September is here, and it’s time for me to get back to work. For those who didn’t notice, I was feeling crispy around the edges and took a vacation from blogging for the month of August. That burnt out feeling was well-earned. Despite illness, travel, and various emergencies, I met my goal of publishing three posts a week over the last year. One of the things I realized while on break is that I can’t keep doing that.
As soon as it crossed my mind that I needed to change my blogging schedule, I panicked. I’ve read more than once that to be a successful writer, I need to be posting at least three times a week. My anal brain thinks that if I don’t, the ground beneath my feet will open and swallow me, or worse, the Blog Police will throw me into literary limbo with the other fools who only dream of publishing a book one day.
At the same time that I was wrestling with my panic over what to do with this blog, the universe sent me a message, repeatedly. It came from various sources — books I was reading, people I talked to, even a podcast — but the message was clear. It boils down to two simple words.
Slow down.
The suggestion to slow down clearly applies to the novel I’m currently revising and my writing process in general. It took me a little longer to realize that embracing this philosophy also meant that I needed to change my goals for my blog. I spent half my writing time last year writing blog posts. My novel is more important to me and deserves more of my attention. As a result, I’m going to cut back on my self-imposed blogging requirements. This year, my goal is one post a week. I’m allowed to post more if I have the material and the inclination, but I don’t have to.
I’m relieved and a tad frightened, but this decision feels right to me. Already, I’ve had more time and energy for working on my novel (and it needs work!), which I’m taking as a sign that I’m doing the right thing. Going forward, you can count on a post every Friday morning, and maybe some random ones on other days. The rest of the time I’ll be working on my novel. Slowly.
Have you had to slow down in some area of your life? Was it hard or easy for you?
I try to write at least one craft post a week. I have all of my recipes scheduled to post until next March. It took me almost 6 weeks of free time to type out almost 2 years worth of posts but it has been well worth it in the long run. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
I’m guessing there will be plenty of weeks where I feel like posting more than once. I usually have new craft content on a weekly basis. Also, things feel timely and I want to post before they go stale.
Kit…I think one post per week is good. As a blog reader, it is enough to keep me informed and remain interested. I try to post on my blog once per week, but my blog is more like show and tell of what I made in my studio over the past week, with a few little stories every once in a while! I am not planning to write a novel, like you! But even so, for you, as a writer, I think you have made a good decision.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’ll see how it goes. So far, it works for me. 🙂