When we start blogging, we are enthusiastic about it and spend quite some time creating posts and reading other blogs. As time passes, the novelty of blogging usually begins to fade – we still enjoy it, but we are slowly becoming distracted by other things in our lives and don’t post as often or read as many blogs as we used to. A blog is in many ways more demanding than other types of social media, and so it’s often the one that we pause first when other things come up in our lives.
Over the years, I have lost friends to what I would call blogging fatigue – they stopped updating their blogs once their life got busier, i.e. they changed jobs, became moms, or moved to other countries. For some people, blogging is something seasonal, useful as a way to express themselves during a certain period of their lives. But once that period passes, they no longer concern themselves with their blog much. Blogging doesn’t really become incorporated into every blogger’s life.
I like to think that my blog will remain active for as long as I live, and after my death, too, that people close to me and people who have never met me, and perhaps even my children or grandchildren, should I have any, will leaf through it one day and discover more of me through it.
Lately, however, I have developed some blogging fatigue myself. I have not been posting here as much or as often as I would like. It is not that there are no new mental landscapes to explore with you or plenty of social conundrums we could untangle together, but I feel I have only a limited amount of energy these days, and I try to invest in the many stories I am working on quietly in the background, like J.D. Salinger in his cabin in the woods.
My life has come to somewhat of a standstill at present due mostly to the medical mystery that afflicts me. I have experienced a progressive weight loss over the last two years, and have some tiny swollen lymph nodes in my neck, too, but the ultrasounds I have done suggest they are not the malignant kind of lymph nodes. I guess I will never know for certain until I do a biopsy, but there are not enough grounds for that, it seems.
So at present I am neither healthy nor sick. There are people who are far worse than me in this world, though, for so many other reasons, and so I try not too feel sorry about myself. I have taken to preparing very healthy vegetable meals, going on agreeable walks in the delicate sunshine of early spring mornings, meditating, drinking green tea, making smoothies with carrots, and trying not to think too hard about anything but attend to the present moment, to the small innocent joys of the peaceful literary life quietly unfolding around me.
Still, that is no excuse for letting this blog fall into neglect, and from now on I will try to be more active, renewing old acquaintances, making new friends, and getting to know you better, curious reader.
Now let me ask you… Have you ever experienced blogging fatigue? What kept/keeps you going?
boy with a hat 
Yes, at the moment actually…but like writer’s block, I let it pass. Equal parts living life and writing life, even if not at the same time, each beast feeds the other.
I am experiencing it right at this moment. Your post is timely. I feel like I’m just hanging by a thread and my usual reading lists have changed because people have dropped out. I haven’t quite put things back together again, so everything I do feels kind of random. Honestly. But, I do what I can. I like the thought that you want to keep your blog going for as long as you live. That will be a true gift. For many, like you said, the blog has a shelf life. It serves a purpose and then people move on. I hope you feel well and discover what’s going on with you.
What about you, Amy? Will you blog still be around in 3,5,10 years?
I hope so! We shall see, Vincent.
Hey! i just recently made my blog; 1st January actually, as a part of my resolution and i was really excited and all in the beginning. But in between this the “blogging fatigue” hit me. Don’t get me wrong word press is awesome but as i am a student i got occupied in my school life and all. Now I’ve become increasingly active again, maybe because it isn’t the best time of my life. But reading blogs really lifts up my mood and well, I’ve come across some really inspirational posts that really motivates me through my day. so well i keep coming back to see how people think and how i can keep getting inspired.
Just wanted to share. Nice and simple post! 🙂
In the beginning, I think it’s good to have a sense of direction, even a content plan – I remember that when I started, I was thinking about posts in advance. And getting into the habit of posting something on a particular day at around the same hour also helps.
What content plan did you have?
When I launched this blog, I used to publish 50-word stories and posts on writing. I would write these in advance, whenever the mood struck me, so that I always had a few posts ready in advance. 🙂
50-word stories? Are they kind of fictional short stories? Sorry I just found your blog today 😀
Yes, I even gathered them in a book. If you have a Kindle ebook reader you can try them out via the sidebar link. 🙂 If not, you can take a look at my archive.
Great! Thank you 🙂
It is work. I find myself going back and forth and have almost quit several times. I have gone back to only pointing 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes less. But I still read a lot of blogs. Overall I think blogs have become a victim of new social media. But I still like the more in-depth material one can create on a blog vs. Twitter or a picture on Instagram or a post on Facebook. So I’m still at it. But it is a job at times.
Vincent, I would like to read the many stories you are working on behind the scenes. They sound mighty infatuating, mostly because your writing is always an exciting pleasure to read. I sometimes experience blogging fatigue, namely because nothing appeals to me creatively and I have a lull. The bloggery starts to wake up mighty quick when I go back to uni or sit in the uni cafe and people watch. Ideas come from human interactions, mostly. I hope your medical mystery gets sorted out quickly, there is nothing more stale and worrisome than a medical mystery.
Always good to hear from you, Lenora. Well, maybe I could send you one or two stories these days? That way you could tell me what you make of them.
That would be amazing, I would be more than happy to do that. You could send them to my email if you like. I read your book of fifty word stories (it’s on my kindle) and when I am looking for inspiration I often sift through them, in the hopes a small idea will float out of the little snippets you have there. I hope you don’t mind.
I am happy to hear that – no, I don’t mind at all. I’ll mail you a story soon. 🙂
Well Vincent this a great piece (as usual) well i promise myself to put a new post each week at least but i always fail, i need to rededicate myself to my blog. I do hope you find out whats wrong i pray that its nothing
Thanks! Have you tried writing a post or two in advance when the writing mood strikes you? You can then publish it later. It worked for me.
Very nice timely post. In order to avoid blogging fatigue, I write when I want to … Once a week. Not for followers or hits! Your posts have always been wonderful. Hope your med condition improves and may you get over this fatigue. Take care😀
Thanks for your good wishes, Shivangi. Yes, writing when you feel like it instead of forcing it is a good approach. 🙂
I’ve had my blog for over a year now. In the beginning, I was so excited and full of ideas that anything would inspire me to write. Then, one day, poof. Every desire or inspiration I once had vanished, and the little I’d write would come out forced. There was no fluidity. Then life got in the, and whatever little spare time I had was always replaced with school, family, or personal time (even writers need some!). Now I’m trying to come back, even though it’s been a long time. As to what inspires me, I’m just figuring out about that myself. The way I see it, inspiration and passion can sometimes be bottled up by our worries. I suggest you take some time to really focus on your health, or your life in general, as much as it’d pain me to stop reading your incredible posts. Health and hapiness are priorities. I wish you all the best.
Thank you. You know, I happen to have one of those professions where an untimely death could actually be good for my (posthumous) career. Joking aside, blogging is a comforting medium in turbulent times, so if the worst happens, I will most likely become more active here.
Hahahaha definitely. Thank you so much for replying. I forgot to add something I just realized: passion is soul consumming, so fatigue is inevitable when living your passion. I’ve experienced this in so many ways, like when learning a language, which is something I absolutely love.
Thank you again, I really do hope all works out well for you.
I wish you could get a real diagnosis of your ailment. It’s worrisome that you are experiencing progressive weight loss and have swollen lymph nodes. And this has been going on for a long time. Is it possible to get a second opinion? Is it possible to get a PET scan? I’m frustrated from afar that you haven’t been able to clear up the mystery and get treatment.
Thank you for your concern! PET scanning means a lot of radiation (which in itself can be harmful), and at my age they don’t really do that unless there are clearer symptoms – the blood tests are almost perfect, and there seems to be no inflammation in the body. Besides, the lymph nodes have not undergone any bad changes since they were spotted 2 years ago.That in itself is a good sign. I am quite confident that I will get to the bottom of the mystery eventually. If there is a disease, it seems to be taking its time.
Hi! I just started blogging 4 months ago. Actually, I still have a lot to learn. And now I am experiencing the fatigue and the so called writer’s block. I think the reason is I read too much. I read blogs everyday. I read books (digital and hard copies). Including my emails and work. I am trying to learn many things like blogging, setting up a website/blog, seo, etc… Now, I am overloaded with information. I think I have to reduce those activities so I can focus on one thing and get over the blogging fatigue.
Very good post! Keep it up!
Sounds like a good plan, Den. 🙂
Yes my dear boy with a hat, I have. I just returned myself to my mostly Spanish lilly1949 site and I opened a new one two years ago in English. Please check it out at lilliamarnau.wordpress.com. Like you I’m an ESL person, (yeah I remember you back when you opened your blog) You did 50 word story challenges, right?
Re your health, have you checked yourself for fibromialgia? It is not a woman’s condition. Also check for the Epstein Barr Syndrome. Healthy vibes going your way.
I checked your English blog and will keep an eye on it. Yes, there was a time when I wrote 50 word stories. Even compiled the best of them in a book. Fibromialgia: I don’t have any pains. About Epstein Barr Syndrome, I have heard about it and I did test positive for it in the past. I think it’s quite a rather vague condition, no? Won’t exclude anything, though. Will see how it goes. 🙂
Get well soon. Your blog is still one of the bests.
That’s a comforting thought. Thanks for the good wishes. 🙂
You keep me going xx
And you keep me!
SUN JIN NIM:
In his chapter on “Find Your Purpose, Change Your Life,” True Father writes as follows:
“God did not send us into this world without purpose. When God created us He invested His complete love into each person. So we are all created for greatness because God exists, we can accomplish anything. I became a completely different person when I began to love God. I loved humanity more than myself and was more concerned with the problems of others than the problems of my own family. I loved everything that God created. I deeply loved the trees on the hills and the fish in the waters. My spiritual senses developed so I could discern God’s handiwork in all things in creation. As I was changing my heart to conform to God’s love. I also strengthened my body so I could fulfill my mission.” (PLGC,323)
When youthful passion is linked to the heart of Heavenly Parent and the tradition of True Parent
2016-04-19 0:10 GMT+07:00 boy with a hat :
> Vincent Mars posted: ” When we start blogging, we are enthusiastic about > it and spend quite some time creating posts and reading other blogs. As > time passes, the novelty of blogging usually begins to fade – we still > enjoy it, but we are slowly becoming distracted by other thin” >
Interesting to read this after just having contemplated on giving up on my blog soon. It’s probably like you said, something seasonal, in my case…we’ll see. 😀
Good thing I discovered yours before you closed business then.
Am auzit ca pianistii au mainile foarte puternice, ca te pot strange de incheietura foarte, foarte rau, si daca nu vor, nici nu iti mai dau drumul… E adevarat?
:))) Nu cred. Cred ca oricine e puternic te poate strange fara sa-ti dea drumul, chiar daca nu e pianist. Dar pianistii se vor feri de cele mai multe ori de situatii violente in care sa fie mainile sau incheieturile implicate si fortate. 🙂
Hi! I just started blogging yesterday and hope i won’t get a blogging fatigue syndrome in future :p
This post is really intriguing to me and motivates me to work more. Keep sharing!!
Glad to hear that!
I am actually not new to WordPress. I started blogging in 2014, yet I only published few articles. What bothers me till today is what theme I should use. I also still get confused by the categories of my blog. I have some blogging ideas, but where they should belong to is always bothering me.
I’ve turned my blog over to guest bloggers for a long period at times, when I’ve had to attend to editing longer works: a memoir and a novel. BTW get better, check out hyper thyroidism, as that has been a cause for weight loss in my partner. It’s treatable, but takes time. Good luck with it.
May I ask whether your partner showed any obvious signs of hyper thyroidism, such as very fast heartbeat (except when he was not around you, of course), or was it only diagnosed after blood tests?
Sorry about the late reply. He was only diagnosed through blood tests, after weight loss and tiredness.
Thanks so much for liking “Flower Girl” on my blog. I find your blog very interesting and plan on spending some time here.
Every so often, maybe every few months, my brain will be bereft of anything substantial, just jaded half ideas and a reluctance to even read more than a title of anone elses stuff.
Then a few days later it’s gone. Maybe just over exposure.?
This cracks me up. I just finished a quick sketch of me walking a tightrope between blogging and publication. There’s a rat gnawing on the rope unknown to me. I saw you liked a post and I clicked here HA!
Honestly, if I wasn’t querying my book and working on other projects I would be quite content to write blog posts and read others all day long. But there is only so much time. I have to choose. So like you, I’ll keep it up, but am simplifying my posts. The ones that take longer don’t necessarily get more views anyway.
Never ever give in.
Reblogged this on Mugglestones and Mayhem and commented:
This post on Blogging Fatigue is really interesting, and the resulting comments are great!
When I am fatigued I make sure to read other blogs and reboot great stuff, like this article. Spread the love!
Mo
Not reboot, but reblog! Ha!
Totally! I tried blogging during my packing/moving ordeal, but I barely kept up. Sometimes I need a break just to refresh my thoughts and plumb the depths of new ideas. Thanks for posting this—it’s nice to know I’m not alone!
I sure hope you discover what is plaguing you. Be sure to get plenty of rest.