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HowdyYAL

Howdy YAL!

I used to be the blogger called YAL Book Briefs, but I grew bored of the handle and changed my name to Howdy YAL. I also respond to MJ. I like to read, write, eat truffles, and watch bad Lifetime movies. 

Blogger Burnout (or Airing of the Grievances)

I’m sort of burnout on blogging, and it took an unintended hiatus to realize it.

 

 

As you’ve might’ve noticed I’ve been on sort of a hiatus this month (only one measly top ten post this month).  There’s several reasons why, I’m reading an extremely dense (good) book that I’m taking my time with and I’ve been dealing with some major housing drama-long story short I was told I had an indefinite lease and then my landlady gives me literally two hours notice that she’s showing the house (and since I’m at work I couldn’t put my private stuff up and it was quite obvious that someone had been touching my stuff when I got back).  So between packing things for when the inevitable happens, a quick visit to Texas for the fourth, and that thick book this hobby of mine took a backside.  And when I started getting ready to blog again, I was sort of sour about it.

 

It started out nice enough, I had an interesting topic I thought that would be a good tag, but no one said anything (surprise, surprise, this hasn’t ever been that popular of a blog).  But I think it was the cherry on the top of several annoyances I had in the blogging world lately.  That made me decide to write this post.

 

I have been blogging for technically four years now, though to be honest I really started blogging regularly for about three and a half years (there was a brief blogging hiatus when I went to study abroad and then when I got severally ill with Whopping Cough and a host of other diseases when I got back).  While the community is fairly inclusive, at times it feels so large that I do feel a bit excluded.  To be fair, I probably do no favors for myself since my time commenting on post and contributing on Twitter is limited because of first law school, then bar prep, the work, and now notary/bar prep and work again.  And so going pretty much silent for a couple of weeks, it really shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise that no one seemed to notice.

 

But it still oddly stung, I still haven’t figured out why.  But I don’t think it was that so much as it was sort of being sick with some of the aspects of the blogging world in general.  So I’m going to list what has been bothering me so much lately.  Note, none of my grievances are addressed towards any individuals.  Again, this isn’t personal in any of the slightest.  It’s just….ugh, read the list.

 

1)  There seems to be some unintended hierarchy in the community.

 

And I don’t think this is really anyone’s doing.  But publishers are tended to favor certain blogs-older, well established, popular blogs and now it seems  for new sites booktubing over traditional blogging (let’s not even get into that stupid drama).  And even some popular blogs, don’t get coveted ARC’s.  So the hierarchy is really, sort of weird in a sense.  Honestly, I really don’t know what makes some blogs are lot more popular than others since I’ve read some small blogs that are better than big blogs and some big blogs that just aren’t great (and vice versa of course).  I just feel like if you’re trying to turn a little blog into one of the All-Star big blogs it’s a huge feat and a  full time job. Added with the booktube factor it just makes things even weirder.

 

2) While the community is inclusive, it can be very difficult to find one’s niche.

 

There are a lot of book blog’s out there, and while I have found a few that I like to read, I want to find more.  But it’s sort of hard to find that niche that fits just you.  And even if you do, connecting with people is just hard.  I’m an introvert (specifically an I go between being a INTJ and an ISTJ), and I know a lot of other bloggers are, but I often feel like unless you’re an extrovert who loves networking you’re going to have a hard time getting involved.  It’s just sort of exhausting getting to know lots and lots of bloggers, or for that matter trusting a lot of them to be your friends.  Sure, I’ve met a few good people, but it’s hard getting that closeness and a lot of times I really do feel like that kid outside the window looking in.

 

3)The  drama llama bull shit.

 

I am so sick of author’s throwing tantrums for anything below a five star review.  I am so fucking done with being scared of putting my photo on this blog because I’m afraid that some crazy someone will get ahold of it and use it to stalk me or something.  And I am so done with crazy stalker author’s being able to keep their publishing contracts and having their god awful book named one of Time’s best YA books of the year because of connections.  And now I want to get drunk.

 

4) I am sick of getting ARC’s notices saying I’m not good enough for a book I want to read and then getting a bad case of envy when some is like so so about getting said ARC/hasn’t read previous books in the series

 

I hate being this person.  I’ve tried to remedy it by limiting my ARC requests, but still if you haven’t read the first book and got a copy and I am a gun ho fan and…slaps self.

 

5)  Lack of Variety/Controls Too Much of Your Life

 

I haaaaaaaattttttteeeeeee what blogging has done to my reading schedule.  While I don’t read a lot of ARC’s, I still have to read a lot of new books since thats the name of the game in blogging.  The thing is, I’d like to take time to revisit old visits and go to old musty bookstores.  But it’s just an unspoken rule that you can’t do that in the blogging world and I hate it.

 

Steps to Remedy My Own Blogging Depression:

 

I need to do something to change.  I’ve seen other blogger’s take steps and they seem happier so I am going to do the same.  Here are some of my resolutions.

 

1) This blog is going to get some variety.

 

Meaning if I want to review some older books I’m going to do it.  If I want to do a post about clothes, I’m going to do it.  Video games…you get the picture.  While this will still be a book blog, with an emphasis on books I am not going to force myself to make every entry book related (though it probably will to some degree since books play a prominent role in my life).  Per example of a non-book entry that you’ll probably be seeing soon.  Reviews of the Nancy Drew computer games.  Okay sort of book related, but not.

 

2) I am going to blog at my pace.

 

I know publishers like posting like every day, but screw them.  Okay, I get that publisher are doing their job and I understand why they want such high output, but since I often feel like a pariah whenever I get rejected from Netgalley or Edelweiss (better known as that Site that Hates Me), I am not going to try so much.  If I don’t feel like doing a post, I’m not going to post.

 

3) I am going to try to comment at least three to five times a week and find at least one new blog a month.

 

I am forcing myself to interact more.  It’s really the only way it’s going to happen.  While I’d like to get more comments over here, I do realize that I (myself) need to interact more regardless of what interaction (if any) I have over here.  And that just doesn’t mean commenting on GoodReads, Twitter, or Booklikes, it means actual interaction on the person’s blog.

 

4) I am seriously going to think about having guest posts or a coblogger.

 

Okay, long story short I asked my pen pal to be my coblogger, but due to a lot of different reasons that is not going to happen.  So, I am going to have to think outside of the box on this one.  I’m hoping with more interaction it can help me decide if I want a coblogger etc.  Right now, I’m thinking it might be an option since it would make the less posts a week from me thing less likely to piss off people.

 

Okay, rant post about blogging depression is done.  Hopefully, I didn’t make too many people mad.  And yeah, I sort of feel better.

 

So, does anyone else feel this way?  Any blogs you suggest for me to start reading?  Anyone else play Nancy Drew games?

 

Okay, I’ll shut up now.

 

Source: http://howdyyal.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/editorial-blogging-burnout-or-an-airing-of-grievances