Paralyzed by anmsid, on Flickr
If you’ve been following this blog with any regularity, you will have noticed that I haven’t posted much recently. Partly this is because I’ve been busy with my Dating After Forty series on the A to Z Date Ideas website. But mostly it’s because I managed to paralyse myself in one fell swoop. Here’s how.
I’m going to blame Corbett Barr, founder of the Think Traffic blog (now the Sparkline). He wrote a post called Write Epic Sh*t. It’s a great post, in which he tells his readers to eschew all that SEO stuff and just write epic sh*t. Write stuff that people want to read. Grab those pain points and give them solutions, and the rest will take care of itself.
So I tried. I started writing a post about my friend Kaila Prins, who really does write epic sh*t. Kaila is a recovering anorexic, who writes the most amazing, thoughtful pieces about eating disorders and body image and why Fitspiration sucks. I wrote a couple of paragraphs about Kaila, and then I stopped.
It was November 5th. Everything I thought I had to tell the world, every epic thought and deep insight I thought I had, went up in a Guy Fawkes bonfire. As soon as I felt that pressure on me, it all dried up. I did write my Dating After Forty pieces, and I think they are pretty good, but they aren’t Epic Sh*t. Unless I’m misunderstanding the concept. I think I’m just too ADD to construct an epic edifice, at least at this stage of the game.
I’ve decided that, while I have a huge amount of respect for Corbett and his ideas, I can’t set out to write epic sh*t. The mere thought paralyses me. All I can do is write the best pieces I can, and maybe some of them will turn out to be epic. If I can write with truth and vulnerability, maybe I can touch some people’s hearts, and if I’m really lucky, I’ll help someone. That would be truly sweet.
We all send our work into the world, as gifts to our fellow humans. Sometimes they strike a chord, and sometimes they don’t. But if we keep plugging every day, we are bound to get better at what we do. Maybe, just maybe, one day we’ll achieve epic. In the meantime, we just need to keep showing up.
How about you, do you set out to write epic sh*t? How does that work for you? Please share!
Yes, I get periods when I struggle to write anything worthwhile for my main blog.
Here’s how I get past it.
Some time back, a mentor suggested I stop writing about current affairs and politics on my main blog as it would probably not be the stuff my target audience would read or find useful.
I started a separate blog as a hobby and as a relief valve when I feel the need to “vent”.
To help an aspiring blogger, I started a third blog about another interest, horses, as a joint venture.
Although I aim to publish two posts a week on my main blog, I resolved not to publish any post purely for the sake of keeping to the schedule.
Between the 3 blogs and 2 others in different niches, I can always find something to write about. Posting on one of the 2 “hobby” blogs, comments like this and other writing, generally gets the inspiration going again.
Peter Wright recently posted…Resilience and a game to overcome adversity.
Absolutely NOT. LOL I went that road with Corbett, too. And it’s awful. LOL
James Chartrand wrote a post about not writing epic shit and she hit the nail on the head. The point is that you evoke emotion, that you help people do what they need to do and NETWORK to get it out there.
Good post, Hadass!
Tania Dakka recently posted…How to Fix Your Diet and Your Content Marketing
Thanks, Tania! So glad it’s not just me!
I understand from where you are coming
I’ve hardly written anything of late b/c I am feeling like I am drowning.
That, and I read an article about “The Ten Mistakes Bloggers Make”, and suddenly, nothing I come up with is “worthy” of posting …
Bodi recently posted…Radio Silence Broken
Hugs, sweetie! Ignore those posts ;-). Happy to help you with your blogging if you want.
Why did I not know you had this blog? Let me know if you want any help with it …