I’m not sure if this is a New Blogger thing or something that people who have been blogging for years face, but I wanted to make a post about some of the things I struggle with when it comes to blogging. Whilst my blogging experience so far has been a mostly, extremely positive experience I do have some anxieties and I feel like talking about them will help me and hopefully anyone else who feels the same way!
This is my first kind of discussion post so I’m a little nervous. Okay, really nervous. It’s something I’ve wanted to talk about though so! Here goes…
Reading Speed
When it comes to full length novels I am normally an extremely slow reader. There are a few exceptions if I’m reading a Horror/Thriller that is under 300 pages I can get through it in a day if I’m determined. When I was a kid I was really fast at reading. I read every single Harry Potter book in a day. Now I struggle to get through 50 pages a day. My attention span is non existent and I find myself getting distracted by the most mundane and pointless things. It doesn’t matter if I don’t have internet or my phone. I’ll still find a way to distract myself from the book I’m reading. Even if I am absolutely loving the book I’m reading I will still lose focus and my brain will decide staring at my ceiling is a better way to spend my time.
“But Lauren, you read like 20 books last month, what are you talking about?”
The majority of those 20 books where short stories, novellas and graphic novels. I only read about 4 or 5 full length novels and only did reviews for a handful of them. It’s a good way to trick people into thinking you’re a fast reader. #LaurensLifeHacks
I see so many people who seem to be able to get through 3-5 full length books a week and post reviews for every single one of them (which I’m going to talk more about in my next point) and I just feel like I’m not fast enough? I feel like I need to keep up a quick pace with my reading or people will lose interest.
Reviews, Posts & Writing
Because of my slow reading speed I don’t tend to post many reviews. I maybe average 1 a week or 2-3 if I’m lucky. Actually, lbr probably never 3. I see people who post reviews almost daily and I’m just like; “WHAT IS THIS BLACK MAGIC!”. No, but seriously? How. I am so impressed. I don’t want my blog to just be full of tags or memes (even though they are SO much fun so please keep tagging me in things!!!), but I don’t want to not post anything because I haven’t had the motivation to finish a book. My tag posts also seem to get more interaction so that makes me want to post them more because I enjoy discussions. I’m also not that creative so I struggle to come up with ideas for discussion posts. It takes me a long time to write reviews because I’m no good at articulating my thoughts into actual words that make sense. I really need to focus and figure out how I can describe what I just read in a way that actually makes sense and will allow people to understand what the book is about.
I am not a writer, unless you want to count the embarrassing fan fic I wrote when I was 15. I barely finished high school because of my mental illnesses. Actually, technically I didn’t finish high school. I completed my studies via TAFE (which is like a trade school / community college for those not aware of Australian lingo). I didn’t do any kind of final exams. I haven’t been to university or college. I have a basic high school certificate and a certificate in Digital Media. I am not ashamed of that. There’s nothing wrong with not going to Uni or College. However, I get so worried that my writing isn’t good enough? I’m always worried about technical aspects, grammar and style. My writing is pretty basic, I know that. I get worried because I don’t want to sound boring or repitive. So many bloggers are teachers, writers, journalists ect. and it kinda makes me feel irrationally nervous.
Recommendation Worries
Something I know is completely irrational but my brain tells me I have to worry about it. Whenever I praise a book in a review, tag or meme and someone says they’re going to add it to their TBR my anxiety goes through the roof because I get so worried that they’re going to hate it and that I’ve just wasted their time.
Am I Being Annoying?
Am I posting too much or not enough?
Realistically I know that 1-2 posts a day is an absolutely okay amount, but again my brain causes me to stress over it.
What about commenting?
Unfortunately my social anxiety doesn’t just stop at face-to-face interaction. Interaction of any kind is so scary for me so whenever I go to write a comment it takes me about 5-15 minutes sometimes whilst I try and figure out how I want it to sound. I probably delete and rewrite it at least 3 times. I get worried that what I’m commenting won’t make sense or isn’t needed and I’ll just be annoying the OP with it. When I like a post, but don’t comment I feel bad, but sometimes I honestly don’t know what to say so I just give as much acknowledgement as I can.
What about the actual content of my posts?
This comes back to the whole Reviews Vs Tags thing, so I won’t dwell on it too much. It’s pretty self explanatory. I’m sure this is a really common problem everyone has and as much as I tell myself that it’s my blog and I’m okay with posting what I want I still can’t fully accept that frame of mind. I am really trying though.
If I tag someone in a post will they feel like they have to do it even if they don’t want to?
Again another irrational self explanatory one. I get nervous tagging people because I don’t know how they feel about tags and I don’t want to annoy them. If I ever tag you in something and you don’t want to do it then I promise it’s okay ♥
wonderless reviews 
What a nice discussion! Really enjoyed reading this.
Reading speed definitely scares me as well. I never even knew there were reading challenges and all that stuff before I discovered Booktube, and now I feel pressured to read lots of books all the time. I’ve only been blogging for a very short time but I’m already kind of terrified of not having read enough books in a month to post an interesting wrap-up. It seems so silly when you actually say it.
(I also really like the #LaurensLifeHacks haha. x)
I identify with so much of what you’re saying! I enjoy tags and feel so loved when people tag me in stuff (especially as a person with not much of a social life, getting included in tags feels almost like spending time with friends), but I wish I could post interesting reviews and cool discussions all the time. I’m looking at the stuff I have planned for the rest of the week, and most of it is tags or lists of some sort. It makes me feel even more pressured to finish books quickly.
(The Toy Story gif is perfect by the way.)
The commenting fear is definitely one I share as well. I’ve wondered so many tímes whether that person wants a response or if they already have enough to do and prefer fewer notifications. Useless worries!
You don’t have to be nervous about this discussion post, at least not in my opinion. It’s very well written and the ideas are interesting. I’m sure lots of bloggers can identify with this. x
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Thank you so much.
Right! I just feel like I’m not managing my time well either, like so many people manage reading these books, school and work and I’m just like… what am I doing wrong?
Haha, yes! 😉
Ah yes, that’s definitely how I feel too about tags too. It feels so nice to have someone think of me.
Again, thank you so much! ♥♥♥
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No need to thank me! ❤
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Your anxieties are so relatable. I worry all the time of people will actually like the books I read. Lol
I also worry if I’m being annoying. I stopped posting everyday for that reason. But I comment incessantly on other blogs and I suspect people are tired of seeing me in their comments.
It’s also nice to see another slow reader. We must be proud and unite!
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I’m so glad I’m not alone. Not that I want other people to worry about these things of course, haha. It’s just really comforting.
If it helps I’m definitely not tired of seeing your comments and posts! You’ve helped introduce me to so many diverse books which is super important ♥
Haha yes!
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I completely agree with any of these. Even after blogging for over a year, many of these are always a thing.
Something I found when it comes to the worry about being annoying is that I do the same thing as when I write: imagine that no one is actually going to read it.
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It’s so comforting to know I’m not alone. Of course, I wish that none of us had to face these things, but it’s good having people be able to relate to what I’m saying!
Ah yes, I do that too!!
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You needn’t worry about anything ! And 50 pages a day makes you already a slow reader? Guess I’m a slow reader too then but I have a job too and a life so I think it’s still fair. I worry too if someone is reading something that I read, if they are going to like it. But I try not to worry too much about the rest, I just do what I like for the moment, I’m very happy with every like and comment that I get but I don’t want to be pressured in posting every day. The moment I ‘have to’ I won’t like it as much anymore.
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Aw, thank you ♥ Haha, to be honest I’d be lucky to get to 50. It just felt like a decent round number. That’s definitely understandable when you have to deal with work and other things. And yes I definitely agree. That’s why I’m still posting tags and memes and things because I find it fun and don’t want to post reviews just for the sake of posting them.
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Ahhh this is a great post! You shouldn’t worry though – your blog is fab and I’m pretty sure nearly every other blogger (me included) feels exactly the same way! I totally identify with the reviewing thing, it takes me a long time to write reviews that I’m happy with and I’m always in awe of people who can do it so quickly! X
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Aw, thank you so much! That really means a lot ♥♥♥! I’m so envious of people who write such detailed and intricate reviews and so often too, haha. I’m trying to not let it bother me too much though.
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No problem! 💙 oh man, me too! I always read other people’s and am like ‘why can I not write reviews that sound like that?!’ But you can only do your best! X
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Uuuuugh, I so feel you here hon. I have the same anxieties, particularly:
–what if I post/say something that comes out sounding worse than it is?
–what if I accidentally offend somebody?
–is this too many posts for one day?
–why is nobody commenting on this post?
–I read weird books; what if nobody LIKES to read my posts about these weird books?!
Honestly, though…I’m pretty sure most bloggers go through something similar? We’re all human, which means we all sometimes feel inadequate/jealous/what have you.
If it helps any, I personally think that you’re doing an AWESOME job with your blog. Your tag posts are always so entertaining to read through, and I appreciate every single comment you and I exchange (particularly of the flaily obsessed glitter-filled reader persuasion 😉 )
I feel like if you just keep doing you, and try not to worry about what the rest of the world thinks (bah! the world! who cares what it thinks?! XD ) you’ll continue being awesome, and people will continue loving your posts. ❤ We are, in the end, our own worst critics…but it seems to me you're doing some awesome things.
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Aww, Beth. Thank you so, so much. You have been so wonderful to me from the very start and I really appreciate it!
I definitely relate to all those things you listed! If it helps I love weird books too, so keep posting about them please 😉
And yes that is a fantastic way to look at things. My brain can be extremely stubborn at times, but I’m definitely trying to teach it to think that way.
♥♥♥
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You’re so welcome, sweets.
And no worries; you couldn’t STOP me from posting about the weird! I just can’t help myself. 😀
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Haha, yay! I look forward to continue reading them 😉
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I think your anxieties are very relatable and I don’t think they fade with time, I think that we’ll just learn to deal with them in better ways.
Since English is not my mother tongue, I definitely worry sometimes that what I say is coming out wrong or that I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to make my review/posts diverse and richer in words if that makes sense haha!
On average, I post 4 times a week. BECAUSE LIFE. And I feel like it’s not nearly enough when I see people posting every day. But that doesn’t bother me anymore as long as I can interact with people when I do post.
The commenting thing is tricky. Actually, I’ve had a person not answer one of my comments where I was trying to initiate a discussion, she just liked it and that was it. And THAT’S RUDE man ! I felt bad! By the way, you can comment whatever comes to your mind on my posts, no filters needed haha, you’re more than welcome!
This is a great post !
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It’s really comforting to know I’m not alone!
If it helps at all, you’re English is fantastic. I feel you with the vocabulary thing. Even though it is my first language I don’t have the widest knowledge when it comes to that kind of thing. I’m trying not to care too much about it though.
Haha, yeah, life is great at getting in the way. I love your blog and everything you post so you’re doing a great job at managing both!
Oh, wow, that’s not very nice 😦 I understand liking comments if it’s a closed discussion because I do that quite often, but if someone’s using open questions and initiating a discussion I will definitely try my best to reply back with something!
And thank you so much Fadwa ♥♥♥
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Aaw thank you ❤ I’m glad you think so, and I love your blog too, it’s really great and you’re one of the sweetest people too !
Yes, that’s what I do too, I like the comment without replying if the discussion is done or if there is no discussion to begin with other than that I try to engage, plus I love it 😊
You’re welcome ❤❤
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Aw, Fadwa, thank you!! That means a lot, you’re the best ♥♥♥ And yes, it’s really fun when you can have discussions! Even if I can be awkward at it because I’m socially inept, hahaha.
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It is the truth ❤
If that is true, I’ve never felt awkwardness in our discussions whatsoever and I really mean it 😊😊
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I experience ALL of these worries. I have been reading the same book for almost 3 weeks now because I’m just crazy busy and it is really making me nervous to write the review. In the grand scheme of thing I expanded the scope of my blog so that I would actually consistently have things to talk about.
I have the opposite issue with discussion posts though. I have SO many ideas about what to discuss but am way too scared to use like 3/4 of them in fear of offending someone.
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Aw, I’m sorry you deal with all of these too. I love what you did with your blog. All your posts are so great.
Ooh, that’s so awesome that you have so many ideas. I understand your fear about not wanting to offend people though. I’d definitely be interested in reading them if you decide to post 🙂
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Maybe some day..:)
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I think I have all of this anxieties. 😅 I’m still new to all of this so I’m still in the process of adjusting to everything but when I see some bloggers who posts every single day it sometimes makes me think if what I’m posting right now is enough (I usually post 2-3 times a week). I also overthink a lot of things. This is my first time writing an actual review for the books I’ve read and I keep on thinking if I’m doing it right.. or am I explaining it correctly and expressing what I thought of the book or something like that. #worrywart
But I’m very thankful for those who follow my blog and comments on my post. It makes me think that maybe I am doing something right after all. 😁
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Aw! It’s comforting to know I’m not alone, but I’m sorry you deal with these issues too! Yes, I definitely have all those stresses too when I’m reviewing a book. I think it’s definitely one of the reasons why I struggle with them and put off posting them.
Same here! It’s such a great feeling. I love your blog ♥
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I love your blog too! And also I want to thank you for always commenting on my posts. It’s a lot of fun communicating with other bloggers. 😄
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I totally understand all of your worries too! The main one is the whole reading speed and amount of books read and reviewed. I used to really worry about not posting enough or not finishing books quick enough but I think I’ve managed to relax about it (after 3 years) now.
It still baffles me when I see bloggers claiming to have read 3+ books a week. I mean even if I was bed-bound I probably couldn’t read more than 3 books in a week. Some people claim 5 books a week – really!? I average at like 1-2 books a week and even that takes a lot of reading time to fit into a busy work and social life schedule! I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying this (see same anxieties), but when bloggers claim to have read too many books it really makes me wonder about the quality of their reading/reviewing. I guess a lot of people are better at skim-reading than I am, but I started my blog because I love reading, so I like to enjoy it (as slow as it may be) instead of rushing though something and only catching the gist…you know?
Anyway rant over…I enjoyed that, thanks. LOL
P.S I’m glad your overall experience has been good. I love your site, it looks really professional 🙂 Try not to feel too much pressure to perform (I’m pretty sure we all do though)!
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Ah, that’s good to hear that you’re more relaxed about it now! I’m hoping to get there eventually.
Yes to everything you said! Also, don’t apologise about ranting! My blog is always open for rants, haha. It’s also why I made this post so I’m glad you were able to talk about this! I definitely agree. I just don’t understand how people can fit in so many books and work/study ect. I think it’s a case of skim reading too, which I also don’t want to do. I have enough trouble remembering what happens as it is, haha.
And thank you so, so much! That means a lot ♥
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I cannot express enough how much I relate to everything you’ve just said!! I don’t know how people manage to read so many books in one week, and post that many reviews (definitely black magic!) I can barely finish a whole book in a week at the moment, let alone post more than once a week! I get so stressed and worried when I haven’t posted something in several days. And I also really struggle with writing comments (especially when I’m tired) – it takes me ages to write a reply, and sometimes I leave it several days before doing so and then get even more anxious because I’m worried people will think I’m being rude. But anyway, just for the record, I think your writing is great, and I really enjoy your blog 🙂 And when you are feeling anxious about all these things, you are definitely not alone! x
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I’m sorry you deal with this too! It is definitely comforting to know you’re not alone though. I totally feel you so much with the reading and reviewing. I’ve only read one book this month and April is half over. I don’t know how people do it! And yes, I get like that with commenting too! If it helps, you don’t need to worry about that with me. If you ever comment late or whatever, I don’t mind 🙂 And I really enjoy your blog! Thank you so much ♥
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You’re very welcome! 🙂 And thank you!! ❤ I've only read two books this month, so I know what you mean. I always feel so much pressure to read quickly, but I guess it doesn't really matter 🙂 And the other thing I forgot to say in my last comment was – I know exactly what you mean about freaking out when people add a book to their TBR based on your review haha. I am always so paranoid they'll hate it, and I worry so much that I've oversold it.
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I’m definitely trying to tell myself it doesn’t matter also. Ahh, right! I totally get that oversold thing. I’m trying to tell myself that we all have different opinions, but that anxiety is always at the back of my mind.
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This is such a great post Lauren, and I completely get everything you said as well. I can get through books quite quickly but I’m a lot slower when it comes to writing and posting the actual reviews for them, and it’s the same with recommending books as well. I feel an insane amount of anxiety over it because I just keep thinking ‘what if this book I loved that I recommended just isn’t the same for the other person and they hate it’ but at the same time I kind of get it the other away around as well. I feel pressure sometimes to love books other people recommend to me.
I kind of think everyone feels these things though, at least most of them if not all. So far though like you my blogging experience has been nothing but positive, there’s probably nothing to worry about 😀
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Thank you so much, Beth ♥♥♥! Ah yes, I definitely get that reversed feeling too. There’s so many loved books that I haven’t read yet and I think that’s why I keep putting them off, haha. I absolutely love your reviews though, they’re some of the best that I’ve seen. Aw, yay! It’s so good to hear that. I’m definitely trying to get into that frame of mind.
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That’s all right ❤️ I’m trying to get through a lot of the most loved books on my shelves at the moment, I think because a lot of people love them I have high hopes but I’m still a little cautious, most times I love them just as much!
Thanks, I’m so glad you like my reviews as well, that really means a lot to me to hear that. Honestly I love everything you post as well, I especially enjoy all your discussion posts 😀
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Ah yes I’m trying to do the same this month with the most loved books. I’ve only managed to read 1 book so far though so that’s not really going to plan 😂 but it’s okay!! And, aw, you’re welcome! I love everything you post, tbh. And again thank you so much!!!! ♥♥♥
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Well there’s still a fair bit of the month left to go so you never know what next week could hold 🙂 I’m mainly trying to get through books on my to-read list before starting some of the newer released ones! Probably only going to work up until next month because there are so many books being released in May I need to get my hands on!
Thanks again Lauren! ❤️ and of course your welcome as well 😀
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I feel you so much on the posting & reading speeds. It’s way too easy to compare yourselves to others even if you know you’re actually ok how you are. Ugh, too easy.
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Right! My brain is so stubborn and insistent that I need to care about all these pointless things, haha. I’m trying to get it to quieten down though.
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I can absolutely relate to some of these. Reading speed really frustrates me, especially right now where I haven’t even opened my book since Tuesday. I definitely worry about commenting to people – mostly in response to comments they’ve left. I want to respond to basically every comment someone leaves on my blog, but sometimes I really just don’t have anything to say to them or I don’t know what to say and end up staring at my screen for fifteen minutes typing and retyping a response. I also worry about annoying people through too many comments, too many posts, tagging, etc. I also can kind of relate to your recommendation worries although I get more worried that I’m going to rave about a book and someone who follows me is going to see it and have already read it and disliked it and then think that my opinions are ridiculous/wrong/etc. which is silly because everyone has different opinions on things. And I absolutely worry that I’m not getting my thoughts across clearly/accurately. So yeah, I basically relate to everything you mentioned here haha Great post!!
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Ahh, I totally feel you. I’ve only read one book this month and I’d been reading it since the end of March and April is half over, haha. I definitely understand that comment struggle. I feel bad if I just like a comment, but when it’s a closed ended discussion I find it hard to add anything and if I bring up a new topic I’m worried I’ll be annoying? So I just leave a like and hope that it’s all good, haha. And yes, same with the liking a book others don’t. Thanks so much ♥
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UH reading speed is the bane of my life (Tis why I call myself the book snail, hardy har har..ahem) – I’ve sort of stopped worrying about it so much as of late because I think fast reading speeds actually aren’t as common as I thought they were. People who read a bajillion books a month I worship and feel jealous of, but only because I want to be able to get to all those books I never seem to have time for. I’ve just been teaching myself not to worry because at the end of the day I want to enjoy the book – so if it takes me a couple of months to get through then oh well – there’s something nice about taking your time with a book.
As for reviewing, every now and then I catch myself trying to write it as if I was handing it in as an assignment and I go WHAT AM I DOING and quickly take full advantage of capitals, italics, gifs, made up words and poorly formed arguments. Because that’s a lot more fun to write. 🙂
Great post!
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Ah, that’s such a great Behind the Name story. I love it! I’m definitely trying to teach myself not to worry. I’m hoping to slowly get there. The points you bring up are all so excellent. I’d rather take my time with a book and enjoy it than rush to finish it and skim over details and forget things (more than I already do, haha).
Ooh yes definitely! I love reading reviews like that too. It’s why my reviews always focus on my thoughts and feelings instead of technical aspects.
Thanks so much ♥
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I’m the same with commenting which is why I so rarely comment on posts. I’m definitely trying to break out of that though.
And for the reading speed/frequency of reviews, I’ve probably got a fairly average reading speed but I can be a pretty quick reader if I put my mind to it. I’ve organised my blog so that I’m currently only posting reviews once a week. This just gives some consistency to when I’m posting. It also lets me build up a collection of pre-written reviews so that I’ve got reviews to post even if I get into a slump for a few weeks or whatever. And I’m hoping once I’ve got a big enough pile of pre-written reviews I can be posting them two or three times a week
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Yeah, commentating is definitely a huge struggle of mine! I always worry that I don’t have anything important to say or that I’ll be annoying. You’re welcome to comment on my posts any time though ♥ I really need to get into a habit of scheduling posts! I’m so bad at time management, haha.
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And the same goes to you of course!
The only post I’ve scheduled was the review that went up today. I’m really bad with editing so I find that by having to go back to my drafts to manually post something I’ll actually read through the it.
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Oh yeah, I’m so bad at the editing thing too, haha. I swear I read through a post so many times and find nothing and then I post it and I notice all these mistakes and I’m like HOW.
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YES oh my god how does it happen and wHY
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RIGHT!!! I get irrationally anxious about typos too??? Especially if I only notice after a bunch of people have read/commented lmao.
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I have had every single one of these anxieties. I try to remind myself that blogging is supposed to be fun. I try to do what makes me happy and not worry about other people (easier said than done). Blogging is a hobby. I’m not making any money at it. I don’t need to please my boss with it. It doesn’t matter how many followers, hits, or comments I get. I try not to put pressure on myself, and I take a break whenever I’m not having fun. That has helped with some of the anxieties.
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That is definitely a fantastic way to look at things. My brain is pretty stubborn, but I am definitely going to try and get into that kind of mind frame. Thanks so much for sharing what helped you ♥
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Well said AJ, I totally agree. If it isn’t fun, don’t do it. I don’t suffer anxiety issues because I already know my blog is lame, haha! I tend to treat it as a storage facility, so I can keep all my crap in one place. If any one finds my crap interesting and wants to follow me, BONUS!
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I agree with so many of these points! I worry a lot about my reviews. I am not good with putting my thoughts on paper in a way that makes sense and I always feel like my reviews suck. In addition, I also worry that my English is bad seeing as how it is not my first language. I almost never post any original posts because I am so scared that they suck…
For the record, though I think your blog is awesome and I really enjoy all your posts so much! 😀
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Aw, I’m sorry you have these worries too. At least we know we’re not alone ♥ Reviews are definitely one of my biggest anxiety issues. I see so many in depth ones and mine are a lot more simple. It’s definitely something I’m trying not to worry about though. If it helps I think your English is fantastic and I love your blog 😀 And thank you so much ♥♥♥
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Thank you!😀😀<3
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Really interesting article. 🙂 I only started blogging 7 weeks ago and have had the same sort of anxieties over it, I tend to read fantasy mainly and there large books so don’t get many reviews posted as I only get between 50-100 pages or 1000 kindle locations read a day. My main concern though are my actual reviews, I’m not the most eloquent person and mess up my grammar and I see all these elaborately written essay style reviews and it makes me think at times that mine are poor in comparison as I go for a more informal style review as it’s how I am and wonder if people will even want to read them!
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Thank you! Oooh, we’ve been blogging for about the same amount of time 🙂
I definitely understand your concern with reviews, that’s exactly how I feel. I see so many reviews that are extremely formal and really in depth and mine are just focused on how I felt and like “so I enjoyed this book because the characters were cool” 😂😂😂 It’s definitely something I’m trying to teach myself not to worry about though.
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Yes!!! I agree with a lot of these. Especially the annoying one. I always worry about if my posts are annoying for whatever reason. I think the biggest blogging anxiety I have though is about blog content. Is it too boring? Are there too many reviews? Do people get tired of seeing TTT and WOW on tuesdays and wednesdays? lol
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Ahh, yes!!! The content is such a huge one for me! I try to tell myself that I enjoy posting it so that’s what matters, but there’s still the fear in the back of my mind that it’s annoying everyone.
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I TOTALLY understand your anxiety about reading speed. I think I’m even slower than you are because I can usually only get through 3…MAYBE 4 books in a month (and sometimes that’s including graphic novels). I don’t understand how people can read so fast. I always wonder if they skim through parts of the book. Or, maybe they’re just not prone to distractions like we are. Like you, I don’t have to even have to have the temptation of an iPhone game or the internet in front of me to get distracted. Sometimes, in the middle of a sentence, my mind drifts and suddenly I remember that I need to buy sponges, which then prompts me to get up and search for a pen and a piece of paper in the junk drawer so I can jot this down. But then, I get distracted by how disorganized the junk drawer is, so I spend five minutes cleaning that up before returning to my book before realizing a few pages later that I totally forgot to jot down that note about buying sponges. I wonder, have I always been this scatterbrained?
I also get really worried about my book recs. One of my reviews actually prompted one of my readers to BUY a book, and instead of being elated, my palms got all clamy from nerves.
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Ahh, right! I definitely relate to everything you said here. Hearing about your sponge/desk story was like reading about my life. Or sometimes I won’t even know what I get distracted by my brain just shuts down. I think last month was a rarity for me, because so far this month I’ve only managed to read one book, haha. I definitely think skimming is a huge part of why people read so fast. I can do that, but my memory is so bad that I would forget even more details than I already do, haha.
Oh man. That would also be me! I know the whole point of our blogs are to get people to like the books we’re reviewing, but I just can’t get rid of all the anxieties I have about it!
I’m trying to teach myself to relax about both of these things, but my brain refuses to cooperate.
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GOD. YES. TO ALL OF THESE. I don’t read fast AT ALL. I’m lucky if I even get ONE book review up. Honestly, the whole “book” portion of my blog name is misleading, because it takes me a while to actually read a book. And I actually tend to like a lot of books, so yeah, I get paranoid that the person won’t like it if they read it. I just wasted their time! >.< Oh, and being annoying, yesyesyeys. I post 4 days a week (this doesn't include reviews). So I definitely worry that I post too much sometimes. OR I'm not posting things people want to read. OR if my writing style is boring. Some posts sound more serious, some are more laid back. I'm inconsistent with voice. I don't know. Blogging is stressful and I just want a random ramble about it xD But, great points 🙂
Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook
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Aw, I’m sorry you deal with these too! At least we know we’re not alone, haha ♥
Reading speed is such a huge one! I see so many people who finish like 4+ books a week and I’m just like HOW DID YOU DO THAT! Especially when they also manage to review them too!
I know I should be excited when people want to read a book I like, but yep – I totally get that paranoia too.
I try to tell myself not to worry but it’s so hard because my brain refuses to listen!
If it helps I think your blog is amazing. It looks extremely professional and all your posts are brilliant!
Yes, that’s why I made this post. I’m so glad people have been able to ramble and vent here.
Thanks so much 😀
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RIGHT?! There is one girl that says she can just run her finger down the middle of the page and get the story….I tried that and failed miserably. LIKE HOW?! GIVE ME YOUR MAGICAL POWERS. Also, including the reviewing of them is insane too! All of my posts take me almost an ENTIRE DAY to write. Reviews are a little less, but to fit them in is hard sometimes xD
AND THANK YOU ❤ That's so sweet 🙂 Made my morning!
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Oh my god, HOW! What kind of black magic is that!? (Seriously I want to know so I can use it for myself 😂). Ahh same here! I think reviews actually take me longer because I have such a hard time trying to articulate my thoughts. ♥♥♥
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SERIOUSLY. It takes me sometimes weeks to finish one book. That’s why, if a book is over 400 pages, I’ll think “hmm, do I want to finish a lot of books this month, or do I have time for this one?” It’s so bad lol
It kind of depends on the book. But I use Goodreads updates as references (I’m very vocal on my thoughts throughout my reading with those lol) & I also have a little notebook that I jot down notes in if it’s too spoilery for goodreads. So usually I just reference those when writing a review and that helps a lot. Before I did that, it took me a while because I would kind of forget things from earlier in the book.
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Thanks so much for posting this! I feel so insecure all the time as a new blogger, and sometimes I just fake the confidence. I really found this helpful and enjoyed reading it. 🙂 I used to be a really fast reader too! Now I’m lucky if I even read 50 pages in a day. I get distracted quite easily, and then I post a review and I don’t even know if it’s a good review because there are so many amazing reviewers out there. The stress of blogging!
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Ah, thank you so much! As someone who is also insecure that really means a lot to me! I’ve definitely faked confidence too. So far a lot of my blogging journey has been me pretending I know what I’m doing haha.
Reading speed and worrying about reviews are definitely two of my biggest anxieties! So far I’ve only managed to read 2 books this month. Some people write such amazingly detailed reviews and I definitely feel like mine aren’t up to scratch, haha.
I do always try to tell myself that I don’t need to stress because it’s my blog and I’m having fun so that’s the most important thing. My brain doesn’t always listen though!
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I don’t know what it is about blogging, but I feel quite ashamed to call myself an ‘avid reader’ when there are people out there reading more than 20 books in a month?? 😀 I just ask myself if I’m even reading enough!
You’re definitely right about that! It is your blog, and the people who read your reviews want to know your opinions! That should be a reassuring thought 🙂
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Aw, noo!! You shouldn’t have to feel ashamed!! I totally get that too though. You do start to wonder if you’re “good enough”. Us slow readers belong here as much as everyone else though ❤️
Yes exactly 😊
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🙂 I completely agree! Slow readers unite!
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I share most of these, and I totally understand! Especially about the number of reviews. Although I don’t worry about it that much since I also blog about lifestyle, but I worry that many people want only complete book blogs, which is not mine. I do posts on different topics and this worry has been there since the time I branched out.
Great post, btw!
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