Blogger's Block
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 5:17PM There are dozens of blog posts in my head, but lately I’ve had trouble completing even one. (You may have noticed?)
Elsa maintains a strict rule that Mama is not allowed computers, paper products, or pens without her personal supervision. If I try to sneak out my laptop during playtime, she appears instantly by my side to chew the cord or whomp the keyboard. So motherhood is no help. Still, the kiddo does, eventually, go to sleep.
(rare sight)
E’s bedtime is when our real day begins — grown-up conversations, bill paying, Web surfing. By that point I’m half-way to brain-dead (sometimes more), but I can’t pretend I don’t have time to blog. The two hours I spent playing Spider Solitaire tonight would attest to that.
At heart, my real problem is a failure of confidence. Stay-at-home parenting works a number on your identity in relation to the outside world. After decades of academic and career successes, suddenly my biggest achievement each day is wrestling one tiny human to sleep. And too often I fail at even that! Somehow, this makes it harder and harder for me to face the empty page (or screen, as the case may be) and believe I can fill it with thoughts that anyone out there would actually want to read. Therein lies the real roadblock.**
I figure desensitization is the only way around this sudden blogophobia, so expect lots of posts for the near future!
What causes you to have blogger’s block? How do you overcome it?
** (Also, parenthood is making me not good at words plus how to use them.)
blogger's block in Bloggy Misc, Just Life 
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Reader Comments (5)
Like you, I've had blogger's block for a while- with the three (!!) blogs I post to, it was the wedding blog that suffered the most, and I completely stopped posting on that for six months or so. I realized then that I was blogging less because it was a creative outlet for me but because I had started feeling obligated to report (to who, exactly?!) these *very important things* having to do with my wedding. For me, officially closing down the wedding blog and starting up a more general 'life blog' is what helped me get over that weird feeling of obligation. It's been helping so far, though I still feel super guilty about not updating my food blog!
Maybe putting less pressure on yourself, and writing what you need to write, will help you get over the block? Start out with small observations and soon enough, bigger posts will come? I know I'll be interested in anything you write!
I have blogger's block right now too! Even though I have tons of stuff to blog about, I just kinda...don't. I think it's one-half, why would anyone care about my little life so why put in the effort? And the other half is just plain laziness or business. I agree that maybe a way to overcome it is just to do a lot of little posts, no matter how random and insignificant the topic. I should do it too :)
I'm certainly interested to hear anything YOU two have to talk about, so guess Blogger's Block insecurities definitely are all in the mind!
Can't believe I made a post saying I'll be posting constantly ... and then dropped off the face of the earth once again. It's been a migraine-y couple of weeks. Note to self: if I'm going to make big plans, next time, schedule some posts!
I have had Blogger's Block for... a long while now. For me, it's become more of a problem of not having anything to write about. Friends and family ask "What's new?" My invariable answer is "Not much." Let the dog out, let the dog in, cook dinner, watch Fringe, do yoga, sleep, start over. I can only assume no one wants to read about that type of thing. :) I hope my writer's voice returns soon though - I miss writing, it's theraputic.
NN, we miss you too! And I'd love to read about Fringe, at the very least -- Mr T won't watch it with me, so I have no one to dish with! :(