The Struggles of Writing…

Writing has become a hobby of mine. I enjoy spending my spare time writing down thoughts and my hope is that they would be helpful to you, my readers. But writing isn’t always ‘fun’ there are many struggles and discouragements that come with writing. Here’s a wee insight into behind the scenes of blogging and writing…

I thoroughly enjoy blogging. I’ve been able to make so many friends from different countries and walks of life, simply because I share my thoughts online. I’ve joined a community of gospel writers who strive to keep each other sharp and help each other improve in our writing. But as with all things, there are positives and there are struggles and discouragements. In this post I discuss some of the struggles of writing, not because I’m fed up or on a bit of a downer but because I want for you to see the reality of what goes on behind the screen.

Blogging and writing can be discouraging because you don’t really know what impact your work is having. Sure, you can see the stats as you look at a post analysis, but it doesn’t tell you that much. I can sit and watch the numbers rise as people read any given post, but I have no idea if it was helpful or if people didn’t like it. People very rarely give feedback or send signs of encouragement. This is even more difficult for other forms of writing because no website can track how many times your article was read in a magazine!

Blogging can be discouraging because people can be discouraging. All too often I have people telling me that I should stop blogging because it’s time consuming, or it isn’t worth it and so on. Sure, you listen to it with discernment but the reality is that there will always be those who don’t like you blogging or writing.

Another struggle is the temptation to respond quickly to current events or to write on controversial topics because it naturally boosts your stats. I try not to post blogs in response to current events or specific situations, at least not until I’ve had time to properly think it over. Sure, that may mean that the stats don’t boost like they might for others, but if you blog for stats then you’re in the wrong game. Some bloggers only post on controversial topics because it draws a crowd, my question to them is “does your post really glorify and uphold the name of Christ, or does it glorify yourself?”

Blogging and writing isn’t always easy because of space, you want to convey deep thoughts in as few words as possible. When I first started blogging three years ago I kept posts to a maximum of 500 words, now I’ve gone to 1,000 words as my maximum. Being succinct is very important, but to convey something properly and briefly you need more time than you might not have.

One of the struggles for consistent bloggers is seeing those who are blogging solely to make a name for themselves or to sign a book contract. If you’re a gifted writer and blogger, pursue writing why not, but don’t see blogging as a stepping stone. As a writer you need to know your audience and write things that will help, equip, encourage and challenge them. Blog for people’s benefit not for people’s praise.

The final reason that writing can be a struggle, that I mention here (trust me, there are more), is that there is sometimes a pressure to write in a certain style to invoke a certain response. My blog is rather factual, I guess, I doubt any of my posts have made people cry or made them laugh. I mean come on, I post a lot of book reviews! But sometimes there’s a pressure to produce material that stirs emotions and can sometimes come across as manipulative. The goal of every Christian blog should be to see Jesus glorified and to see the saints built up in their faith.

I hope that this has been insightful, if you have any questions or if there is anything in particular you’d like me to blog about, please do get in touch through the contact page.