On this, the first day of 2014, I, Amanda Shofner, do wish to state my blogging intentions for the year.
1. The only challenge I will participate in is the Goodreads challenge
I’m terribly terrible at keeping up with challenges and I’m admitting defeat. It’s extra work and I usually end up reading whatever the hell I want anyway. I’m not going to put extra, unnecessary pressure on myself.
I’m not counting events like Bloggiesta and Bout of Books as challenges.
2. If I need to say “No” or stop a feature, I will do so without feeling guilty
My time is valuable. My time is also limited. To protect myself and my mental well-being, I have to be careful about what I commit to.
If a feature or idea isn’t working for me, I’m not going to beat a dead horse. I’ll give up, move on, and devote my time to something that works better.
3. I will make time to read and review
You’re running a book blog, Amanda. You’ve got to read and review. You’ve been through enough reading and reviewing slumps in the past. It’s time to carve out time and just do it.
Errr. That was kind of a weird POV switch. SORRY. Anyway. It’s very easy to get caught up in social media and chatting with people about books, but that’s also where a lot of the draining negativity and drama is. Though socializing is important, reading is too. I mustn’t let myself forget that.
4. I will have fun
Blogging for me has always been about having fun. Sometimes I forget that. And sometimes, when you’ve been blogging for a while, it becomes easy to lose the fun part. I will rediscover that fucker if I have to.
5. I will blog the way I want to
Fuck all the rules. I’m doing this for me.
6. I will follow who I want to and not feel guilty about unfollowing people
You can’t get along with everyone. And because I’m really susceptible to negativity, following negative people gets on my nerves. And it’s not worth it. I’ve got better things to expend my mental energy on.
What are your 2014 blogging plans?
Fuck the rules indeed.
And that whole challenge thing? Last year I only did the GR challenge and one GR group challenge and it was SO MUCH NICER not having to worry about falling behind and keeping track and linking up and all that stuff.
Good luck with your manifesto ;-)
Yeah. My problem is always with the tracking and participating.
Here’s to an awesome 2014!
That sounds like a good plan. Especially blogging for yourself and having fun. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you, too! :D
These sound like great plans! I’m not even doing the Goodreads Challenge this year. The only one I’m participating in is a TBR Pile Challenge because that is basically all I plan to read this year. I might buy one or two books here or there though. Have to leave my options open :)
Leaving your options open is good. :)
I’ve tried the whole challenge thing too, and it’s too much work. I’m only doing the GoodReads Challenge and the Seriously Series Challenge. The GoodReads because it’s actually a good way to keep track of what I read and the Seriously Series Challenge because it’s a good way to hold myself accountable for all the series I’ve started and let slide.
Bout-of-Books is a given, so is the fun along with the reading and reviewing. ;) Happy New Year!
Me too.
Yes. The Goodreads challenge is an easy way of tracking, which is why I don’t mind doing it. Plus, I can change my goal as I please. *finger guns*
Yep, me too, GR and Seriously Series. Signing up for a bunch of challenges used to be exciting, and I loved tracking all kinds of things, but I just lost that excitement and it became pressure, so I gave it up last year, and it felt good!
Same! I think it was exciting when I first started doing it, but then it just became more work than fun. And that’s never a good sign.
Sounds like a good plan. Only you are the boss of you…and sometimes Kelly, but I’m sure you have a safe word if she gets carried away. Happy New Year!
Heh. I’m the boss of Kelly. Not bloody likely.
HA! I told my nephew I was the boss of him and he gave me A LOOK and told me “No, Auntie. You’re not the boss of me.” Schooled by a three year old. Awesome.
Damn right! *fist bump* Fuck the rules. Let’s get our blogging on! (What? Too far?)
Never too far, Mary.
That’s smart — moving yourself away from negativity. I can testify that spending more time on reading and reviewing and less time feeding into drama is pretty good for your well being. Like, from time to time I will get a message or a did you see this email and it’s kind of awesome because I take that as a sign that I’ve really done a great job disengaging from the drama — like I never know what the big to-do is anymore.
ALSO! The Goodreads Challenge as only challenge is hugely freeing, I will admit.
Sounds like overall this year you want to blog on your own terms. Best of luck!
Ha. Yes. Well, I wrote and published an ebook in 2013 about blogging for yourself/on your own terms, so I’d better practice what I preach. ;) Some of this stuff is what I’ve already been doing. It just felt good to put it all in writing.
Best of luck with your own resolutions!
Excellent blogging plan for 2014.
I don’t have any plans. I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing. I do have a ridiculously insane plan for my writing. But I’m afraid to tell people because I really, REALLY don’t know if I can pull it off. =/
Happy New Year, Amanda! Now let’s go kick 2014’s ass.
You should tell us, Kelly. Then you’ll be more motivated to accomplish them. Plus, there’s no shame in trying. Reach high, beebs. REACH HIGH.
Okay. I’ll tell you. I want to publish 12 books in 2014. It’s not as crazy as it sounds just because 9 of them would be in the Monstrous Tales series. So… 9 plus 3 others. I THINK I CAN DO THAT! Maybe.
You can do that, beebs. YOU CAN.
Ruck the rules!!
Fuck all the rules!
I think I feel the same way you do about this new year. I want to read what I want and I’m not going to join any challenges although I do have a few reading goals for myself. I mostly just want to get back to reading more books that I own instead of reading what I’m asked to read.
I agree that blogging has some down sides and lately it seems a lot of people have left the blogging world because it wasn’t fun for them anymore. We do need to get our shit done but at the same time we should still have fun.
Happy New Year!
*high fives*
I love it!
I don’t have any concrete blogging plans per se. I would like to write out my reviews soon after I finish reading the book.
You can do it! I’ve got myself writing the reviews before I start my next book. Mostly so I don’t mix anything up. Which is a good thing now that I’ve been on a historical romance binge. After a while, they all blur together…
It would making review writing a whole lot easier. I don’t know why I don’t just do it.
Because sometimes you just want to jump to the next book instead of reviewing? I know that’s my problem. ;)
That and the fact that I’m not always in the mood to get on the computer to write reviews LOL
Ha. Yeah. That.
I love your manifesto! I have stopped following people, because they were being too negative. It really made a difference when managing my RSS feeds.
It really helps when you’re following a bunch of people who lift you up rather than drag you down.
Great manifesto! I’m limiting myself to the Goodreads Challenge this year as I tend to forget about the others, so my end-of-year review is a giant fail. Need to work on reviewing as soon as I finish reading a book, but find it oddly comforting that I’m not the only one who has to work on this!
Good luck!
Eh. If you enjoyed the books you read this year, I don’t think it’s a “giant fail” even if you didn’t meet your original goals.
“And sometimes, when you’ve been blogging for a while, it becomes easy to lose the fun part. I will rediscover that fucker if I have to.”
THIS. This, Amanda. I want to blow it up, print it out, and hang it right above my desk in my office so I can look at it when blogging exhaustion overtakes me (as it does us all) and I need that not-so subtle reminder that it’s supposed to be fun. You just make me happy, my friend. Happy New Year!
Here’s to more fun in 2014, Jenny! As long as you’re around, I know I’ll have a great time. (And that there will likely be cocks and jokes involved.)
Well said! Guilt saps all of the fun out any activity, and especially blogging. Let other people carry that chip on their shoulders, while you just have fun. :)
EXACTLY.
Great goals! I say fuck the rules as well. I also hate the negativity and drama that comes along with blogging, reading, reviewing, etc. and I try to stay as far away as possible. It’s too draining and I just don’t need that in my life.
Exactly. We have a limited amount of mental energy and it’s best to use it wisely. :)
You have some very levelheaded goals this year. I think that it’s important to remember that book blogs, while professionally done, are still hobby blogs and hobbies are supposed to be fun. I hope 2014 is an awesome reading year for you!
Thanks! I hope 2014 is fabulous for you too! :)