Not only am I in a novel writing “rut,” but I think I’m suffering from blogger burnout. Maybe it’s because of the weather, or the fact that I’m happily engrossed in several side projects and have been spending far too much time on Twitter and Facebook, but I’m feeling a weird shift. A shift that is making it harder and harder to dedicate even 20 minutes a day to this blog.

Maybe because a big part of my day job is managing our corporate blog — and by managing, I mean posting articles written by OTHER people, applying SEO tactics, adding photos, socializing, posting, analyzing…but not writing, so much. I write the odd post every now and then, but for the most part I am the blog manager…not the blog writer. And, as you can guess…I kinda like writing. The writing is the part of blogging that I enjoy the most.

So, now, that sounds a little ass-backwards, doesn’t it. One would think that since I’m not writing on the day-job blog, I’d be all gung-ho on the blog/hobby/writing/journal-blog …but as I said, there’s a shift. When I think about the blog now, I can’t for the life of me think of a topic that would be of any interest at all to all of you (thank you dear followers…I believe I have 81 now!…and sorry, dear followers, for being such a 365 days of writing slacker…).

So, what do you do when you get like this? When the things you really do LOVE to do take a back seat to other time-consuming tasks…cooking, cleaning…avoiding the reality that maybe I’ve simply run out of writing steam. That I have said all there is to say?

So what do you do when you hit a blogging wall like this? Do tell. Please. Do tell.

photo: the|G|™

Friday! After a very long week – in which I really did get a grip finally on being back from vacation – I am happy to see Friday arrive in all its Friday glory. Got a bunch of stuff knocked off the list on the day job — but again, not writing fiction. But now, you’re not even surprised, are you? You started visiting this blog for inspiration, to get you going on your own writing, and now here I am 193 days later and I’m not even writing. Darn. Well, I will say this: I am writing. Just not novel writing. I’m blogging. I’m writing content for websites. I’m writing. Just not writing fiction (at the moment).

Someone asked me recently if I thought blogging was writing. And my answer was, and is, a resounding “YES!” Blogging is writing. If you’re a writer, you should write every single day. And if your hands are pecking away at the keys with the intent of telling, you’re writing. I’m writing, at this very moment. Blogging is a great way to exercise your writing muscles. It’s a great way to find your voice.

If you’re working on a writing project and you’re stuck on a scene or can’t get the flow of the article that’s overdue, sit down and write something that really happened. Blog about it, even, if you’re a blogger. Just TELL something. You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel about your writing if you do truly write every single day. Blogging or novel writing. It’s all about putting down the words.

photo credit: Will Lion

Got in just 20 minutes of writing today. Then the day job. Then it was Chinese food / movie night. Watched “The Lovely Bones.” I read the book a few years ago and I think that they did the book justice with the movie — which is rare. Great show. Sad and raw, but the actress who played Suzie Salmon was amazing.

So, this month is slipping away and I’m not getting where I want to be fast enough. My son started a blog. He’s 14 and a very creative kid (as well as a great basketball player). He told the kids at school about his blog and they made fun of him. I was appalled. Kids are so mean! If only we knew, at 14, that the middle and high school years won’t be nearly as important as the seem. Just a blip in your life. That he won’t even remember most of the kids who are ignorant and that they will likely end up with nothing because “being cool,” doesn’t pay the bills in the real world. Innovative thinkers and creative minds come in first. Ugh…irritating. And when it’s YOUR child…well, if only I could fight all his battles.

Now, back to writing. I plan to write tomorrow morning. 1000 words– and then, and only then, will I reward myself by getting a pedicure and shopping for new shoes.

Onward.

Going to the Margaret Mitchell House to hang out with writers / authors tonight. Yay! I always feel so much more motivated after attending these kinds of events. Maybe it’s the “misery loves company” mentality that appeals to me.

Didn’t get much writing done this morning. Set the alarm to get up at 6 a.m., per usual, but made the mistake of rolling over and hitting the snooze button one too many times. As this was an “in-the-office” day, I didn’t have the luxury of skipping the shower before getting ready for the day job. My co-workers prefer it.

Showered, got coffee, and managed to write a blog about my AHA moment for my “other blog” (the non-writing-specific, just witty stuff about my daily life). That was it for my writing today.