Thoughts on Blogging Part 14
By the time that August rolls around this year, I will have been actively blogging and generally sharing my writing online for 14 years. Prior to that, back in the eighties, I was involved in the production of several fanzines. That was indeed a labour of love and although I was happy to write the content, the work involved in physically creating the actual pages was tough. The printing costs were also an early lesson in how writing is not an immediate path to fame and fortune. All things considered, writing has been a major aspect of my life for as long as I can remember. I used to enjoy writing stories as a child and then as I got older I discovered the pleasure of a well constructed essay. I was fortunate to have three very good English teachers during my time at school, who were passionate about their job and very encouraging.
Since the New Year I have struggled not so much with writing but more with my motivation to write. I don’t have a shortage of ideas. As ever there’s plenty to talk about. However, there seems to be an ongoing decline in longform posts, providing criticism and analysis. You’ll still find them on commercial websites such as Kotaku but they’re not so prevalent among the blogging community. Some bloggers do still tackle the big subjects and the controversies that so often accompany them but in my experience, lengthy thoughtful posts seem to be falling out of favour. Furthermore, due to the cyclical nature of popular culture and the various leisure industries, all too often you find yourself repeating yourself as a writer or covering familiar ground. The things that I enjoy and love to write about have become as partisan as other parts of public discourse, which does rob them of their charm.
Hence, the current malaise I’ve experienced has had an impact upon my productivity. However my output has remained the same for the last six months. I usually write about 16 or so posts a month although I have recently started trying to maintain a daily schedule. However, since May I have noticed a noticeable drop in traffic to Contains Moderate Peril. Statistics are not my primary motivator when it comes to my writing but they do play a part. It is reassuring to know that posts are being read and that an audience does exist. However, after giving this matter some thought, I think the drop in traffic is due to people returning to their formal places of work and rather than losing pageviews, the numbers are simply returning to pre COVID-19 levels. So in the last week or so I’ve felt more positive about writing. I have especially enjoyed a couple of posts that I’ve written that just seem to pour out of me without any problems.
Today the Blaugust 2021 Festival of Blogging was formally announced. I shall compose a more comprehensive blog post “bigging up” this enjoyable community activity in the next few days. However, it has already had a positive effect as new members have signed up to the event and also joined the Discord server. Meeting new writers and sharing ideas is a major shot in the arm and provides a lot of encouragement and motivation for all concerned. It is important to encourage more people to write and express themselves as it is an invaluable life skill. Plus there is a natural attrition that happens within the blogging community. Writing is a commitment that takes time and effort and real life often competes with both of those things. Hopefully this year’s Festival of Blogging will be well attended and received, drawing attention to the merits of writing, ensuring that our community continues to survive.
