. I live and breathe through my writing, be it the whimsical nerdish thoughts of a 36 year old DM or the satisfying neatness of a well written QA procedure. My inner demons are trying to deny me my pen, I shall smite them with prose!
So to all the old soldiers, gnomes, wolves and bears out there who’ve been around this more than once: How have you dealt with blogging burnout and what does it tell you when you feel the urge to stop?
Great post, and certainly a topic I’m familiar with, as I’ve maintained several blogs over the past few years.
During my bouts of “Blogger’s Block”, the thing that has helped me most is to go back to my roots … to remind myself the reason I started a blog in the first place. I blog, primarily, for myself. The fact that others come to my little corner of the internet, and read whatever prose I’ve stored there, is incidental. I don’t blog for them. Lord knows I don’t blog for money. I blog for me.
I blog about topics that are of interest to me: professionally, personally and socially. I blog as a technique for honing my research and writing skills. I blog as a means of organizing my thoughts and ideas.
Once you start worrying less about the people who might be reading your blog (and worse, what they might be thinking as they read it), it becomes easier to simply sit down and … blog.
Not to apply any pressure, but I’m happy to see your return, and eager for your next post. Good luck!
You already mentioned a bit on how I dealt with it: I took a hiatus, and when I came back it was in a format I was more comfortable with. With rpgblog.org, I was trying to scoop everyone, post something incredibly important every day, and maintain a style that wasn’t natural for me. RPG Blog 2 is more relaxed–I understand there will be some rotten days, and I understand I’m not going for a Pulitzer. I honestly think taking some of the pressure off myself has led to better writing, and a more enjoyable time all-around.
Hey guys, thanks for the quick responses and sharing your thoughts.
I know that blogging burnout is a subject that touches many of us in the RPGblogging niche (and extended blog world as JP shows) and reading about how people got out of it is sure to be appreciated.
My reasons are external to actual blogging but I’m finding that writing actually does have a strong positive influence on everything else.
Honestly, I don’t let such burnouts bother me overmuch. Thusfar, anyway, they’ve been temporary, and the way I look at it I don’t have any obligation to post on a set schedule. I write when the Muse strikes me, and on the subjects on which She instructs. If a week goes by with nothing new, well… so be it. All the better for my readers, I reckon, since I don’t feel compelled to include light extemporania just to have something at the top of peoples’ blogrolls.
One of my favorite blogs, in terms of content, is also one of the least-regular. Ars Ludi.
I guess the best way to put it is, I don’t feel an obligation to post regularly. I feel an obligation to post well.
I’m burnt out right now, mostly due to illness and lack of ideas. Regardless, I keep posting about crap I don’t really think anybody cares about, until such a time as I can get back to trying to post things I’m actually proud of. I’m sure some of the posts right now that I hate have been useful/entertaining to somebody, so that’s how I work myself through a slump – by posting. Posting garbage.
I’ve blogged about Car Wars over at Ning and when my boys and I stopped playing weekly I stopped blogging. I got my creative writing fix by writing stories for Starships of the Third Fleet and posting over at Uncle Bear’s Dire Cafe. I started my new blog as a way to keep family informed of my wife’s condition with her medical struggles and realized that I could write about my than just my wife. My biggest hurdle at this point has been the fact that there hasn’t been any news about my wife in a few weeks (how many different ways can one say “She’s doing fine we’re waiting on the doctor before it becomes repetitive?) My gaming group has been cancelled for the past three weeks due to weather, HS B’Ball games, and the fact that the venue for the game was used for a teen dance on game night.
There hasn’t been a terrible amount of RPG stuff at my blog recently. I make sure I write something because I know that with my schedule if don’t, I’ll lose the habit pretty quickly.
From our chats you know that I am no stranger to writer’s block. When this happens I usually start to browse through my old roleplaying game books, browse the web on the search for new stuff, I watch some DVDs I haven’t seen for quite some time. Sometimes this helps me getting new ideas that I can then write down.
If that doesn’t help I go with Wyatt’s strategy. Not that I would say that I post crap but I try to post shorter posts about things I’ve found on the net or perhaps just recommend an article that I’ve read elsewhere on the ‘net.
It also helped me to work at the technical side of my blog to get back into blogging. But from my experience its best to keep working on your blog until the block’s gone.
Fascinating topic gentlemen. I am no blogger…yet, but I am seriously considering entering the world you speak of with all the angst and woe befitting great writers. And lets face it. We all love gaming and in the fanciful worlds of our creation there truly is no end to the magic of our imagination. Hiatus, block whatever you call it aside. Words thrill us and they will always be there. They may not be the ones we want but the little bastards are in there if we only take the time to drag them kicking and screaming into the dull light of our screens.
Blog on gentlemen. Blog on. The story never ends.
If you have a multi-author blog, you can sometimes lean on the other author(s) to help you through those times. Just taking a break from it can help let your creative juices build back up. While you’re gone, the other authors at your blog keep it alive and trucking. If you don’t have a multi-author blog, ask some other people to guest post for you. Instead of spending time blogging, start spending time reading other people’s blogs and just commenting. Maybe you’ll get some fresh new ideas, meet some new bloggers and their blogs, and re-ignite the fire and passion within you.
Multi-author blog? Haha, I am a multi-blog author. 😉
Ah the joys of Blogger’s Block and how to overcome it. Kinda like a role-playing game where there’s only one monster and no matter how hard you hit it, it won’t go away. I think we all know that feeling.
Here’s a few suggestions how to defeat this particular BBEG (most of which are most likely repetitions of what I and others have said in the past, so hopefully they’re worth repeating):
1) Accept it. Once you’ve acknowledged that the Block Monster is in the room, you’re halfway there. That’s much better than trying to deny that Blogging isn’t fun any more, and soldiering on regardless producing scarcer and shorter posts until the blog dies entirely due to loss of interest and readership. Not good. Accept it, then fight it. Congratulations, Phil, you’ve reached Level 1!
2) Write about it. Might seem daft, but writing about not feeling like writing is essential. For a start, it tells your loyal readers why there’s a slowdown, which means they stop worrying you’ve been run over by a moose, and can suggest helpful ways to help you beat the Block Monster. Also, writing about anything is helpful too. Especially writing about why you’re not writing. Don’t you just love tautological therapy? CDM, you’ve hit Level 2. Gain a Utility Power.
3) Put out a call for Guest Bloggers. Get other folks to blog for you 😀 This is great as it keeps your readership happy, gives you kewl things to read to kickstart your inspiration and open up new avenues for your blog.
4) Write, but don’t blog. Use a distraction-free editor like Q10 and just write. Let the words ramble on the page free of icons, fonts and other potential distractions. Don’t worry about whether it makes sense or would make a “good” blogpost – just get the words down. The idea is to kickstart your enthusiasm for writing again; some of what you write can hopefully be turned into blogposts further down the line. Doesn’t matter whether that’s 1%, 10% or 80% of what you’re writing – this is just for you.
5) Blog, but don’t write. Find pictures, maps, etc that catch your eye and post ’em up between your guest blogger posts. This keeps your presence in the blog and gives the readers pretty things to look at. More importantly, gradually the words will come back; with each image you post you should find more and more to say about why you chose that particular piccie/map, until eventually you don’t need the pictures at all. Congratulations, you’re blogging again 😀
6) Finally, examine your game. The Block Monster might be the problem, or it might be hiding another, subtler monster in the background. It’s quite possible that you’re not feeling the urge to blog because there’s something about the very thing you write about (ie, RPGs) nagging away at your subconscious. Look closely to see if there’s a problem here that needs addressing; it might be you’re bored with the current play style, soldiering on with a set of rules you’re not altogether happy with (but feel obligated to play because your players like it), or simply want to take a turn as a player for a change. Whatever the reason, you’re not going to defeat that Block Monster until you regain the enthusiasm for the game. Solve that, and you’ll come back even more fired up than before.
OK. I’ll shut up now.
Hope that helps, and good luck, Phil.
Well I am in the same boat with you, kind of. I have not blogged on my site in almost two months. Recently I decided that I would dedicate my writing to Gnome Stew, where I was posting some articles, and posting some to my site.
I can say that the group effort has taken a lot of the pressure of of me for keeping up a regular blog schedule. The Gnomes work as a group, with the goal of getting one post up a day, during the weekdays. So you are not always on the hook writing daily.
As for overcoming it, the trick is to be able to write when you are not feeling passionate. Its not easy, but it can be done. You may want to check out the book The War of Art.
Good luck.
I’m in full agreement with Phil (of the DNA variety) that the group atmosphere of Gnome Stew helps take a lot of the pressure off. I’d never really thought of entering the blogging arena until Martin had asked me if I would be interested in Gnome Stew.
My way for overcoming or preventing blogging burnout is to try to write or get all my ideas down when I come up with them. Then I develop them and re-edit over time or when it gets close to the posting date. Generally I get inspired by something interesting that I see or read, or some situation that I come across in a game I am running or playing in. I write down my general ideas and thoughts on that in a text document, and then try to refine it as time goes on. I’ll go for weeks without looking at something or thinking about a post. Not quite burnt out, but not quite inspired either.
I use the inspired surges to get the ideas down and I use the other times to look at them as critically as I can and try to refine the ideas.
I’ve been through writer’s block and burnout a few times in the 9 years of Roleplaying Tips.
@greywulf – awesome tips.
Something that helps me is to invent something new for the e-zine or site. A new column, approach, process, or whatever. Something that feels fresh again. Guess I’m a starter, not a finisher. 🙂
Johnn Fours last blog post..7 Gamefull Uses for Campaign Coins
I’m slowly overcoming a case of burnout. I feel bad because I know people read my blog and I sometimes feel I’m doing them a disservice by not posting quality content. But I’m trying to get back to my roots (humor, advice, etc.) and it flows a bit easier. 🙂
Tony Laws last blog post..You’re so GM and you don’t even know it
Great tips everyone! It’s always comforting to see that the phenomenon is somewhat common.
Now it seems I have a monster to slay and some leveling up to do! 🙂
As for those going through similar issues, take good note of what others here are saying. I sure am.
My dirty little secret is that blogging is what I do when I should be doing something else. 😉
Like Chatty, I’m a writer, and I’ve got a fantasy novel I should be working on daily. Some days I do, others I don’t, but I write something every day. So when I just don’t feel up to fiction, I blog.
Blogging’s not something I feel pressure to do. It’s what I do when I’m trying to avoid the pressure of the things I should be doing. ;p
Brians last blog post..Unsolicited Advice
I’ve dealt with Blog Block on my personal blog be4success.net. It’s often difficult to keep things going. I also got sidetracked with Dungeon’s Master. At the end of the day it’s about finding balance with what you are working on. Some times you need to step away and refocus. This allows you to come back stronger.
Over at Dungeon’s Master we’re a multi-authored blog which helps out tremendously. Whenever we’re burnt out or stuck on a post we just send off what we have for feedback. The response usually gets the creative juices flowing again.
We are also working on several different projects: from a series on skill challenges, campaign design and modules. When I get stuck on one article I find switching gears and working on something else helps out. As a result I usually have 3 or 4 blog posts on the go at any given time. Some get published, some don’t but the different subject matter keeps things fresh.
Wimwicks last blog post..Skill Training
Blog if it’s fun or if you have something to say. I’m coming out of a long period of burnout myself right now, and my compatriots just gone done moving cross-country, so we reduced our posting frequency, and (despite our fears) people still come to our site.
We don’t get paid for this, and everybody seems to enjoy what we do more when it’s a labor of love (as opposed to just a labor).
However, for all our sakes — Phil, if you’re not feeling particularly loquacious, SEE A DOCTOR BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!!! The pressure might build up and blow us all to kingdom come!!! 🙂
I usually find my bloggers block comes from my health rather than from any lack of things to write about. Over the years I’ve kept 3-4 blogs and every time I hit the wall with them it’s because either I’ve been ill or something has happened in my family.
I spent 4 months last year in m y sick bed and I think I managed 2-3 posts on my personal blog during that time and yet when everything is going well and I’m healthy I’ll throw out 1-2 a day whilst at work during downtime. I need energy to blog and right now I’m struggling to get up the energy to keep up with BSG/Heroes/House/Legend of the Seeker episodes never mind write something. I fail at blogging 90% of the time 😉
Getting back on the bandwagon though is always hard work. When you do it you force yourself into the routine and each time you fall off it gets harder to get back on. I usually find though that I get into the swing of things far easier each time though but each initial post takes more out of me.
Bobs last blog post..But I’m an Ar-tist!
Readers don’t mind a few days off, even without warning or reason. Actually, not giving reasons or justifying a lack of post is the key.
By writing about why one is not posting doesn’t one create an expectation in readers that might not have been there to begin with?
Anyhow… I thought about selling DungeonMastering.com a few months back. So I know how these things go.
We love you Phil.
Yaxs last blog post..Retro Traps: 5 Evil Scenarios from the Bad Old Days
It’s good to read you again, Chatty! I’ve gone through this exact same thing with my blogging… and just got back into kick starting my blog again over the winter. Feel heartened that there seems to be a lot of folks out there who are glad to hear from you, no matter the bouts of blogger block.
Just take it gradually and don’t beat yourself up over it. Writers understand these feelings all too well. 🙂
Aywrens last blog post..Question for Controversy: Why Do Blogs Fall Out of Niche?
Thanks everyone. Your comments have been heartwarming. I can’t believe how great our little community of bloggers and readers has grown in the last year.
In fact, one of the factors of my present situation is that I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the size of the community and it’s dynamism. I can’t keep up with all the cool things going on right now!
It seems to me that 15 months ago we were just a handful and now most of the people who commented have active blogs with readers!
Anyhoo, I’m writing my game report as I type this. So something should come up soon 🙂