Blogging is Hard!

Blogging is Hard!

Hello everyone and welcome to our place! πŸ˜€

I think I’ve talked about this subject many times… Blogging in general, my experience with blogging, when I don’t feel that good when it comes to blogging. But, I think I never addressed this! πŸ˜€

I love blogging! I really do, it’s one of those things I can see myself doing forever! That’s why I’m trying to go pro. However, Blogging is not easy! Like, not at all! XD So, I though to myself, why not write a post about this? And here we are! Take in mind though, some of the things I’ll address may make more sense to people who also are trying to go pro versus people who just do it as a hobby.

blogging going pro
I googled Anime Pro Gif and this is what appeared

Nevertheless, you can see this post as a “you are not alone in this struggle!”. Don’t wait for an answer to solve them all at the end though, I’m also trying to find the answerΒ  to some of them ahah So, let’s start!

 

– Blogging is Way Much More than Writing –

Some people start blogging and think that you just need to write good and interesting posts. Well, that’s a start, but if you really want to have a community and live out from your blog you will need to know way more than that!

blogging is more than writing
Here’s an idea for the people who do episodic reviews

You start with writing, then you realise that you will also need to do some social media to get more viewers, then it’s Search Engine Optimization, but… Wait! Since there are more people coming to our blog we need to have a LIT design! So, here we go, learning how to properly do some kind of design, what works and what not! However, knowing how to do cool designs is not enough! Since this is a website, before we notice, here we are learning about HTML and CSS.

However, that is still not enough! It will take a time you will need to do some community management and you also need to talk with other creators, read their stuff, put some likes, write some comments and all that.

blogging all you need to do
I mean, not all of us are able to use clones as Naruto πŸ™

Oh, and let’s not forget that if you really want to go pro you will need some business strategy in there! Target your audience, know in which nich you will be writing for, learn that nich and think in ways to monetize your blog that makes sense to that niche….

So, from writing you went to Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Image/Video Design, Programming, Web Design, Community Manager and Public Relations! I mean, have you ever seen something in a CV a job that needs you to make so many different things?

So, no! Blogging in fact is like 30% writing? Maybe 50%? But, most of the time you will be doing a lot of stuff that is not writing related. However, for me it’s really not a problem! I love to learn new things! I love managent/marketing, I also love design, so it’s not really something I hate! Nonetheless, it’s something that will take a lot of your time! Specially if you are working a full-time job at the same time you are blogging.

 

– It’s Never Good Enough –

blogging always wanting more followers
More… More… MOOOOOREEEEE!!!!

So, you start your blog and you are dying to get some views. After some time, those views are not enough, you want some followers now. Then the likes, but wait! You really want people to comment and engage with your posts! So, now it’s the comments!

Ok… You are ok with the numbers you are getting for all of these, now it’s about people clicking in the links you provide in your blog, or getting more Google visitors, or from Social Media. Then we pass to our social media accounts with the want to get more followers.

Well, in fact, if you are like me you will never be completely satisfied! The World is not perfect which includes your blog! I mean, your blog does make part of this World!… Right?

blogging is hard never perfect
Ok… I take that back! This GIF is clearly perfect!

However, take in mind that you should be very thankful for what you have at this moment. Being them 1, 100, or 1000! Don’t see it like numbers, see it like people! Even if it is only one person, it’s one person that is seated in her computer reading your stuff … With interest! I know that for someone who wants to go pro you need a huge follower base so your monetization does give any kind of profit. BUT, until then, enjoy the ride!

It’s completely ok for you to want more! I think that’s the best way for you to push yourself further and do more stuff, come up with nice and creative ideas! But, again… Remember your roots! Remember when you had 0 followers and 0 viewers! Everyone was in there one day, so be grateful and continue to push forward.

 

– It Takes a LOT of Time –

blogging is hard giving up
Sometimes we do have this kind of thoughts

Depending on your Niche, your follower base will have difference growth rates. If you are an Anime Blogger or a Gaming blogger as me, then it probably is not as quick as mental health, travel or other kind of blogs.

It does take a lot of time! I’ve been blogging for 8 months (+-) and I have around 350 followers at the moment. Which IS a good number! But, for example, when it comes to Email followers I only have 4 xD

blogging is frustating
I’m ok… I’m ok…

So, yeah! Sometimes is a bit frustrating andΒ demotivating seeing your stats growing so slow. Sometimes you even think to yourself if you are going to be able to go pro at all! Well, there is no answer for that! Blogging takes time, anything that means you getting your content out there without anyone knowing you takes time! In fact, normally people take like 2 years (or even more) to be able to go fully pro with their own content.

So, my advice is to continuing pushing forward and if you feel desmotivated talk with a fellow creator! They will be there to help you ^.^

 

– Comparing Yourself With Others –

Blogging comparing with others
Image found here!

X has more comments than me! Y started blogging after me and already have more followers! Z posted a post the same time as me and already has the double of likes I have…

Comparing yourself with others will never, but never bring a good outcome! You have to mentally train yourself to not do that! Yes, we all have different growths. Yes, sometimes your post will go unnoticed and unappreciated. That’s life my friends!

The only way to work that out is to think to yourself what can you do and continuously improve yourself. There’s no problem in taking more time than others to achieve something! πŸ™‚ Maybe, because of that, you will end with way more perseverance than others, making you shine when it comes to a slower pace at Anime blogging in general.

blogging is hard comparing yourself with others

Then there are also the comparisons of content: My god, X writes so better than me, Y is so funny, why I can’t be like that? And Z.. God, Z is able to comment everyone! I wished I could do that!

First of all, when it comes to writing everyone has their own style. People who are following you is because they like your writing style, personality and etc. This way there is no better or worse in content creating! Unless you feel inspired and try to improve yourself, stop comparing yourself to others.

Second, the amount of work people put into their blogs is also not comparable. When you see someone putting more content, or commenting more than you in other blogs there is only one answer. These people are putting more of their time in blogging than you πŸ™‚ So, feeling bad for that is not really productive.

blogging is hard productivity
My weekends

You can do two things, take the conscious decision that you just can’t give more of your life to blogging and be ok with others being able to do more than you, or stop procrastinating and work harder in your blog πŸ™‚

 

– Creating Content –

blogging is hard creating content

Creating content is not always easy! Especially if you do it in a regular basis. I, for example, put content out everyday. It’s not easy… At all! You will need to be always thinking in new things to write and to discuss.

Well, anyone has their own way to do it! πŸ™‚ Irina for example takes advantage of her creative days to write the most she can and just schedule it to go out later. Myself use creative music to make me get inspired to write. Others probably will have their own way. So, find your own way to do things! πŸ™‚ It also takes time and only by trial and error you will be able to learn your own pace! πŸ™‚

One tip I can give you is to find some kind of a series that you can write in a regular basis but with some kind of direction. 30 Day Challenges are a great help for example πŸ™‚

 

– Conclusion –

Blogging is hard. There is no other way to put it! But it is also fun and awesome! There are a lot of awesome people you will meet, a lot of different assets and tools you will learn. To be honest, if you want to go pro then you really need to love blogging! It’s one of those jobs that you need to input a lot before you get any return out of it. So, unless you are ready to do this just for love during a lot of time, probably blogging is not going to be for you :/

What about you? What do you think about blogging? Is it hard for you sometimes? Do you feel unmotivated from time to time? Tell me in the comments πŸ˜›

blogging is hard conclusion

See You Soon! πŸ˜€

 

 

97 thoughts on “Blogging is Hard!

  1. Well said! This kind of mentality I believe can be applied to any kind of content creation, not just blogging. Like being a Youtube creator, an artist, a novel writer, etc. It’s all about perseverance and determination πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you~! Yeah, you are pretty right in that one! However, since I only have experience when it comes to blogging I decided to stick with that! Although having no viewers 99% of the time when I’m streaming is being harder to be preserverant than any wall I went against to while as a blogger xD

  2. This was a wonderful post. I completely agree…blogging at times is very hard. Especially combining it with a full time day job. This week for instance I have less time on my hands due to a company dinner and working on saturday. Which is why I am holding off on publishing posts until I have a little but more time. When I would stick to a schedule, it would be much rougher for me…and I would feel way too much pressure.
    Another thing I never really worry about is my stats. Yes ofcourse it’s fun to see my stats grow, and attract new followers…but like you said…even if only one person reads and enagages with me, that alone is very rewarding. For me the greatest thing about having a blog is all the wonderful people I have met along the way (You are of course included) and all the interaction.
    At the end THAT’S what has made all that hard work so incredibly rewarding ??

    1. I feel the same way, Michel. I don’t worry too much about stats, likes, follower count, and comments because even if one person reads it, it’s enough for me! I know that I will have at least one consistent viewer which is enough motivation for me!

      Great post, Arthifis. I applaud you for writing about a topic that I don’t see often at all. Blogging IS hard. It’s the truth.

      1. Thanks so much Rose. I could not agree more with you on that ?? And so far this journey, for that is at times how I still see it, has been incredibly rewarding ??

        1. Yes, it has been super rewarding! I got to know you and so many other bloggers. When I started my blog I had no idea that I would make new friends. ^^

          1. That’s exactly something I had never expected myself to happen either. But so true: it has been a pleasure meeting you and everyone else, and with so many people becoming true friends. Here’s to many more years of blogging ????

      2. Completely agree with you! πŸ˜€ I always remember myself that when I started blogging I didn’t even think that 1 person would want to read my stuff and now I see myself inside this awesome community xD

        Thank you Rose! πŸ˜€ I wanted to help people who may feel a little desmotivated because of some of the things that I wrote and show then that they are not alone

    2. Thank you so much Raist! πŸ˜€

      Yeah, don’t tell me anything! This week has been crazy to me 2. I’m going on vacation next week, so I have to leave everything done until friday, plus doing the twice the amount of posts to schedule for next week XD

      Completely true! πŸ˜€ I would love to do blogging my life! I mean, what could be more awesome than creating my own content 8-9 hours a day? However, the thing that I love most about blogging is our awesome community πŸ˜€

      1. Oh…bit that’s a nice thing though: going on vacation ? I hope you are going to enjoy yourself and also take some time to relax: you have certainly earned it, as you are one of the hardest working bloggers in this community, not to mention one hell of a cool guy ?
        And as for the community: I could not agree with you more on that ?? It’s been a crazy, wonderful and truly terrific ride, and I hope it will continue for many more years ?

        1. Oh yeah! I’m working like a dog this week so I can just turn completely off for the next week! πŸ˜€ I really want just to enjoy myself and relax! I’m in an extremely need of it – my work is getting harder and harder >.<

          Oh, thank you so much! However, I still have much to go! Although I've been able to put up content daily I end up not having time to read other people's content which frustrates me a lot since I want to give to the community. But, well, I'll learn the balance someday!

          Oh my god Raistlin! Did you just used bold in one comment??? And you are always saying that you don't understand tech stuff! You know more than me!

          But, seriously though, I would never think that I would make friends when I started blogging to the point of really caring about their well-being and wanting all the best for them! Blogging has been an amazing trip and I just want more of it! πŸ˜€

  3. So true, so true. I love blogging, but it is a lot of work. I went back to college to get more information to grow my little blog. You are right about drawing comparisons. That is something I never do. I like to think I am a part of a community and that I am only contributing to the bigger conversation. You learn, make a lot of mistakes, and change your mind a zillion times. But, it’s so satisfying. πŸ™‚

    1. Really, sorry but that’s awesome! πŸ˜€ That’s something I’m loving about blogging that I don’t really express a lot. The amount of things I’ve been learning throughout this path is just amazing xD

      Oh, I would love to be like you! At the moment I’m able to not think about that. But there was a time where I was obcessed with stats and I really compared myself with others… Worst part of my small blogging career I’m afraid >.< But, I was able to overcome that thought! πŸ˜€

  4. Blogging IS hard! But it’s a labor of love. <3

    Keeping up with it is never ending marathon, and there are a million things to do. I kinda envy people who just watch stuff and then move on. I can't approach nearly any anime, manga or animated feature without considering blog/review related aspects beforehand. A lot of people don't realize how much work goes into even one post. Note-taking, research, analysis, writing, rewriting, formatting, fact-checking, etc. And even then, you'll go back to your old posts sometime in the future and go 'What was I thinking?'

    Still, I've gotten to a point where I

    1. Sorry, accidentally hit ‘post’ without finishing lol

      Still, I’ve gotten to a point where I wouldn’t have it any other way. Blogging has opened my mind to so many different aspects of anime, manga, animation, media as a whole and even life in general. It is a lot of hard work, in every aspect, not just writing or research, but if I didn’t have fun with it I wouldn’t do it. Plus, it’s sort of a form of self-discipline to me, which I need.

      Comparing yourself to others is hard. I get down when a post I’ve worked really hard on gets mostly ignored while other posts on my feed get loads of attention, and I envy some other bloggers who make posts that are seemingly leagues above what I can do, but each blogger’s different, and that’s what makes the community so great. We all have different styles and opinions that makes every post interesting to read.

      And even if I’m not swimming in likes and have zero comments on something, it just makes me appreciate the ones I get that much more. A lesson I learned early on is that you have to blog for yourself first. If you’re happy with what you’re posting, that’s truly all that matters. πŸ™‚

      1. Ahahah no worries! It happens to me all the time πŸ˜€

        Yes, completely with you! The only reason I’m able to put up with so much work is because I LOVE blogging! πŸ˜€

        You forgot about all the GIF making and print screens, especially when doing Episodic reviews xD To be honest, I don’t mind about going towards an Anime thinking that I’m going to do a review about it! I end up enjoying it even more because I really look towards all the details, something I didn’t do before. However, I try to do my review as only a viewer which means, most of the time I don’t do many work besides watching the Anime and taking my own notes! I really respect people like you who go then and beyond to make sure everything they write is 100% accurate! πŸ˜€

        I think the series that I come with which really opened my horizan is the Random Anime Reviews. I ended up watching Animes I would never do otherwise and enjoying myself most of the times! This is something that I was only able because of my blog! However, the thing that really makes me love blogging the most is the community πŸ˜›

        When it comes to content I don’t really compare myself to others… I see it as you said. Everyone writes in their personal way and everyone has something different to give! But it’s true that sometimes I think to myself “I will never be able to something like this”. But, well… That’s life xD

        When it comes to views, likes and so on… Well, I had a phase where I was really into it and was just making me less and less motivated. Nowadays I’m able to not think about that. But, I would be lying if sometimes I don’t go to the reader and see others posts published near my time and see if they have more likes or not xD However, that’s more of a “Is my post doing bad or is WordPress dead at the moment?” πŸ˜€

        Completely agree with you! I have posts that don’t really have much engagement which sometimes make me a little unhappy. However, as you said, that only makes me share way more the posts that do, in fact, well! πŸ˜›

        Thank you for your awesome comment! ^.^

  5. As someone who is aggressively dedicated to remaining as amateur as possible (I want to be able to compete in the blogger Olympics…) I related to a lot of this. I have regularly discussed my on struggles and obstacles with blogging as well as those I see around me and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with a lot of these.

    Great job! I wish I had your dedication.

    1. Ahahah Well Irina, you can try be an amateur as you like, but I don’t think your community will stop to grow! πŸ˜€ But, hey! That’s why you are so cool! πŸ˜€

      Thank you so much~! ^.^ I’m always trying to help! If I was able to make someone to think less about their blogging struggles for one day I’m happy!

      My dedication? Lol You really give yourself way too little credit πŸ™‚

  6. I think you covered everything. I am constantly thrown off by how many details go into blogging that I find myself googling things all the time and even that doesn’t always help.

    I think the most important thing that you bring up is every blog grows at their own rate because I am jealous of so many people. Still, I love blogging and while I have other dreams then becoming a professional blogger, I don’t want to quit anytime either.

    1. Thank you so much Scott.

      To be honest, I didn’t think you had these kind of struggles since you are one of the big guys (as I see it at least ahah)

      It’s nice to know that all of us end up having these struggles, big or small so thank you so much for your comment! πŸ˜€

      I’ve learnt so many things since I started blogging! Like you, every detail I find I google it and try to learn it! To be honest, I love that part of blogging πŸ˜€

      At the moment I feel that I’m competing with myself. But there was a time where I was always comparing myself to others… Least productive blogging phase I had! Unless it’s to feel inspired, then you shouldn’t compare to anyone! It’s just a waste of time! Specially because you always end up comparing to the ones who are better, making you always feel that you are worse, not good enough, etc. It was a difficult lesson to learn, but a very important one! Everyone takes their time to grow. If you continue to put content you like and are proud of people will find you and follow you πŸ˜€ That’s my idea now

      1. Am I one of those big bloggers? I lack a fundamental level of self awareness because I’ve had some positions of authority in clubs and associations before, but I’ve never felt that way before. I guess I have been doing this for a while, but I don’t know. Either way, everyone has those struggles. It’s kind of the reality of blogging.

        I do like your competing with yourself thing. The quest of self improvement and out doing what you’ve done before is a very powerful thing that leads to a lot of interesting experimentation. Could be good or bad, but whatever. I think that’s important, thank you.

        1. Yes, of course you are! πŸ˜€ Since the beginning of my blog 8 months ago I always saw you as one of the best anime bloggers out there which writing I will never even be near to do xD

          I aways was like that, since childhood. The only moment I stopped that was when I started struggling with my blog stats and comparing myself to others. Fortunatelly I was able to wake before it was too late and come back to my “normal” self πŸ˜€

          Well yeah. As everything there is good and bad parts πŸ˜€ The good part I’m always trying to better myself. The bad part is that I’m never trully happy with my performance! πŸ˜›

          Thank you for your comment! πŸ˜€ I think it will help smaller bloggers to see that everyone ends up having struggles sooner or later πŸ™‚

  7. I love blogging and I’m so glad that it has allowed me to meet so many fantastic people online, but yeah, hard work. Probably the most frustrating thing is that there’s never enough time to do all the things you want to do because I’d love to work on improving my content and doing more with it, and I’d love to read more blogs, and I’d love to be able to have more indepth conversations with other bloggers about what they are watching and the like, and I’d love to watch more anime so I have more to write about, and so on and so forth. Ultimately its all about deciding what to do with the time you have and while it will never be enough you can certainly have some fun.

    1. The community around it is the best thing about blogging, at least in my opinion. I was able to meet people I consider friends that I love and care for πŸ™‚

      That’s also true! Specially when you are working full time! The thing that is frustrating me the most at the moment is that I just am not being able to have time to read other people’s content! I want to give to the community and I’m not being able to.

      But, well… There is much time to find a balance and at least do a little bit of everything! πŸ˜€ I’m learning how to get there!

      Thank you so much for the comment <3

  8. I am definitely one of those people who worried like crazy about stats. I still do, but it’s not the be all, end all of my work any more. I understand that some people who’ve started after me get followers much faster than me, but now that I have found my own comfortable rhythm and my own personal voice, I find that it bothers me a whole lot less. Now the only time I really stress out about stats is when I’m on vacation or hiatus, but that probably has more to do with the fact that I’m itching to return to blogging.

    This is an remarkable post and it really forced me to take a moment and evaluate myself as a blogger, including my priorities, passions, dislikes/likes, etc. Thank you so much for this. I feel that I am always learning something new when I visit your blog, and I leave feeling positive or inspired to be/do better. β™₯

    1. I completely get you! I suffered from the same some months ago…. I even wrote a post about that, because you know… I’m all about showing my “worst” qualities xD

      But, yes! Stats and comparing myself to others was something that I did daily and it was starting to take out the fun of bloggin… I was able to overcome that and as you I’m happy with my own pace and I only compare with myself xD Instead of getting jelly about others I end up feeling inspired which is way more interesting and productive xD

      To be honest, when I came back from my 1 month hiatus I was a little bit concerned because I was getting less views. However, I was able to just disregard that and not think much about it πŸ˜›

      Thank you so much! You don’t even realise how happy makes me read this! That’s why I write. That’s the ultimate goal! To inspire people and bright them their day. So, thank you so much, you just made my day with that comment! πŸ˜€

  9. In a way, yes it’s hard. But in my perspective, I’m not planning to go pro nor will I pay for a higher level of blog customization since I don’t plan on doing this forever.

    When your blog is limited down to only a certain subject, you tend to run out of ideas to write, and it’s funny since there are SO many things to write about in your field of subject. Anime for example, I could write about an episode I recently watched. I could write about an entire series I just finished. I could write about a game I just finished playing. Really, I could write about anything, but the fact is that everything boils down to how passionate you are about this.

    To me, blogging was just a way for me to bring out the opinions I have about anime, since most of my friends don’t really talk about it much, even though they watch as much anime as I do (or perhaps more). They don’t write much, but I do. So put together writing and watch anime what do you get? Well, I came up with two choices. I could write stories based on anime, or I could start up a blog and write about anime. I’m apparently doing both and am pretty happy about it overall.

    The point is that while this is hard, it all depends on how passionate you are on this. It doesn’t matter how many followers, views, or followers you get. I mean if you get at least one of everything, that’s great and most certainly a start there.

    1. Yeah, if you are not thinking in going pro it really doesn’t make sense to be wasting money with WordPress plans, specially because they are not really that cheap ?

      Yeah, I completely agree with you! ? However, there are times when people end up getting into a creative blog. For example let’s say a blogger only goes for Anime Reviews. He has Anime to review until his death if he wants. However, I think there is a problem when you get to the point where all your posts end up being formatted the same way because you just do them a lot of times! ? I’m happy that I don’t really have a problem with content since I write Anime, Gaming and posts like this one or just some nice things I’ve learnt and want to pass to other people ?

      That’s really cool, to be honest! Blogging AND writing stories is just amazing! ? There are many people who end up starting a blog because of the same reasons as yours. I started because I wanted to learn more about digital marketing because of my career path and ended up falling in love with it! ? I think no-one starts a blog with the idea of becoming pro… I meam, it does not make much sense to me and the reason is because of what you said! The passion! If you start a blog already thinking in getting β€œfamous” or β€œrich” it won’t live long.

      I think the only way it makes sense to someone to give himself the work of blogging is because they really love the subject they are talking! ? However, I think that if you really want to go pro the number of people you are able to bring to your blog is important – that’s the only way you will get any money out of it. However, I think that is something that people shouldn’t really think about in the beginning or when trying to go pro. It only makes sense when you already have a business out of the blog. However, as you said, I think that it’s really important to share what you have! As you, if I have at least one person that is interested in my ideas already makes the happy out of me! XD

      Thank you for taking time to comment, it’s appreaciated! ^.^

      1. Yea, no problem!

        I think you’re doing a great service kicking off this discussion because you’re addressing a problem that most bloggers won’t admit themselves, and this gives a chance for those bloggers to express their feelings in a comment that won’t be “frontpage news” to their viewers and readers.

  10. I loved this post and both how relatable and encouraging it is! I think I’m basically going to repeat everyone else’s comments but throughout my time creating content on the Internet (whether it be on YouTube, Twitch, or here on WordPress), stats were and still are pretty important to me since obviously you want people to see your content. However throughout learning what it’s like being on social media/content creator websites, I’ve slowly adapted to some of the things you exactly stated in this post, such as you should look at the numbers as people actually reading and appreciating your content or comparing yourself to others isn’t the best thing to do. Once I’ve fully realized those things (pretty recently actually lol), I wasn’t super distraught or discouraged about stuff like stats or comments as much as I was before. And while I will admit that sometimes being in a stat slump sucks, it still didn’t give me the feeling of wanting to stop writing or reconsidering and possibly even changing my style of writing as a whole. I think that’s a pretty good mindset to have when being a part of a website and community like WP.

    But yeah, thanks a bunch for writing this! πŸ˜€

    1. Thank you so much~! I’m happy that you felt encouraged by it since it was the objective of this post eheh

      Well even if it’s repeating you are talking about your experience so it’s always going to be different from other comments! XD

      I’m glad that you realized that! Even if it was recently xD it’s better late than never, right? Like you I realized this the moment I felt that maybe blogging was not for me because of the stats. I had to go and remember how was my channel in the beginning and why did I start it to begin with! From there I’m able to disregard stats and even when there is not really that much people viewing or commenting a post as you I don’t think in quitting anymore xP it still makes a little sad, but Im able to not think much about it xD.

      In twitch is a little different though xP I’ve been twitching for a really little time so it’s just normal, but it’s really hard to have 0 viewers 99% of the stream time xP

      Thank you for this comment eheh

  11. Reading your post and all these comments makes me feel bad, I don’t think blogging is hard at all. WordPress is hard it constantly makes things more difficult than they need to be but for me blogging is easy, I wouldn’t be blogging if I thought it was hardβ€”but then again I’m a very lazy person.

    1. You shouldn’t feel bad at all Matt! πŸ˜›

      When it comes to the writing itself I don’t have much difficult either. However, balancing daily posts with a full time job as been pretty hatic for me xD I think the biggest problem I’m currently having is to balance everything. But, well.. Everything I talked in the post I’ve felt it one moment or another in these 8 past months.

      Hmmm I think you would continue to do it even if you thought it hard to do… From what I read from you I see that you love blogging and when you love something you try to do it even when it’s not that easy πŸ˜›

      Thank you for your comment! ^.^

  12. As someone who is starting out (and is really struggling to hit the publish button on their content), this was so helpful! It’s awesome that you’ve been doing this for 8 months (I wish I had your motivation lol).

    I also suffer from “IT’S NEVER GOOD ENOUGH” syndrome, so it’s cool to see that it can be overcome. You post regularly so here’s a question: How do you get over the fear of putting your writing out there?

    1. Thank you so much for the kind comment! XD well you will have don’t worry it just takes a little time so you become more used to blogging and having your thoughts out there xP

      Regarding the fear… Well that’s a tricky question xD to be honest with time you’ll start to get more used to post your writing online. Also the Anime community is really welcoming and nice so sooner or later you will start having some nice comments on your blog I’m sure xP

      However I wouldn’t say that I don’t always have fear to press the publish button xD this one for example was really hard to do it, specially because it is so personal. As you can see from the comments everyone seem to struggle with what I wrote. However, it is not really something that you normally hear people saying because it may end up being seen as ungrateful for what they already had.

      So yeah, way too personal and I also feared that people could get this the wrong way. However, we are bloggers, we want to share our thoughts xD so on this in my head I hit that publish button non the less and well it was OK, in fact more than OK! This could be the best post I’ve ever written to be honest!

      So, my advice is to always continue to push that publish button. It will take time but you’ll get used to it! We can only grow if we get out of our confort zone πŸ˜‰

      1. A lot of people agree with your thoughts about being a blogger/writer. Personal posts are always the best (also hardest to write so kudos to you) because they come from the heart. Being able to do that is my goal one day, so I’ll have to say goodbye to those comfort zones… ?

        The anime community is exactly why I switched over to WordPress. It seems like a big crazy happy anime family. Thanks for the advice!

    2. As someone who has been blogging far, far longer than Arthifis (won’t say how long, to not take Art’s lime light). Experiment. Then experiment some more, keep experimenting till you are satisfied. Then experiment till you are happy with the way your blog is (writing format, presentation of blog etc). Keep writing and write some more. Take your time with it, don’t rush. You’ll eventually find what we experienced bloggers call “a voice” aka your personal writing style. As Art said, it takes time, keep writing and don’t be afraid in going to other blogs and leaving a comment.

      Believe me, as you continue to write, you’ll gain the confidence. I was once a shy person, just like yourself and art and so many others. Afraid to put out and interact with the community. One day, I said to myself “throw yourself against the wind” I did that. Now, not only can I communicate more openly. But I actively encourage others to do so. I support smaller blogs when I can. Best thing about it, I met some lovely and amazing people. Some of the bloggers, have surpassed me with aplomb and they deserve it. And I’m proud of them. To see them go so far. Some had less than 10 followers when they started, to over 100 and beyond now. It takes time and effort.

      Don’t be discouraged. Keep writing.

      1. Oh please Rocco take my light all you want! There’s plenty of light for all of us! πŸ˜€

        Thank you so much for your lovely and
        encouraging comment! It is really well put and I felt motivated after reading it eheh

        But, yes as Rocco said, it takes time, so just don’t be discouraged and keep writing. Like Dory once said “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…” πŸ˜€

        And as Rocco said, blogging does wonders to our communication! πŸ˜€ I’ve been always a communative person. However, when I started blogging my self esteem was in the gutter. Blogging and the community itself helped me a lot to make more confident inside blogging and outside πŸ™‚

        So, everytime you feel discouraged think about Rocco comment and Dory’s song “Just keep swimming” πŸ˜‰

      2. (Sorry for the late reply! I was out of town and took a sabbatical from the internet). I really needed to hear some of the things you said. Especially since I haven’t posted anything yet (cue nervous sweating). Making a blog is something I’ve always wanted to do, but always found excuses not to actually follow through with it. Perfectionism and shyness isn’t a great mix when you want to write for a living. It does give me hope that shyness can be overcome. Step by step, until it’s no longer a reflex to hide away (Like seriously, three years ago I would have never even typed this response). Finding your voice and giving yourself room to experiment/possibly mess up sounds like a scary process, but from what you’ve said it sounds worthwhile. Thank you!

        1. I’m slightly miffed, when I click on your site it says “it’s been deleted” I assume you’ve just changed your blogs url?. If so can you relink it, I hope you haven’t quit.

          Don’t be nervous and don’t worry about finding your voice just yet – the last time I said this, I unintentionally and inadvertently put unnecessary pressure on someone to the point they quit blogging. They weren’t ready. Your voice will come in time, for now just focus on writing.

          Here is a trick that always work. Open up MS word, and draft out your blog post(s). Take a break, then either look over it and make changes or come back to it the following day with fresh new eyes. Once you’ve done that, copy and past in to your blog post. If you’re worried about grammar, Grammarly is a good site. It checks for the basic mistakes. It’s much better than the built in WP one has. Use it to polish up your post.

          Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, failure isn’t a bad thing. It teaches you about what works and what doesn’t.

  13. Blogging is most certainly hard. I love to write and I pour so much time, effort, and love into my posts, but only a handful of people seem to read what it is I have to say (despite me doing many of the things you suggested in your awesome post) and nobody ever seems to want to leave a comment. I write, because I love to, but I also want to connect with people and make friends, so I’ve been feeling discouraged. Maybe I’m just not cut out for blogging…

    1. The most important thing is that you love blogging! Write because you love it! People will start to appear.
      I went and watched your last posts and I don’t think you are bad at all! For the followers you have you are getting a few comments here and there xp but it takes time to be able to grow a community and get more comments xP to be honest I still have posts that don’t have any kind of engagement at all when it comes to commenting ahah

      But one thing that I think is important is that if the Anime community is not finding you, you are the one who needs to go to the blog community xD find people who are in the same step as you and read their posts and comment xD

      I think you are good for blogging! I mean if I was able to get this follower base then everyone is able to do it! XD believe me, my writing in the beginning was more than broken, it was horrible xP

  14. I like blogging, but I have had moments where it does take some energy from me. When I first started besides using it for college, I didn’t have a full commitment to writing often in my blog. Now after looking in my 4 years of writing, I know blogging is not always easy, but I try to make the most of it and think about my goals.

    1. When you do something for that long it’s just normal that there will be days that are not good. It’s how life happens!

      But, I’m happy to see that you were able to go trhough those hard days and still continue blogging and still be here! πŸ˜€ BThe blogging community would lose someone really special if you went away

      1. Aw shucks lol. I try to be here as much as possible even if things get too busy. We all need to take break once in a while and be inspired. Trust me, there is other special people out that besides me who makes the blogging community special lol.

  15. This is so relatable, when I started blogging 2 years ago, I thought I could make money easily but that’s not the case, Blogging really is about building a community online and offline to a certain extent, I am a digital entertainment blogger who writes and edits articles about video games, comic book superheroes, anime & manga and other forms of entertainment like movies. It is hard to get the right amount of views to make this a career and go pro but it is worth the struggle becuase I really enjoy writing and making content about the entertainment I love

    1. Thanks for the reblog! πŸ˜€ Also, sorry for the late response, but I was on holidays xD

      I knew from the start that it would take a lot of time to make money from blogging. In fact, when I started it was just to get some experience in digital marketing so I could land the jobs that I’m currently in. However, the moment I posted my first review (in a really broken writing) I understood that I had fallen in love!

      As you, I love to write about the entertainment which I live for. Yeah, it’s not always easy, but I would not trade it for anything πŸ˜€

    1. That’s a great strategy in my opinion. Stats can be a constant burn out. It’s more important and more rewarding in focusing in the community itself. Knowing new people and see different perspectives. πŸ˜€

      I also had that points where I really sticked in my stats and I think it was the darker part of my blogging experience!

  16. My gosh you spoke to me. REALLY I have been blogging for years but recently I have been really focused for two months to promote me and my book. In these two months I have doubled my views and gained 20 followers. I feel good and then I hear someone say they got 20,000 in 6 months. seriously my goal is to be a fan and I don’t want to follow someone to win a price or whatever. I just want connect.

    1. Is that 20.000 true, though? I’ve seen some people talking about their stats and to be honest it’s hard to believe some of them. I read one guy telling he got 12.000 Google views a month for example. Which let me tell you… It’s really hard to believe…

      Nevertheless, if it’s true or not, we just should focus in our own growth! Of course it’s important to always improve ourselves. However, I try to think more in a way that I’m competing with myself and I always need to get better than before xD

      Hope everything goes well with your book! What is it about?

      1. oh the book is called wise trees. It is a journal of simple trees that I have painted. It’s about my curiosity. I share trees different kinds of trees be it color , shape or size. I share the importance of trees because each one gives us life. But what I really describe is my love for people. Visit my blog for tutorials of the trees in my book.

  17. I missed this one back when it was first posted (sorry about that!)

    I completely agree. Blogging is indeed very difficult sometimes, be it due to time restraints, struggling to come up with new ideas or a lack of belief in yourself and your abilities as a writer, there are many obstacles and challenges to overcome in this hobby that’s become a huge part of our lives.

    My biggest issues are most definitely a lack of time and confidence in my abilities. And of course, there are so many talented bloggers out there who do such an amazing job, and keeping up with everyone else’s content is as big a time sink as writing your own posts. And if you want to be a part of this community, you have to engage with the work of others. It’s essential really! But that makes things even harder sometimes I think, especially from a time standpoint.

    But despite that, it’s all worth it because at the end of the day we all love this hobby and we love to write and support one another, and the sense of community we’ve created from all of this hard work makes it all worth it in my eyes.

    An excellent post that I’m sure just about everyone here, myself included, can relate to. Thank you for sharing and sorry for the late comment!

    1. No problem xD it happens, specially how WP reader has been lately -.-”

      Yeah! To be honest, having a full-time job and blogging is getting more and more difficult to combine in a day xD When it comes to reading I had to stop myself and just read for an hour or something like that daily, when I’m able to! Although I love it I can’t completely stop having a personal offline life. I mean, I have family, friends and bf that I need to cherish xD

      Yeah! I think that if you are blogging is because you love it! I can’t see other reason! It’s a hobby that takes a lot of your time and if you don’t love it you will just quit sooner or later.

      Thank you so much for the kind comment and sharing your experience ^^

  18. Blogging is definitely hard and after blogging for over two years, the most difficult thing for me is to find the time to blog. Even now I’m sneaking in a few minutes of blog hopping and blogging before I have to get ready and go out. Okay and now I better start blogging. Great post! I especially loved the GIFs lol.

  19. Your post was exactly right on point. Although I don’t plan to get monetary benefits out of my blog, I do however want to grow it well just like any blogger with interest would. And your post brought light onto a reality of blogging too. There’s definitely so much more than writing. And I loved your post by the way. I discovered this through Jon’s showcase that raistlin did and I am glad I did. I have made sure to follow your blog to read more! Keep up the great writing!

    1. oooh thank you so much for your sweet comment!

      Yeah, I think in the end we all want to grow. But, it’s important to remember why we started it and the most important thing is to have fun while doing it! πŸ˜€

  20. Great so am not alone hah
    It really takes a lot and am still working on it. I was trying not to make my blog public till it was ready but by the time I started correcting this and that I noticed, I would never ever really have that perfect ready blog because there will always be something to work on and redesign. I would like to know how you get your imagines and created your logo really would like to make my own. But I have zero skills in designing

    1. ahahah well, if you read the comments, it seems there are many people passing through this πŸ˜›

      Oh, I know the drill! God knows how I know it! The website is something that has to have maintenance all the time, it will never stop.

      Regarding the pictures/gifs I normally search it on Google or I create my own printscreens and gifs when watching Anime.

      When it comes to the logo, I gave my boyfriend the idea and he was the one creating it! Although I know a little bit about design, he is way better than me LOL

      1. Look you, I don’t know anyone who can help me with it right now haha. But I’m thinking I will try to give it a shot myself

  21. Thanks Arthifis, i have been trying so hard to kick start writing my blog articles and it so happened that I read this post. You gave me a clear cut precise formula and guess what am all drenched in my writing without any writer’s block.
    Thanks a lot:)

Leave a Reply