5 Signs Your Blogging Honeymoon Is Over (And How To Deal!)

Joey promised me a couple of months back that my boundless enthusiasm for blogging was destined to wane. While I initially dismissed this as one of those crazy, irreverent fiction he likes to spout – I have to admit he’s right! My honeymoon period is coming to an end – no longer is blogging filled with all things shiny and good. I have to -gasp- put effort into my hobby now. Do you suffer from the post-honeymoon blues? Check below for the symptoms.

I. Most books you read seem a little lacklustre

Last week I DNF-d three books and wrote two 3-stars review. Now, my 3-stars reviews are usually quite positive, I aim to be nice and diplomatic – but I found myself exceedingly critical. I also felt I had little patience for less than stellar reads. I confess to having spent more time complaining about books on twitter, DM and Gchat than actually reading or reviewing them,

HOW I HANDLE IT:  I stopped reading review copies for a week and started reading books I’ve had lying around on my Kindle for a while. Sometimes I even read with no intentions of reviewing the book, which takes the pressure of needing to commentate on every plot point a bit more bearable. Once my reading diet is healthy with 4 to 5 stars reads, I’d go back to conquering that ARC TBR. I want to put myself in a frame of mind where I am constantly grateful about reviewing, rather than seeing it as a chore.

II. Opening that Word Document to write a review is an effort on its own

You know that feeling of dread before you have to write a review? The one that tells you ‘You have nothing to say about this book’? I procrastinate on a lot of my reviews because I know they would be difficult to write. Unfortunately, the longer I leave it, the worse it gets because I start forgetting stuff and have even LESS to write.

HOW I HANDLE IT: : Jazz up your usual reviews a little. If you’re used to writing paragraphs: attempt lists instead. If you’re accustomed to writing lists, you can put a ‘theme’ to your list e.g. In my review of Never Never (which I avoided writing for THREE WEEKS), I summed up my thoughts by writing about my opinions on fairy tale retellings in general as well.

Alternatively, you can introduce non review posts to your blog: Graphics? Fan arts? Discussion posts? Book Tags? They’re all great ways to change up the pace.

III. You start being bothered by what other bloggers are doing

Maybe this just happens to me because I am a horrible person, but in my negativity, sometimes I start getting annoyed by other bloggers. Things such as ‘Why does XX seem to love every book they read, are they for real?!’, or ‘All these pictures of XX’s bookmail are really freaking annoying!’ starts to cross my mind. Usually, the blogger in question is doing nothing more than BEING HAPPY.

HOW I HANDLE IT:  This is pretty much the worst symptom, and I find the best way to get over it is to get in there and start interacting with other bloggers. Recognise that XX is likely NOT ragging or dishonest, it may just be my own personal negativity that’s projecting onto them. Talk to your friends about what’s bothering you. Air your grievances by a discussion post (though remember to keep it classy). Alternatively, just disconnect from the Internet altogether for the night and go watch some telly instead. When you feel more positive, everyone will become lovable again.

IV. You stop looking at your stats altogether

I confess that I have stopped looking at my pageviews or follower count for the last 2 weeks. While stats is not everything, I find that ignoring them altogether is a sign my honeymoon period is truly over. Stats are still a great way to gauge how well I am engaging my audience, and to create content that keeps engaging them. I should not avoid it just because I think the blog is under-performing.

HOW I HANDLE IT:  Don’t shy away from the numbers – while they might not be everything, they still give a good indication of how you’re doing and help you set goals for the blog. A blog with no direction will never engage its own owner, which is a quick spiral to apathy. I find I have more motivation if I have something to work towards, whether it be a small increase in followers or weekly pageviews. The stats is not all evil.

V. You start to indulge in other hobbies

When I first started blogging, it was much like the beginning of a new romantic relationship. I only wanted to read, blog, and tweet to other bloggers. Then the rose-tinted glasses fall away and I spend my night parked in front of the tv, or off planning my next holiday instead.

HOW I HANDLE IT: There absolutely does not need to be a cure for this, you’re allowed other hobbies, this is not your job! I find that knowing other stuff helps me with my blogging as well, in the long run. Whether it enables you to create a recommendation posts for books based on TV series; or fancast more accurately; or feature a travel destination in a blog post. Basically, you should be allowed to love what you do, even if it’s not book related.

Do you have any other tips you could use to reignite your love for books and blogging, I would LOVE to hear it.  Do you suffer from any of my symptoms? Or are you completely opposite? Please share!