My last blog post was around 5 days ago. I’ve done one attempt since at writing a post and then deleted after I was done with it because it was just utter trash and not worth publishing. I have to admit I’ve been in a bit of a blogging burnout this week. I’ve expressed this on the Blaugust Discord and have gotten some tips on how to beat this and I guess just sitting down and writing about why I haven’t been writing seems like the best answer. And hey, maybe this post won’t turn out so bad as I think it will in my head right now.
I think the biggest reason for me not writing anything is because I feel like I don’t really have anything interesting to say. I’m playing my two MMO’s, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, and am quite on track to tick off the goals I’ve set for myself for the month of August. I’ve not really touched Final Fantasy VIII or Spider-man at all this month and I’m just going to let that go. I just couldn’t get myself to sit down and play both of those games and I don’t want to force myself to play just because I said I would. I play games because I want to have fun, not because I feel like I need to. In lieu of this I don’t have much to talk about. Of course there has been some progress, especially in FFXIV, but I don’t really want to post an update every day with “look at what I’ve done in this MMO!”. Mostly because I feel it’s not that interesting to read. Or maybe it is. I don’t know.
I have picked up Oninaki on a whim for my Switch and have been playing enough to form a first impression but I’m not sure how to translate it into a blog post right now. I just want to play the game and not write about it. If that makes sense? It’s also not like I’ve been playing for hours on end, it’s been my “commute to/from work” game and the “I’m waiting in queues or watching League of Legends on the side” game. As such my play sessions are very short, which is actually one of the perks of owning it on the Switch. Of course picking up a new game means some of my other games, who deserve playtime aswell, get put to the wayside. And this is how my backlog grows.
So yeah. This is kinda how my life/days look like right about now. My life isn’t that interesting. I work. I eat. I sleep. I game. I don’t play that many games, truly I’m an MMO addict with a preference for what I know without trying many new things. I just can’t do the “play a ton of games at a given time!” thing like Syp and Belghast can. Maybe that’s fine though. I don’t know. Maybe I should just stick to progress posts for games that I enjoy. I mean it’s still better than a post like this right? I have some thinking to do and as such I’m not sure how many posts I will throw out this next week. Mayb WoW Classic will be the inspiration I need, but untill then I may just step away from blogging for a bit, take a breath and focus on what I want to do and want to be as blogger.
Ah perfect. The blog post shows up properly now. 😀
“I think the biggest reason for me not writing anything is because I feel like I don’t really have anything interesting to say.” – This is the ONE thing you need to stop thinking immediately. Yes, it’s much easier said than done. But at the end of the day, who are you writing for? Why are you writing? If you’re doing it because you enjoy doing it, then write as long as you enjoy it. Chances are, there will always be at least one person out there who likes reading what you wrote. And if there really is nobody, you at least had fun writing it!
“I don’t really want to post an update every day with “look at what I’ve done in this MMO!”. Mostly because I feel it’s not that interesting to read. Or maybe it is. I don’t know.”
Like every other post you wil ever write about anything, that depends on how interesting, informative or entertaining you make it. I read dozens of blog posts every week about games I don’t play, many of which boil down to people just retelling their experiences and what they think about them. If the writer has a chatty style that’s very often more than enough to make it an enjoyable read. If they also have insights and observations to draw from their own gameplay, even better.
In the end, though, people will read you because they like the way you express yourself as much as for what you’re writing about. Or they will if they’re genuine readers.
That said, as I always advise, if you’re not feeling it, take a break. Blogging’s a hobby not a job. You can lay the knitting needles down whenever you like and pick them up again when you’re in the mood. Your readers, the real ones, will be there when you get back.
Glad things are working again today, Sandrian! I wanted to comment last night, but as is often the case — wait long enough and someone will come along and do it better anyway. 😉
Case in point, Bhagpuss’ comment — just consider this comment of mine a long form way of saying ‘ditto’. 🙂
Thanks, both of you. I think a bit of a break is just what I need. Blaugust is kind of extreme in pushing us to try and post every day and I’m just kind of out of steam.. So to speak. Perhaps I’ll catch the writing bug again sooner rather than later but for now I’m not going to pressure myself to write anything just because I feel I need to but rather when I feel like I want to.
I hear ya. It’s a malady that I also am recently afflicted with, ye olde nothing-to-say-itis.
I wonder how much of it has to do with the typical achiever grindy style of MMO game that one can easily fall into. It’s easy and mindless to do, checking off items on a list and repeating content repeatedly (repetition fully intended), but when we try to take a look back and reflect on it, it’s almost terrifyingly banal to talk about.
Then trying to find a unique angle or spin or take on it winds up using too much brainpower and time, and we run away to do more of the mindless repetition instead.
Yeah exactly this. I think it’s exciting that I’ve leveled up another class or advanced another weapon in a game but by the time I sit down to write about it I just don’t really know how to make it sound exciting to others.
I think I just also really need a break and just do some stuff I enjoy instead of pushing myself to do stuff just because I feel obligated to.