Today I came across a conundrum. I was tired and had been doing anime research from 1 am to 2pm non-stop. “For some reason” I wasn’t enjoying myself and wasn’t understanding why.
That was when it hit me that I had been working that long. I had been writing all along but hadn’t finished creating a new blog post for the day, something I very much wanted to do.
I had been changing up some things and trying up others to see how they fit. From how to make anime summaries to making Manga comparisons and Manga Recommendations while simultaneously trying to catch up to the latest anime episodes, all of this was getting to me.
So I had to go back to my post on How to make anime reviews.
It was tough to admit it but I knew I was pulling a Death the Kid on my blog. I wanted to have fun and write what I felt like while also simultaneously learning from my past mistakes. Something I was, in my own way, trying to do right now.
Keeping track of the statistics can be a bit overwhelming, with us checking what posts did better and why and how to make something out of that. So immediately we start adding one weight of responsibility to our pile.
Not to mention the responsibility to recreate posts we were possibly quite lucky and inspired to make can be a daunting, if not almost impossible task.
Which leads us to the most important topic in this conversation.
1. Consistency
Consistency is usually spoken about for a reason. It works. People can only read what they find and if there’s nothing there to read they don’t.
To find something that works for you is essential and if it’s fun or therapeutic like it was for me then great! Even better. But one warning has to be made.
2. You will lose your way, and that’s ok : )
Like I said before. I started off well just writing what I wanted and have since moved one step ahead. The confusion of how to keep doing what was working for you, not other people, consistently.
How many words to write, how many posts per week, is skipping a day ok? Is creating quality content better than everyday posting. There isn’t one definite answer although you will find many statistics out there on the matter.
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3. What are your goals
Is your goal to make money? To appear in the top Google researches? Then if so you will have to put in the hours. Light that candlelight because today you will be working late until sunrise.
This is not to say you can be successful only if you work very hard. That’s not the case at all. But you will have to be prepared to be faced with doubts and fears that will make you question if you are going in the right path.
Today what I’d advise you to do is to know what you want from your blog. Is it fun? Because if so you will have to focus on that, specifically, and not on popularity, monetization or anything else (unless that in itself is fun for you). That. Is your goal. If on the other hand, your goal is money. Then fun is not the priority. “This was not meant to be a hobby and by God, I will write 1900 words per post if I have to to get where I want. I will search every SEO nook and cranny for good niches and keywords.” This however leads us to the next, very important point.
4. What can you actually do?
By this, I mean that some people are better or have more experience at one thing than another. I’m good at working when I have fun or am just laying words on the table out for myself. And others are excellent at focusing on a single long-term goal and forsake fun for work. I have a hard time doing that and am finding, for example, that just writing this post helps me cope with the harshness of my morning research today but leads me to post something that goes beyond the scope of just Anime Reviewing which might disappoint some readers of my blog.
Again. Your goals define you. If enjoyment in writing is what you want. You have to be willing to sacrifice writing what you think others will want to hear for what you want to write. However, if you keep it up, you will eventually have a fan base that knows what they should expect from you. Consistency is very hard to maintain but so valuable.
5. Summary
Consistency, Acceptance that you will make mistakes, Goals and Self-awareness are the 4 Main Pillars you should be striving for and keeping in mind. I myself am still learning and will continue to try my best to write what I do on a consistent basis.
Until then stay well, and publish on!
All things Anime 