“Blogging, What to Expect”

Writer’s block…one of the side effects of being a blogger;

There are times we will brainstorm until smoke comes out of our ears…but unfortunately the skies are bright and sunny…there aren’t even any clouds in the forecast.

Sometimes the thoughts run free and wild like a streaker at a sporting event…then other times we have to play hostage negotiator with our thoughts...our fingers have to talk our brains into releasing them. It’s not always easy…and sometimes the end result is a bloody massacre but we as bloggers must fight through it.

We eventually get something down…is it our best work, probably not…but at least it’s something…right?

Wrong…we are perfectionist and strive to do our best…so subpar just won’t do…not at all. So now we’re stuck dwelling on it, trying to polish a turd if you will…which in some cases works out for the best and then other times ends up still being a stinky turd…only now nice and polished.

Self-doubt…it’s all part of the game…unfortunately;

When it comes to having confidence in ourselves and the things we do we’re our own worst enemy, we will make ourselves believe we suck…and suck really bad…like getting a BJ from a vampire.

Unfortunately it’s just human nature…it is par for the course…and all that other cliché stuff.

Being a blogger is no different, as we are writing our so-called “masterpieces” we are on cloud nine, we think our poop doesn’t stink and that we can conquer the world. Then once we hit the “submit” button our confidence quickly fades, we become the worst thing since liver and onions…at least in our own eyes.

It’s the before and after affect…like what you see in all those diet ads…in the “before” picture the person is all round and out of shape, then in the “after” picture they are all skinny and all buff looking.

Well for us bloggers our “before” picture is us writing the next Harry Potter, securing our spot atop of the New York times bestseller list…and our “after” picture, well that is not too pretty…we start second guessing ourselves, start thinking we made the biggest mistake of our lives by hitting that submit button.

We are on pins and needles until we receive the first comment to our blog. We anxiously wait…like as if we are up for an Academy award and the presenter is about to announce the winner. When we see the first comment come through it is like the envelope is being opened…our fingers are crossed as we wait to hear who the winner is…us or our self-doubt.

We are a material girl/boy…living in a material world;

Everything and anything we come across becomes potential material…not necessarily good material…but material nevertheless. Instead of just relaxing and having a good time we find ourselves dissecting every situation we’re in…wondering if what we’re experiencing would make for a good story or not.

We have become investigative reporters…but not for something classy and tasteful like Time or People…we work for something like the National Enquirer. We find ourselves talking about Bigfoot, space aliens and possibly even Elvis sightings.

Money for nothing…and the stress for free;

We find ourselves busting our tails…doing all the work of the pros but not getting any of the money. We all have hopes of one day being discovered, being the next big thing…but unfortunately that never happens. The only people who know of us are the other bloggers who are in the same situation.

After a while it becomes more of a club than anything else…we do eventually make it big, but not in the way we wanted to…we end up gaining so much weight because all we do is sit at the computer, come up with crazy stories and eat food that is bad for us.  

Okay blogging isn’t all doom and gloom…it’s actually a lot of fun…but just make sure to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and your head out of the clouds and everything will be alright.

MJM