Getting Back in the Saddle (Here We Go Again...)

I've spent the past few weeks debating whether I wanted to revive this blog or not. As you can see, it's been about 18 months since my last post. I didn't entirely abandon blogging during that time; I just wound up trying---and failing---to start new blogs in different locations, each with a slightly different focus.

My problem, I think, is consistency. I struggle with staying motivated to complete long-term tasks, which is why freelancing has been such a great fit. It gives me the freedom to work on a lot of different things so I don't have the chance to get stuck in a rut.

Blogging, however, demands a routine of sorts. It allows for spontaneity because you can control when you post, how often and what subjects you cover. Nevertheless, if you have any desire to develop and maintain a decent group of readers, you'd better be somewhat predictable. Otherwise, you can come off as a little kooky.

I get that...in theory. In practice, though, it's a different story. I used to think I was just lazy or disorganized, but lately I've stumbled across more than a couple of orphaned blogs, even a few from some of my writing role models. Apparently, many people are suffering from "blogging fatigue" due to the market being over-saturated. Another point I see coming up over and over again is that after maintaining a weekly/daily blog for a period of several years, most folks simply run out of things to say. After all, how many posts can you really write about knitting? Or your new puppy? Or superior methods of backyard grilling? 500? 1,000? 2,000?

Despite this recent turn of events, I don't think blogging is going the way of the dodo bird anytime soon. While fewer people may be starting and maintaining blogs compared to a few years ago, thousands upon thousands of people are still using them to express themselves, socialize, share information, and in many cases, uplift and inspire others. For these reasons, I believe blogs still have plenty of life left in them, even if it sometimes seems like they're dying off.

In a way, these ideas are also part of why I've decided to take up blogging again. There are other reasons too---my long-term goal of building a marketing platform for my writing, for example. However, in my heart of hearts, I just flat-out enjoy the medium that blogging provides. It allows me to say things that can't quite be said any other way, and that's why I want to stick with it if I can. Here goes nothing.

What about you? Do you maintain a regular, active blog? If so, what keeps you committed for the long haul? What makes a blog compelling and fun for you to read?

Where I've Been (a.k.a. Now You Know Where This Blog's Title Came From)

Hmm. Where to begin...

First of all, has it been over a year already? I keep looking at the date of my last post and shaking my head, as if there are missing ones lying around somewhere that I just haven't gotten around to publishing yet. Sadly, this is not the case. I really did just fall off the face of the blogging world.
No need to state that this post has been an awful long time in coming. I've spent about the past month or so mentally beating myself up for not posting sooner, not commenting on anyone else's blogs, not even reading any other blogs until recently. And don't even get me started on my equally-neglected Twitter account. Oy vey.

Well, no more. Life is too short for self-deprecating thoughts. It's time I came back to the realm of the living and explained what I've doing for the past year. So here goes nothing (taking a deep breath)...

The short version is that my family moved cross-country, and in the process I started a new job and became a working mom. So yeah, I guess you could say I've been busy. Add the stress of moving to the fact that I kind of suck at the whole work-life balance thing, and you have one sadly neglected blog. That's pretty much the story of my whole writing life; it's been that way ever since I was nine years old. Green light, red light. I write like mad for a few weeks, months, years, whatever, and then stop writing altogether for just as long, if not longer.

Here's hoping we can change all of that---for real this time. Fingers crossed, taking another deep breath, saying a prayer...

Green light.