Those of you who still read my posts have probably seen me talk (okay, complain and whine) about being super inactive lately. It’s been going on for months and months, and I feel like I’ve neglected my blog to the point that it may as well not exist.
And I hate it, for several reasons.
I miss it.
I miss blogging. I miss the blogosphere. I miss all my blogging friends. I miss interacting with bloggers and talking about books. I miss that feeling I used to get from blogging, and I want it back. But I don’t know how. I don’t want it to feel like a chore.
I feel like no one remembers me.
I feel like my blog and myself have kind of just…faded into the background. Into non-remembrance. I feel like Novel Heartbeat doesn’t stand out because there’s rarely ever any content. And it breaks my heart.
I hardly get any interaction.
This is kind of a catch-22. I don’t get much interaction, because guess what? I don’t interact much. It’s a sad cycle. And it’s my fault. But I just haven’t had the time, or the motivation, or really even the desire to go visit blogs for months upon months.
I’m out of the loop.
I have NO idea what the blogging current events are anymore. Sometimes I’ll get the gist of something on Twitter, but I never really know what’s happening.
Not to mention, I want to follow new blogs and I don’t even know where to start! (Like, I did this once already, you’d think I’d be able to do it again.) I’ve been inactive for so freaking long that all of my favorite blogs that I loved when I used to blog all the time don’t even blog anymore. It makes me so sad.
It’s hard to re-start.
I’ve been inactive for so long, it’s hard to not be inactive, if that makes sense. I suppose you could say I’ve gotten complacent.
I’m also busy. I have a full time job, a boyfriend, and a bunch of animals to care for. I have an Etsy shop. I have a million other hobbies. Somewhere along the line, blogging went from one of my top hobbies to a side hobby. (Bookstagram took over, honestly.) I also don’t have internet. I’m sitting at the library typing this post because I have limited data on my phone and I’ve almost used my allowance for the month. (I despise this arrangement with the fire of a thousand suns, I’ll have you know.) All of those things just make blogging very difficult. I miss the days when it was easy! *wistful sigh*
I know exactly how you feel! I just started back blogging a month or so ago and I feel like an outsider now. I had to go on a 2 year hiatus just as I was starting to see a big change, a grow in followers and everything. Now I just feel like all the tours, blitzes and posts I put up are for nothing. I’m really busy as well so I don’t have much time to post reviews, read or come up with post ideas or anything and it’s rather depressing. I’m really hoping that things pick up soon though. Maybe I just haven’t given it enough time. Don’t give up hope though! I haven’t :)
Bah, it’s so terrible! I’ve tried my hardest to never go on hiatus, and I still haven’t officially taken one, but some weeks I don’t post at all, so I’m posting maybe 6 times a month :(
Here’s to hoping we can both keep our hope! <3
I feel this so much! I’ve been inactive on and off for the past year and it is SO hard getting back into the swing of things and getting back into the community. It really discourages me even more when it comes to wanting to blog. I just want things to be back to normal lol but like most things, it’s going to take work. I hope you get back into blogging the way you want. :)
Ugh, right?! It’s so discouraging! Some days I want the blogging to be done but I don’t want to put in the work for it. There is no magic button but sometimes I wish there was!
Oh my gosh yes and yes to all of this. I haven’t even been reading as much lately either, which is sad. Sometimes it’s way more work to get back into blogging than it is to stay active.
I understand how you feel. Even though I am somewhat active, I swing like a pendulum between being super active (and dissing every other hobby because look at me, I’m super blog girl!) and not even turning on my computer for over a week. It is hard to keep a balance as it is, and coming back is even harder. My suggestion for getting fresh followers is to go to popular weekly memes – both large and small – pick a few blogs from each you want to follow and actively “recruit” to follow you back. I am also struggling like Kelly to come up with content and post reviews.
I do that too! I have the inability to focus on two hobbies at once, so I give one hobby everything I’ve got for like a week to a month, and neglect everything else. Then I’ll switch to something else for a while. I might do that! I mean, that’s how I started out so it makes sense. It’s just so daunting >.<
I can kind of relate to this because although I’m not totally inactive, I do feel like I’m in a funk. I’m in this position where I still love book blogging, but I don’t really feel that into reviews any more. I still post a few, but not many. And because I’m not into blitzes/tours/promos, I don’t know what else to post to still be bookish (I don’t have any ideas for discussion posts right now, so there’s that too). I feel like I’m a semi-retired book blogger posing as a full-time book blogger and I feel a bit weird about it. Like I’m trying to fit in, but I don’t really fit in, and I don’t know where I do fit in.
I noticed that you don’t have many reviews anymore! I still stalk your Goodreads though for when you love a book so I can add it (*coughs* C.L. Wilson). And yep I hate blitzes & promos and I rarely do tours anymore unless it’s a book I either loved or know that I will love. I ran out of discussion ideas, too! I feel like there’s nothing to talk about, and when I do have a slight idea I feel like it’s already been talked about. YES, that’s exactly how I feel! Like I don’t really fit in anymore. It makes me sad.
Hey Jessi. I’ve been a major fan of Novel Heartbeat for a long time. I always look forward to your blog posts and your Bookstagram pictures are amazeballs! I hope that you find your blogging stride and start blogging the way that you want to!!!!
I feel like book blogging doesn’t play nice with other hobbies – it’s either all orights nothing.
Ugh, YES. That’s kind of how bookstagram is, too. *sighs*
I totally get this and have had similar feelings as of late, but I can’t really complain either because I haven’t been interacting much as of late either. Real life gets in the way too though and blogging the way I like to do it takes more effort than I’m willing to put into it sometimes.
I’ve seen a lot of people say they feel they’ve lost their audience after taking a hiatus, and that’s really interesting to me because blogging advice posts are always all chipper: “Don’t worry about taking a break! Your readers will be there for you when you come back!” And I”m sure your core readers will be (unless many of them stopped blogging, too), but I have to agree posting regularly is an influence on traffic. I hope you get back into a groove soon!
Lmao! I see those, too! I don’t know why I worry so much. The TRUE readers are always here, I’ve learned that. It’s just daunting because I feel like I used to get more interaction, I guess? It’s not a popularity contest, and I hate that sometimes my brain thinks of it that way. That’s definitely not why I started blogging! Stupid brain.
I miss you Jessi!!! I hope you can find balance in your life and are able to find time for blogging again.
I’ve also cut down on my blogging time and I feel so out of the loop.. not only blogging, but also on Twitter. It feels like I am missing out all the time and I don’t know how to get back into my groove. I guess it just takes time.