Things That Happen When You Start Blogging

Blogging can bring about several kinds of world catastrophes.

Wait. No. Wrong line. Just… forget I said that, okay? It’s nooot true at all*.

What is true, is that blogging changes quite a few things when you’re just starting out. Which I would know, since… Heh. I’m just starting out. Have you seen the number of posts in my puny blog?? It’s tiny! Which could mean I have no clue what I’m doing, but let’s not talk about that.

So from among all the crazy changes and pretty weird things that happen when you become a blogger, I chose 11 and laid them out for your enlightening perusal (yeah, I don’t know who wrote that either).

Now, these things don’t necessarily happen to everyone, but they’re pretty common, and well… They happen to me. So there’s that at least. Also, as a sidenote, let’s not call them blogging symptoms, so we remember this isn’t a catastrophe and disease list… #helpful

*But if you hear of any dying suns, melting volcanoes or shiny white deer barging through doors after this post goes live, please let me know. I’ll be deeply sorry.

You start doing a lot of mind writing

You can’t always sit down and type, but writing happens anywhere, anytime. Which is pretty nice mostly, but not so great if you need to sleep. It’s like, shush brain, what do you think you’re doing?

And does my brain ever listen? I don’t think so.

You forget a lot of things

For one, most of the mind writing. Which is why you may find me sneaking downstairs at night to write up random things before they run away into the sunset*.

Here’s a neat list of other things I may or may not forget, all the time, or half of it (I forgot which):

• How to write
• What words mean
• Comments I didn’t reply to
• What day it is
• How to sleep
• Did I forget my glasses, or do I have them on
• How to keep lists from going wild and not being about blogging stuff anymore

*What sunset, I just said it’s at night??

You’re at higher risk of getting chocolate tart cravings

Wait up, this will make sense in a second. Because if you’re like me, you’ll find out dragons exist and read Cait’s posts a lot once you start blogging.

And she happens to TALK ABOUT CAKE A LOT and make you look at pretty things like THIS:

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Hey LOOK. Two of my favourite things: Ronan Lynch and also dessert. And I actually told my sister I had to stop texting her because I needed to photograph this strawberry chocolate tart before the family got to it. #Priorities. . • . • • Adam smiled cheerily. Ronan would start wars and burn cities for that true smile, elastic and amiable.” — #TheRavenCycle . . SERIOUSLY THE RONAN TRILOGY CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH. . . CHALLENGES: #IcecreamForBooks [Sugar Waffle Cone = Hardcover vs. Paperback] HARDCOVER. ALL THE WAY. #GrimDragon [Christmas In July] Hey it’s red! CHRISTMAS. #JulyReadSplaining [War] . . TAGS: [#coloredbooks] [#bookandflowers] [#bookishquotes] [#bookandfood] Thanks @signoruney || @bumblingaboutbooks || @brightboldandbookish || @bookish.brooklyn! . . #bookstagram #bookphotography #bookworm #book #bookish #bibliophile #booklove #book #instabook #reader #reading #bookgram #booknerd #booknerdigans #booksofinstagram #bookstagrammer #bookphoto #bookporn #redbooks #thedreamthieves

A post shared by CG Drews (@paperfury) on Jul 25, 2017 at 5:10am PDT

So let’s just blame her for all cravings, shall we? They’re all her fault.

But all this goes to say… You meet some pretty cool people. And some pretty cool desserts. What else can you ask for, huh??

You get a serious conflict of interests

Because there’s only so many hours in the day, and when you start blogging, that can become a bit of a problem. How are you supposed to have enough time to:

• Write
• Find somewhat interesting ideas
• Keep reading so your TBR doesn’t flatten you
• Save the world now and then
• Eat pizza
• Do everything else people who have a life usually do?

You just don’t have it. Which means more often than not, you have to make choices and some things get left behind. And how do you choose between a thousand things you want to do in your very limited, teeny tiny free time? I have no idea. Ask someone else.

You get all the crazy writer moods

That whole thing where you love what you’re writing just to hate it a few minutes later. Also, mood swings, desperate crying, giggle attacks and howling (mostly in your head, but who knows). Writing can be weird.

 

You try (and fail) to be a secretive hermit

Letting strangers read what you write? Sure, that’s fine. Family and friends? Please hold on while I spontaneously combust.

And I know, this is not everyone… But it is ME! As it happens, I don’t really have a closet to hide in while I blog, so inevitably, some people find out about it. And then they want to see it. And read it. And make me burst.

Now, this is something I haven’t really tried, but my advice to you if this ever happens?Point out a nice potted plant and shuffle out of the room while they’re distracted. Works every time. I think.

And while we’re talking about my hermitness failure, I should probably say hi to my best friend, because I CAN’T STALL MUCH LONGER and he’s coming over soon. He’s about to think I’m even weirder than he already does. Wish me luck.

You scramble for ideas… All the time

And this comes in different forms, from not knowing what to write, to not knowing how to write it, to having plenty of ideas that don’t seem good enough, to watching your brain run away from you and go vacation in Hawaii.

Blogging = 70% wild running after ideas. With the occasional arm flail.

…

And then there’s those times you come up with so many things at once and have no time to write, because why not.

You freak out lots

When you can’t write fast enough. When someone is amazing and talks to you and comments on your writing. When you realize your overall cluelessness. When you finish a draft and get beyond happy. When you breathe. When you eat a cheese sandwich.

Bloggers freak out all the time. As do bookworms. And if you’re both, well then… TIME TO FREAK OUT.

Talking to people becomes… somewhat hard

It can be hard outside of blogging too, you know. Sometimes. I’m an odd ambivert creature. But the funny thing when you start blogging and people talk to you is, you can get brain paralysis!!

Like, you know when someone takes the time to comment on a post you wrote, or compliments you, or tweets at you and you just… Don’t. Know. What to say. Which is so inconvenient, since that person just made your day and YOU WANT TO BE AWESOME TO THEM instead of giving illegible awkward screeches. Not that I’ve done this… But I sometimes feel like I have to study other people’s comment replies.

You realize there’s a lot more to do than just writing

Editing! Formatting! Bribing people to read your blog! Making cool graphics! And how does WordPress work, again?

You have lots of fun

Well yes, there’s freakouts, and forgetfulness, and brain paralysis, but you know what… It’s all really fun. Except when it’s not, but… all other times. And that’s most times, I promise.

What are some things that happened when you started blogging? Did you ever recover?? How do you deal when people want to see your writing? And do you ever crave chocolate tarts??