I Wish I Was Creative or Where I’m At Right Now

Every day I am overcome by a green eyed jealousy monster. It’s not that I am envious of ARCs or anything. I am jealous of everyone’s brain power and creative well of ideas. Every day I feel like I come across awesome discussion posts or cool features and I think to myself, WHY DIDN’T I COME UP WITH THAT?!

And then I end up feeling inadequate. I see pieces where people say they don’t read reviews or they don’t like them and I’m all, well shoot, that’s about the extent of my brain power these days. I mean, if you scanΒ Good Books And Good Wine, it’s pretty much ALL reviews with maybe a Stacking The Shelves or Top Ten Tuesday thrown in or a contest. Is it weird that I feel like we are lacking because we really do not do weekly or even monthly discussion posts?

Friends, there are days when I think to myself, oh yeah I’m totally going to write a post with opinions and deep thoughts and get all the comments and answer all the comments. Then, I go to sit at the computer after work and just feel overwhelmed and exhausted and my brain stops working. So, I pick reading instead of writing an opinion post.

I guess, what I am trying to say is that I am in this content rut and I wish I could write posts for you all that were more than reviews or memes, but I have this bone-deep exhaustion and I can’t be bothered, it seems.

How do you guys deal with finding a balance? How do you channel your creativity and not give into the weariness and exhaustion? I am not about to self diagnose here, but I miss being peppy and creative and outgoing and more involved in the blogging community. I miss reading blogs. I miss commenting. I miss responding to all the comments. But, I just, at the end of the day, at 5:30 if I skip the gym or 6:30 if I go to the gym, I have no motivation to even look at my computer or blogs.

Here’s what I’m attempting to try and get out of this tired, overwhelmed mind-space: I’m exercising on a daily basis. This is helping my energy level. I’m going to try to film more vlogs, because they are fun and different and a new way for me to talk about books. I’m going to force myself to write one discussion talk post per month, because you know the power through it method or the just do it method and all. I am going to try and eat a bit better and be kinder to myself.

I’m just in a weird headspace right now and need to share as this is MY outlet and for some reason, knowing you are out there reading this helps.

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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Ok Thank the Gods it’s not just me. Every time I go best the computer I start to feel tired and bored. I want to share bit is a book blog not my lifestyle blood so I decided to share my bookish adventure like my crochet book marks and laptop holder. Mostly I’m just waiting for Spring once is here I can kick this mood to the curb the creative process kicks off at high speed again.

    • Aisha,

      It’s so hard to get up the motivation to use the computer to blog.

      Also, I really like lifestyle type posts and if that’s what you’re wanting to talk about, I say talk about it.

      I wonder how much this dreary weather is affecting my mood as well. Like, I know now that we’re a few weeks past the time change and my sleep has caught up, I finally feel a little more energetic in the evening.

      Thanks for commenting πŸ™‚

  2. I’m the first person to step up and say I don’t really read reviews; but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other people out there who do! I don’t think there’s anything at all wrong with writing only book reviews. But also, that could be even taken a step further with lists of books tied together by a common theme. A blog that does a really phenomenal job of this is the Barnes & Noble book blog – seriously, it’ll give you inspiration for days! Their lists are freaking awesome – I just wish I read enough books that I could have lists like theirs.

    • It’s true, a lot of people don’t read reviews and I am cool with that.

      I love the idea of doing lists of books tied together with a common theme. I might have to brainstorm some themes and try that out.

      Thanks for the tip on the B&N book blog, I will have to take a gander at it — I love inspiration.

      That seems to be the crux, so many books, so little time.

  3. Oh, I could have written this word for word! I am so glad I am not the only one who feels like this. There are times that I will be busy doing something else, and I will have some great idea, and then by the time I am actually sitting down with a few minutes to write something, the idea has vanished from my head. Or, I no longer like it. It is so frustrating sometimes, because I feel like everyone else is doing this amazing job, and I am just in a permanent rut.

    • YES! That happens to me a lot, I will be at the gym or at work, and I have these flashes of inspiration, but then the idea is gone by the time I can hammer it out. I’ve taken to carrying a notebook lately and that helps because then I can jot the idea down for later or in some cases, handwrite a post and then come back to it.

      I feel you on the permanent rut, I feel like I’ve been in one since May 2013. Oy. I hope we can get past this whole rut thing.

  4. A. I like reading reviews… so you’re good with me πŸ™‚

    B. I think we all go through times where we are too busy and tired to blog to our best ability.

    C. When I went through that same type of thing, I blogged really hard on Sundays bc it was my one down day. I visited all the blogs that had visited me, I wrote posts for the week… that kind of stuff. Maybe that would help you?

    Either way… just do what you can and don’t wear yourself out!

    • A) Yay! I am thrilled to hear that.

      B) It’s so true, so many people go through it, but as you going through it kind of feels like you are the only one in the world who is dealing with that specific issue.

      C) I like the idea of picking one day to focus all your blogging energy. I try to write reviews on the weekend as well as Stacking The Shelves, but by the time all my reviews are written, it’s basically 9 p.m. on Sunday and I’m ready to lay in bed with my book. Maybe I will have to try and manage time just a little bit better. Hmmm.

      Thanks for the solid advice, friend. <3333

  5. Oh, it’s the same for me! And I don’t even remember the last blog post I wrote. I assure you, it doesn’t help that my almost 8mo little guy sucks the energy right out of me πŸ˜‰ Maybe when he’s older, I can blog more again. (I have no clue how new moms manage to blog. When my son’s down, so am I.)

    I am actually reading your blog for the reviews, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re good with me.

    • I feel like having a baby is a pretty valid excuse to be tired and not so energetic.

      I don’t understand how people with young children blog either. Seems like they take so much energy.

      Thanks <3333

  6. I’ve totally been where you are right now. I mean, what you said basically sums up all of last year for me. I’m not going to lie, it’s a hard place to be in. It sucks. A lot. I’ve spent the last few years figuring out how to balance everything and live a life that is both physically and mentally healthy, and figuring out blogging has definitely been a part of that. I often look at what other people are doing with their blogs and wonder how in the world they come up with such creative things. My blog is mostly reviews as well, and I’m perfectly happy with that, but I also force myself to do two discussion type posts a month, if only to push myself a little more to be creative. The thing that works for me is that whole saying, “fake it till you make it.” I just push myself to do the things I want to accomplish, even if I don’t feel like doing them, and eventually they get easier. Like, I used to hate commenting on blogs because I read so many of them and it gets tiring, but I forced myself to stay on top of it every day and these days it’s actually quite enjoyable. In terms of non-review content, I just try to think up what posts I’d want to read, and write those. I don’t know if any of this helps, but I hope things start to look up for you soon!

    • It’s actually really, really hard figuring out how to be both kinds of healthy — physically and mentally. I know for some people that balance is kind of a snap and easy. But for me, not so much because let’s be real, it takes time to go to the gym and change and work out which okay, I feel happy after. However, that takes time away from reading and blogging.

      I like the idea of making yourself do a set amount of discussion posts per month. Maybe I should do that, take this much more seriously.

      I love that saying.

      Good advice about staying on top of commenting, I feel so drained looking at bloglovin, but maybe if I just set aside half an hour per day to do SOME comments and a bit more time over the weekend that might work.

      Rachel, this totally helps.

      Thanks for commenting <33333

  7. I feel the same way. I am trying out the book the ARIST WAY by Julia Cameron to try and help me get past my creative rut. Other than that I am not sure what to do. I like reading your reviews though πŸ™‚

  8. I agree with everything you said. I struggle with reading reviews because I don’t want to read reviews for books I haven’t read yet or books I’m not interested, which doesn’t seem to leave me with much. I’m also just not very motivated to blog right now; there are so many other things I’d rather be doing. I’m not even motivated enough to my upcoming reviews organized, much less actually read and review anything.

    I’ve been hearing some people say they don’t want to read just reviews, memes, and blog tours anymore, but I don’t know what else to post. I’m glad I’m not the only one in a slump. I hope we both get out of it soon!

  9. This is your blog and you can post ALL REVIEWS, ALL THE TIME if you want to, April πŸ˜‰ I read the same posts you do, lists of what certain bloggers want to read or what they like/dislike about other book blogs and at the end of the day, that is just their opinion. If that’s how they want to blog, good for them, but we should all do whatever the hell we want and we’ll still get readers, readers who like the content we put up.

    My blog is all reviews with one feature (Stacking the Shelves) and while I don’t mind feature posts (memes) I don’t want to read them all the time. I prefer reviews and some discussion posts – depending on the topic.

    It’s hard to balance life and blogging, but try not to stress about it, you have great content and I’m sure you’ll find time to write some awesome discussion posts πŸ™‚

  10. I’ve got enough content for discussion posts running through my head, but a unique feature? Something that you can only find on my blog? I’ve never been able to come up with something like that! It’s super demotivating to feel like everyone around you is the most creative person you know, but I’ve found the best way to power through is to (cornily enough) stop comparing myself to everyone else. I like writing discussion posts! So what if every other person does that; mine are written in my voice, with my opinions. So while they might not be 100% unique, they’re still all mine πŸ™‚

    Here’s hoping you find what works best for you soon! πŸ™‚

  11. You know, this happened to me last summer, but it was the other way around. I was super stressed out over trying to keep up with my reviews (and, therefore, my stack of books to read) and finding that I couldn’t read fast enough to have sufficient content on the blog. I started incorporating discussion posts and some fun features as my way of having stuff scheduled in advance, and taking the pressure off me to have content up and ready, just so that I could sit back and ENJOY what I’m reading. And not feel pressured to review everything that I read.

    BUT, with that being said, your blog is what YOU LIKE. And if you like posting reviews, and not so much on the discussion posts, then that’s your thing! Don’t feel pressured to do what others are doing. Personally, I like reading blogs with variety — but I follow yours too because you do post so many reviews, and I always enjoy finding new books to read from your site. So keep up what you’re doing, because you definitely have a fan base that appreciates it!

  12. I’m so with you April. Here is at least one blogger who enjoys reading your reviews and I try to comment whenever I have something to say ;-). I find that I’ll from time to time have a spurt of mania and be able to write at least one discussion post, but most days, it’s all I can do to open a book ;-).

  13. I actually wrote about something indirectly similar (okay that makes no sense) a while back. I feel like I put a lot of work (ok, a fair amount) into my reviews, so wouldn’t others do the same? I want to read their work, read their thoughts, and see the meat of their blog. Honestly, I love that your blog is mostly reviews because I feel like you give not only an honest review but a truly fun review. I’ve been terrible lately at keeping up with blogging, folks, what’s going on, commenting, etc. I wouldn’t worry about your content. If you write it, you write it. If you don’t, you don’t. Write what comes to you, even if it’s just discussing how you like the color ___ on book covers.

    Not everyone is meant to come up with fabulous memes or features. Some people choose to put that much work into those things and that’s fabulous. Some of us do not. It’s all about finding what works for you and keeping balance, no matter if it’s blogging or working or hobbying or whatever.

    I feel like such a hippie being all do whatever you like man, peace and love and blah blah blah. But seriously, whatever makes you happy is what you should do. Your blog is one of my faves no matter what you post on it! πŸ™‚

  14. Girl, this is my feeling constantly. Especially any time I look at Jamie’s blog. I do not know how she does it at all.

    Um, I basically do not find a balance. Like, I have Cover Snark and that’s the only reliable thing. I’ve even been skipping book hauls a lot lately. I mean, I prefer for blogs to have a focus on reviews, personally, but discussions are fun, and I wish I did more of them. They are also time-consuming, though, and I only write them when I am emotional about some topic. Very spur of the moment.

    You are hilarious doing whatever, so I will keep reading whether it is all reviews or if there are discussions. And even if your subject isn’t something no one else has done, I bet I will love any discussion you do, because your voice is so very you.

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