Image edited from Dalong
Things have been continuously hectic, and I've unfortunately run out of juice (i.e. inspiration) recently.
As you may already know, I am the kind of person who seldom preorder things online (the only time I've done so far was for figma Miku), hence I don't have monthly loot like many bloggers get to enjoy. As a result I don't often have much personal materials to share, but mainly with what I've found on the Internet when I'm not back at home in Hong Kong.
As a result I tend to require much more time and resources to find good things to share with you guys than other bloggers who post frequently. I apologise for such problems and I hope you will understand. OTL
Screenshot of anime Clannad ~After Story~ from Random Curiosity
So, where would you look out for inspiration? Surfing on the Internet, or while taking a stroll on the streets?
While I do like to stroll around a lot more in Hong Kong, the same thing cannot be said when I am in the UK, as there seriously isn't much interesting things over here -_-;;;;;
i would say look to your passions! i spend most of my time posting on figures, but if i had time i'd also be covering anime and manga more, not to mention japanese language and culture related stuff.
ReplyDeleteif your other passions happen to be non-otaku related and you want to keep the blog focused i suppose that would limit ya... in my case i reserve the right to post about anything and everything and if somehow i got through reviewing every single anime/manga/figure i owned/was interested in i'd start blogging about fine cognacs ^_^
ever since i got into the blogosphere, i find that it takes a long time, usually a few hours, to do a blog post. at least for me. so taking a slower pace is good as it gives u time to think of quality stuffs to post and also let your readers has more time to read existing posts.
ReplyDeleteeveryone runs out of ideas once in a while. some people post personal stuffs and some about stuffs they think people will get interested in.
personal stuffs is great as people get to know u better which is what blogging essentially should be, sharing your thoughts. but some people might not like others to know too much about themselves. so that really depends on individuals.
some post stuffs that other people care about. anime news, figure news etc. stuff that generate interests and in turn maybe more readership and comments. but this can also means the same thing can be found anywhere else on other blogs or websites thus lacking the originality.
so in conclusion, it's good to strike a balance. best is something that interests u and others as well. else blogging for the sake of blogging will turn into a chore and you won't enjoy doing it.
Bah, don't put too much pressure on yourself old friend, just post when you feel like it!
ReplyDeleteWe can't all be Ngee, posting multiple times a day, so there's no worries if you're quite for a while.
Hang in there, and just take a break for a while if you need it!
@ meronpan:
ReplyDeleteWhile this is what my blog is about (sharing the passions and thoughts that I like), life has recently put me off course a bit and I need to regroup my thoughts again.
It's sometimes not easy to know what to blog about even within your own interest or passion, especially when it's kinda stretched out. I actually used to talk about military stuff as well before redoing my blog completely, but decided to drop that now because my content was too varied for readers to appreciate. Therefore focusing on a few things rather than jumping about a little too much is my current goal for now. I may start another blog for military, but I'd leave that for another time.
@ gordon droid hunter:
I agree that doing a blog post often takes me hours, and blogging in general is time consuming and requires a lot of effort.
What you said on "what to post about" is pretty spot on on what I worry about. I don't like getting too personal on things, and sharing anime/figure news that everyone knows about already lacks originality, therefore it does require extra effort to go around them to make my own thoughts and share them out.
It's not easy I admit, and I am always impressed with people like you Gordon. Blogging, just like hobby, is for interest and not supposed to be turning into a chore/grind as I've understood from Z's recent dilemna on gunpla-ing. I hope I will get a breather for things for the next few days before picking up a new pace again.
@ Apt-1B:
True, we can't all be Ngee Khiong, and we can always choose to do something different. Blogging should be enjoyable, and not supposed to be acting like a task to do. I'll hang back slightly and take the pleasure of blogging a bit more then.
@ All:
I thank you for your valuable comments and advices! Without you guys out there I may not be as encouraged as I would have been!
I often ask myself what to blog about myself.Especially in Phases where i dont have any new figures or other loot to post about.
ReplyDeleteTaking pictures of figures is one of the few quality posts i am able to do.
The language barrier keeps me from writing nice detailed posts/essays that may encourage readers to participate so i have to try other things to compensate for this.
Id recommend to take a look around your surroundings and maybe youll find something to post about.In the end take your time and dont let it beome a task to post.Thats the first step to hating the blogging.
Noones gonna blame you for fewer posts if the qualities right.
I'm a slow blogger and sometimes I don't even post anything for weeks, while other days I post twice within 24 hours. For so long I've resisted the idea of blogging, but I find it's just a good way to keep a journal (and post multiple pictures easily ^^).
ReplyDeleteSo I wouldn't worry about those creative juices flowing. Mine was flowing like crazy after the response I got from the last few ones. So even though I wrote a few I do feel a bit of pressure, but I know people have patience to wait til you come up with something new ^_^ And I have a lotta patience!
@ Blowfish:
ReplyDeleteI tend to have no new figures or loots for most of the time (laughs).
It's indeed not easy to make long and wordy blog posts especially when English is not our first language, but they say that "one picture is worth a thousand words", so I tend to use a fair number of pictures while keeping the post fairly concise, which is my preferred kind of style for blogging.
As mentioned in the post I tend to find it hard to gain inspiration in the UK, mainly because there isn't an awful lot around. However strolling around does soothe my senses after some long and busy days.
Thank you for your opinion, and I gotta agree with you on this: Quality over quanity!
@ Lightning Sabre:
I often try to blog at a fairly constant rate so I will stay active and notlose my pace, but I suppose life has kinda knocked me off course recently orz
However I thank you for expressing your patience while I regroup my thoughts. Such comments, no matter how small or big, means so much for me!
Just like what others has already mentioned, look to your passion; ask yourself questions,e.g. like what pique your initial interest in them.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, because we get so caught up with the pace of our lifestyle, we miss out little bits of stuffs that we care or things that we love. Hence, it is good to occasionally slow down or even stop completely just to look around your own surroundings. The answers that you're looking for may actually be lying there, just waiting for you to discover them.
To sum it up, everyone has their own different pace, so enjoy yourself at your own pace rather than to burden yourself instead. Quality stuff takes time to build and quantity does not equate to quality.
Just post whenever you feel like it :). The key is not to make blogging feels like a job but rather to enjoy it ^^
ReplyDelete@ Jacques:
ReplyDeleteI think you're right; we do miss out the things we like at the most hectic of all times as we are so focused on other things.
While I will continue to blog actively, I will take my time on it as it surely isn't nice to think of it as a task to burden myself on top of other things.
@ Saku:
Thanks mate. I will take my time on blogging in the future. Just as many have said, blogging should be a hobby/interest to enjoy!
Many people above have said it before, but as they say, don't make it seem like a job. If you want to post it, post it. It doesn't really matter whether it's good enough in the eyes of other people, it's whether you enjoy it. And if you post with passion, I'm sure there are people out there who will feel the same too.
ReplyDeleteNever give up, just do it at your own pace ^^;
@ konadora:
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am doing my best to take my time blogging while keeping it consistent enough (so I won't laze off).
While I try to blog things that are not what everybody's blogging, but still related to the subculture/hobby/etc, I admit that I do sometimes worry whether it's "good enough in the eyes of other people". But you are right, I shouldn't worry this kind of thing, and take my passion to blog whenever I feel like it and whenever I have the time to do so.
Again, I thank all who have left the valuable comments here! I will keep them and value them in my mind~