Blogging: rediscovering the why

/ Rae Cod

My blogging has become sporadic of late.  I’d felt like taking a break for a while, then one week I didn’t post, and kept not posting.  The longer I didn’t post, the harder it became to dive back in. Since then I’ve dipped my toe a few times, but it’s proving hard to regain my momentum. 

Mindset Matters

As is often the way in matters of writing, my mindset is the problem.  Blogging went from something I do for fun to something I felt I should be progressing in.  Questions like, ‘should I be actively trying to find more followers?’ and ‘should I develop a niche?’ had begun to circle around my busy brain. 

My creative writing also took a hit.  I entered some poetry competitions in December, which forced me to look at my writing and consider how I might develop it.  My inner critic (an unforgiving bastard named Brian) drew the conclusion there was no developing this horseshit, and so the well ranneth dry.

In the weeks since I stopped blogging ideas came thick and fast, yet none of them seemed to bear fruit, and they sat withering on my hard drive, this post included.

I began to question why I wanted to write at all.

Lucky for me, I’ve been here before, and a read of my journals and some of my old blog posts reminded me of some of my why’s.

Why blog?

For me, blogging is cathartic; it allows for the release of thoughts and ideas that want to go forth into the world.  If I don’t blog, these ideas seem to fester and cause an energy blockage which leaves me sluggish and uninterested.  In short, life can fade to a monotone shade of numbing grey when I’m not noticing ideas for the next blog post or poem. 

Why rhyme?

There’s no denying that rhyming poetry is not for everyone, but I’ve always loved a good rhyming story, from Roald Dahl to Julia Donaldson.  I like creating them because I’ve always loved reading them. My rhymes aren’t perfect, but there’s a definite thread running through them that allows me to glimpse a deeper part of myself, a part which sometimes seems in conflict with my day-to-day life.  Reading them back can have a grounding effect, reminding me what’s important and what values I’m striving for.  Many of the rhymes I write connect me to nature, and seeing a passing squirrel or an Earthworm means more to me now than it did before I started writing. Then there’s always the chance a rhyme may strike a chord with another person, and it’s a nice thought that something I’ve put out into the world could have a cathartic effect on another human being.

What, no end game?

I often think I should have a lofty goal. and yet my ambitions are often vague and unformed.  When I do dare to imagine a specific goal, my brain creates all sorts of barriers to its achievement and the joy of writing disappears.  Perhaps I’ve spent too much of my life thinking everything should have an end game, a progression, a reason beyond ‘because I like it.’ This mindset has stopped me from trying many things, because if I’m not prepared to follow the track to some bitterly successful end, then what’s the point?  I think this mindset is cultural, and for me was probably cemented in school, where everything is about the pursuit of an end goal, and where the goalposts are always moving: pass your GCSE’s to do A-levels, pass your A-levels to go to University, get a good degree to get a good job.  After that it’s often a good job to a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, more holidays…it’s exhausting.

Yet the blog posts, rhymes and journal entries I’ve written often show me the way.  They show me that I’ve been here before, had these thoughts before, felt this way before, and in doing so demonstrate that there is a point to writing after all:  I’m showing myself the way.

What gets you writing when things get sluggish? 

32 thoughts on “Blogging: rediscovering the why”

  1. What a great way to capture the ups and downs of writing. For me, I go through my ruts and finding ways to make it not feel like writing. So I start mind mapping and dictating, and that usually gives me a good interim solution while I figure things out.

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    • What a creative way to pull yourself out of a rut. I heard a writer recently say that she thinks of the downs as part of the creative process, which is probably a good way to look at things. Comforting to know all writers go through it 😊

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  2. Whew, thanks Rae ~ I always get inspiration from your writing. My journals also help me get back on track with my writing. Both reading them and consistently writing in them. Keep on keepin’ on, sister, and I will too! (I keep a journal in my phone. It’s so convenient and I can copy and paste quotes I find and sometimes links to good stuff.)

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    • Thanks Melanie, that’s really kind of you to say 😊 I do that with my phone too! If I’m on the go it goes in the notes app, especially good for lightbulb moment 😊
      What sorts of things do you write? Is there anywhere online to read it?

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      • Hi Rae ~ That’s so kind of you to ask! I’m so happy to connect with you because your writing really resonates with me. I have nothing on-line at the moment but I am working on a project that combines short reflections with a photo, to be emailed out on a weekly basis. I know nothing about Substack or other platforms for doing that but will undoubtedly learn. I could send you a sample but not sure how. Maybe I can cut and paste here. Also, apart from that project, I also like to write rhyming poems. Here’s one for April 1:
        April first is not for fools,
        It’s for devotees of ladybugs,
        And frog spawn in sky-filled pools,
        And the daffodil honking a lullaby soft
        to the bumblebee asleep in its chamber aloft;
        It’s for freers of butterflies trapped in sheds:
        (“Calm down,” I murmur, “don’t bang your head,”
        guiding it, flapping wildly, to the door, where it fled;)
        It’s for supplicants of the saffron-robed poppy
        With green leaf Kali-arms personifying shakti,
        Seated on her flowerpot cushion of earth
        My offerings of rain water assist her rebirth;
        Her acolytes four, with bowed heads surround her
        In the greenhouse temple where the warm air stirs;
        Maybe April is for fools who plant sweet pea seeds
        with snow in the forecast and, down on their knees,
        rehome hydrangeas; Goddess don’t let them freeze!
        Is it not the month for all holy fools
        Who smell God in compost and manure?
        Who feel Her in the first all-day sting of new nettles
        plucked from a raised bed, cast down on the pebbles;
        Who see Her as the chickens running for slugs
        that we poke through the wire with the garden pest bugs;
        Who taste Her in the chives that dwindled in winter
        but burgeoned in the light that now seems to linger;
        Who hear a prayer in the throb of hammer on wood;
        To be boxes for sunflowers in soil rich and good;
        Such a fool I am, Oh, such a fool am I
        To believe all nature is divine,
        All beauty, all power in what lives and dies.

        Thanks again for your interest! It means a lot. Happy Easter, Happy Spring, happy happy everything! 🌱🌷🌿💕

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      • That poem is pure magic Melanie, so much rich and beautiful imagery, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

        I definitely think you should set up a Substack. From what I can see the application pretty much guides you through the set up (been trying to set one up myself & there’s been some frustration with uploading images but apart from that it seems ok, though I haven’t managed to post anything yet!)
        Let me know when you get set up, would love to follow you on there.
        Your poem has lifted me into spring, so happy spring back at you, hope to hear from you soon 😊 🌸 🐝 🦋

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      • Oh thank you so much for encouraging me, Rae! Means so much! I will definitely look into Substack eventually. You’ll figure it out before I do! My project involves writing 52 Wells of Goodness (my last name is Wells🤣) and I’ve completed 20 so far. THEN I will figure out a platform for them, quite possibly Substack. I’m so glad you liked my poem and it helped catapult you into the spirit of spring. Happy writing, happy Spring, happy happy everything!🐞🌷🐇🦔🌱🪺🌿

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  5. Please don’t stop writing Rae. I often binge read a few of your blogs at a time and I always feel better for connecting with your thoughts, honesty and beautiful way of writing. You are so talented and wise. X

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    • Ah you’re so lovely. I don’t think I can stop, it gives me so much and not writing for too long leads to this odd cranial pressure 😬 Just sometimes I need to regroup…this has been the least I’ve written for about 2 years, but I can see things come in cycles and I feel like I’m back in the saddle again (I hope!) 😚xx

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      • I’m so predictable 🤦‍♂️😂

        I guess. At least I’m not totally out of the blogosphere.

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      • I think my problem with writing is/was that I read a ton of blogs. I read and see how other blogs get so much interaction and people reblog their stuff and they just seem to thrive. My blogs on the other hand seem to survive until they burn out. That, and trying to deal with other’s weirdness on top of my own. It’s kind of like working out until you’re at extreme muscle failure. And it’s easier to quit than continue.

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      • It’s like an art form there’s no manual for isn’t it? I think as long as you’re writing stuff that’s interesting to you there’s a certain element of trust it’ll reach the people it’s meant for, though there’s no doub we can get bored of our own blogs too and sometimes they run their course until inspiration strikes again.

        I’m grateful to have you as a reader & when inspiration next strikes you I’ll be there as a reader too. Just follow what lights you up & write what your soul needs to express, don’t worry what anyone else is doing.

        I’ll never forget you were the inspiration for my epic poem Fluent, do you remember? I read it out in my poetry group recently when the topic was ‘smells’ & it was very well received 🤣

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      • You’re one of the few people on here I never had any concerns over lol. So you’ve earned my loyalty 😜

        I’m glad I’ve had a certain effect and inspiration on you 😂 a long lingering friendship was forged.

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  9. Pingback: A week without reading: practicing the writer’s way | Rae Cod’s Writing

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