I’ve decided to add a new feature to the blog: Blog Sparks. This will be made up of posts which I feel might be helpful to some people. The posts will vary but all will share the main purpose of allowing me to express what I think could be useful information.

This time I am choosing to discuss “Should I Stop Blogging?“.

I’d like to think I’m not alone in the blogging world when I say that there has been numerous moments when I have seriously considered closing down my blog. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I don’t enjoy blogging, but there are a lot of pressures that go alongside blogging and unfortunately not everyone always understands this.

What are these pressures I speak of?

• Well, many say content is the key to a good blog. So what happens when you don’t feel your content is read-worthy?  What happens when you find yourself face-to-face against a mental brick wall?The feeling that your content isn’t good enough can often lead to doubting your abilities as a blogger.
• Then there is the amount of time blogging takes up. Sometimes there just isn’t enough hours in the day to get everything you want to do for your blog done. Add that to the stresses of everyday life, such as working or studying, sometimes it can seem impossible to get anything at all done. Before you know it, it could be days, weeks or even months since you posted anything.
• If that wasn’t enough, some are also unfortunate to receive negative feedback or little/no feedback at all. You might begin questioning whether blogging is really worth it? What’s the point if noone seems to be noticing your blog and/or those that do, only have negative things to say?

These are just three examples of what I’m sure there are many reasons why a blogger sometime’s feels like giving up. It is at this point where many falter and stop posting all together and I’ve most certainly reached this point a couple of times.

How do you even begin to get past such feelings? 

I can only speak of how I have chosen to move past such feelings but the below points are the reason Books that Spark hasn’t closed and why I am determined it will remain open…

• Remember why you began in the first place. We all start blogging for a reason and more often than not, that reason comes down to passion. I hold a passion for books and I wanted to share that passion with other people. I didn’t begin blogging to get a great deal of traffic or money. I still don’t want those things. It can put things in perspective when you remember what made you want to blog. Unless you find that you no longer want to achieve what you initially started blogging for, it’d be a shame to lose something you are passionate about. Go back to basics and seek motivation in that you are doing something you want, for yourself.
• Get your priorities straight. Working, studying and blogging takes up a lot of my time. Not only do I need to think of the here and now, but planning for the future can also take up a lot of time. When you focus on one area of your life, it’s natural to feel as though you are lacking in others. I need to study right now and that for me is top priority. I know this but yet when a lot of time has passed since I have last posted, I start to feel a bit of a blogging failure. Yet, after a good talking to myself, I realised that it’s ok to take a step back from blogging when I need to. If I didn’t, perhaps blogging would shift from being a passion to a chore? I don’t want that. Books that Spark is going nowhere and it will still be here when I have done everything else I need to do. Ok, so some readers may be lost but the ones who truly appreciate what you have to say will remain loyal.
• Take a break. This links with the point below somewhat. Blogging could be your number one priority but it is natural to sometimes feel buried by it. This is the perfect time to take a step back. Take some time away from blogging. Revive an old hobby or discover a new one. Spend the time you usually use  religiously posting with friends and family instead. Don’t let your blog crush you. Like I’ve said… it will still be there when you get back.

Before this post, I hadn’t posted for a month. I’ve had far too much going on in my life and because of that blogging has taken a back seat. I do feel as though I have let people down in this, but I know that deep down my priorities were correct and taking that break, means I am a lot more motivated than I was a month ago. I don’t want to close my blog. I appreciate this is a completely natural way to feel at times. It’s important to remember the passion I hold and that even though there are times when I may slip or don’t achieve what I want to achieve, that everything will be ok.