Blogging Struggles

Everyone wants their blog to be a success. Perhaps you’re not interested in the amount of followers you have or the page views on your latest post but I’m almost certain that you don’t blog with the intention of nobody reading it. If that were the case then you should have bought a diary and not a domain.

But success doesn’t come over night. In fact it may not come for months or even years. That all depends on what you define as “success”though. To me it means I enjoy what I write and I look forward to connecting with other Hoomans of the internet through comments and other blogs. I love blogging and it is one of my favourite hobbies but it can be difficult. Blogging isn’t all daisies and dandelions. It requires an awful lot of effort and can be a bit of a struggle. Here are some things I often find issues with

Life

Whether you have one or need to get one, Life always seems to get in the way. I’m a busy person and like to be organised and have a routine. When Life decides to throw obstacles my way then my routine goes out the window and blogging along with it. For instance my recent absence is a result of moving out, starting my new job and then to top things off I suddenly wound up in hospital needing surgery. Don’t worry it wasn’t life or death. I’m now recovering and for the first time in a month have time to write this post.

Time

Blogging takes up A LOT of time! A post doesn’t just happen. It needs to be thought out, brainstormed, and eventually written. Then there’s editing photos, adding them to the post, pinning , tweeting and of course publishing the post. On average writing takes me maybe 2 hours but planning and photo editing could have me busy for a week. And if you’re writing regularly, even just weekly, that’s a lot of time you need! Trying to post regularly is a major thing I struggle with. I have bursts of motivation before I fall behind and then procrastinate because of all these reasons I am writing about today.

Content

What do I write about? I’ve used up all my ideas and now I got nothing. Nada. Blank. Zero. The answer to that question is I don’t know. If you do find out then please share with me.

Sometimes I wonder if what I’m writing about is fresh. Almost everything has been written about at some point.  And am I the right person to be talking about  that topic? Shouldn’t I leave that to the experts? It’s not my place to give advice on what you should wear or what cream is best for spots ( I don’t blog about these because I have no clue and no interest in either of those areas )

Writer’s Block

This is a bit different to not knowing what to write about. Writer’s block for me means I do have an idea but I just don’t know where to start. Think of it as a red brick wall between me and my keyboard. The words just aren’t flowing and I’m not sure if I know how to speak English anymore.

Effort doesn’t always equal Results

And just because you spent hours perfecting that latest post that you think everyone on earth needs to read as a matter of life and death, it doesn’t mean you’re going to go viral and be instantly famous over night. You can tweet all you want and pin lots of pretty pictures of your post but it just ain’t driving traffic. Why? Good question – I don’t know. It seems a little unfair though. You deserve appreciation for all your hard work.

Responsibilities and Community

In terms of the blogosphere I have a tiny following and an even tinier commenting readership. I would obviously love to have more followers but I find it much more manageable the way it is. I think it is hugely important to reply to comments and reply on their own blogs. Blogging is a two way street and to grow in this community, to make friends you need to give and take. I appreciate every comment and I always try keep up with blogs I follow. But again …. time… it’s an issue. I feel terrible when I miss a few days or weeks because then I am way behind and feel like I’m neglecting my role as a reader. I swear it’s not that your blog has become boring it’s because I’m such a disorganised lazy person that becomes terrified of the amount of unread posts in my bloglovin feed.

I constantly battle with all of the above but nevertheless am still happy to say I am passionate about blogging. 
Do you find you struggle with blogging? What problems do you encounter as a blogger? How have you made your blog successful?

 
Always, M

20 Comments

  • Sunny Smith April 25, 2017 at 4:04 am

    Yes, yes, yes to everything you just wrote about. I feel as though I'm echoing everything you just said:) I love how content you seem with your blog. It can be disheartening to not see the stats you hoped for, but I find so much more rewarding to have one or two good comments.

    P.S. The comment about buying a diary instead of a domain made me laugh.

    Reply
  • Marian April 25, 2017 at 8:11 am

    Thank you Sunny! I am very happy with my blog. An exactly what you said – those stats aren't always the most motivating unfortunately.

    XD thanks. Now and again I can actually be funny.

    Reply
  • Grace Osas April 25, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    Honestly, it's all so true. Sometimes I wonder, "Should I give up?" then I remember I only properly started blogging last year! And I need to put more effort into it.

    Reply
  • Marian April 25, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    Don't ever give up! As dear old Dumbledore says "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light". I find that a very motivational quote that reminds me things will always get better as long as I try to make it better so never give up.

    Reply
  • Sarah F April 25, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    I can absolutely relate 100% to everything you said here. I took a hiatus a while back because I was busy with life and a new baby, and had writer's block. Now I have a ton of ideas, it's just about the time management like you mentioned. It takes a long time to take photos for a post, edit them, write the post, etc. and I usually don't have time to do all of that at once, especially with kids and a full time job. #BloggerProblems lol. I do ALWAYS respond to every comment on my blog, and also will always comment back on their blog because it's common courtesy to me. I definitely agree with you there. 🙂 Great post, it was very relatable for me!

    xo, Sarah
    Hustla, baby.

    Reply
  • Amy-Anne Williams April 25, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    I was just on Emily's blog, and it's hilarious that we're both commenting that she should come back lmao :')

    ANYWAYS, first up, I started blogging because I wanted free books (the best reason to start), and then I wrote because I wanted to become the next Brooke Saward, but in a few months I'm going to university and I think I'll continue just writing because I love interacting with people and knowing all these cool people in the world. In regards to content, can you tell I currently have no idea as to what I'm doing? (hence a post with just photos). I feel like our blogs represent us, and considering I'm currently having a minor panic as to what to do in my future, I think that's kinda obvious :')

    Same here, I'd love more readers, but I think that'd make it even less personal than it is already, and at this stage in my life I don't think I have the resources to put up with that lol.

    Amy;
    Little Moon Elephant

    Reply
  • Marian April 25, 2017 at 8:12 pm

    Wow you must be super busy with your family! How do you manage to balance it all?! As a 20 year old I hardly find time for myself O.o
    *high five* for always responding to comments. Respect! It really bothers me when I can't engage with the blogger. I took the time to read your whole post and comment – don't just ignore my existence!

    Thanks Sarah! ^_^ x

    Reply
  • Marian April 25, 2017 at 8:17 pm

    AHAHAHAHA XD I hope she appreciates our loyalty. ( and doesn't think it's stalker-ish )

    Here Here to free books! I'm getting nostalgic now remembering awkward donkey * tear tear * . You seem to have gone in the direction of a travel blog. It makes me very jealous seeing all these amazing destinations your visiting. Take me with you? And best of luck figuring out your future. I like to pretend I have it all sorted that way I don't have to think about it and realise my utter lostness. Oblivion is bliss.

    Exactly. Although you do seem to have quite a big readership. I mean the amount of comments you get! it takes me ages to find mine and see if you replied!

    Thanks Amy ^_^ x

    Reply
  • Steph Spying April 26, 2017 at 6:13 am

    I love this, Marian!

    You should be so so so proud of your space. You single-handedly moulded it. All the points that you've mentioned (put very nicely under headings, btw) is something I think most bloggers have dealt with at some point. I'm still figuring out how to do it all- I think we all are!

    Lovely, M!

    Steph

    Reply
  • Marian April 26, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    Thank you Steph! That's very sweet of you <3 I am very proud of my little blog, even my ability to have great headings :L
    We probably will never have blogging truly figured out but we can always try.

    Reply
  • Cait @ Paper Fury April 27, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    I definitely relate to these! Blogging can be absolutely full of struggles…but luckily the awesome outweighs the problems I think.😂 I do sometimes freak out over trying to fit everything in though…like tonight I meant to get some reading done, but ended up spending my whole evening on blogging/blog reading. Which I LOVE. But I wish I had more time for both.😭
    I think a successful blog is one a blogger is proud of. :')

    Reply
  • Marian April 28, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    Yes I agree – blogging is worth all of this in the end. There is definitely more pros than cons. And time is something we bookers and bloggers need more of. I would totally sign a petition for that! ^_^
    You should definitely be proud of your blog Cait!

    Reply
  • Jerneja April 30, 2017 at 9:22 am

    I have writer's block all the time haha. Blogging is very time-consuming, but it's worth it in the end when you see your blog and you're proud of yourself. Also I met a bunch of wonderful people in the blogging community, so I will always be happy I started blogging. 🙂

    Reply
  • Marian April 30, 2017 at 10:24 am

    I know how writer's block can be so frustrating! And I agree that it is so important to be proud of yourself. I too have met so many wonderful people through blogging. And I hope to continue meeting all these people from around the world. It's amazing what the internet can let you do!
    Thanks for stopping by Jerneja! ^_^

    Reply
  • Zoë April 30, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    thanks for the encouragement. I have just started but i am already getting discouraged.

    Reply
  • Marian May 1, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    Aw don't give up!!! You put so much effort in and your blog looks awesome!! I hope you find inspiration to keep going ^_^ Thanks for following!! <3
    ( I have used far more exclamation marks than I intended to…)

    Reply
  • Cília CC May 1, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    You had described my attitude about blogging. Well, the only difference is that I try to make a calendar to schedule the kind of posts that I will publish, but it also takes time to take the pictures, write text and in my case, translate everything!

    After blogging for almost 10 years, I never find the success, but for me, the best of blogging is to make virtual friends. This year I noticed that the best people is that ones that doesn't blog for success and do a lots of collabs with brands, no. The best are who blog they thoughts, their art or normal life, and when they visit your blog, leave a nice comment that shows that they had read carefully what you post.
    I know what is not have time to read other blogs (and also discover new ones!) sometimes it's hard to fins time to leave a comment and I try to do my best, because I felt a bit dissapointed when I only recieve spam comments as "nice post + link + link ", that's way I rather just 2 comments from people who has trully read the entry than 50 full of spam…

    P.S. I have a little suprise for you in my blog! Hope you like it! <3 http://cccsfashion.blogspot.com.es/2017/05/amsterdam-iii.html

    Reply
  • Marian May 2, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    A calendar schedule is a great idea. I wish I would be able to stick to that. Of course translating must take so much more time and effort. I certainly wouldn't have that patience ( or skill ) XD

    10 years?! WOW!!! I suppose friends are what makes it so rewarding. I totally agree with your attitude! I cannot stand those generic comments, they don't even take the time to read the post. All theyre trying to do is get more followers and drive SEO traffic. *unfollow*

    OOOOOH – I cannot wait to see!!!!! ^_^ <3 O.o

    Thanks Cilia! x

    Reply
  • Amy-Anne Williams May 9, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    I think it's more that I comment on a bunch of blogs and they reply with things like "great post! follow back?" which is really endearing :') I'd rather have a smaller amount of comments if they're off people who actually read the post and care like you haha.

    Reply
  • Marian May 10, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    I get that sometimes too. It is much nicer when you know that the person actually read the post and commented because they have something to say rather than an excuse for you to visit/comment on their blog.
    Aw thank you <3 and likewise to you. Your comments are much appreciated!

    Reply

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