Top Ten Tuesday: How My Blogging Style Has Changed Over Time

 

This week's theme for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is "ways in which my blogging style has changed over time." I love this topic and like reflecting on it, seeing what I do differently now and what I'd like to change in the future. With it only being my fourth year at this I don't feel like the expert some of my fellow bloggers of twenty years are but I certainly now have a good feel for what it entails. 

So this is fun and gets me motivated to work harder to improve and drop the things that just don't work for me. I want to have fun at this and also have a quality blog so you have to modify sometimes! Here are the ten ways I've changed at blogging since I began in 2022. 

1. I don't write opinion posts anymore. I started to in the beginning but found I just didn't enjoy focusing my time on it. Maybe in the future I will again, I'm not against them, but I like focusing on books and authors and podcasts more. 

2. My willingness to review books I really disliked is not there. I don't mean I say every book is fabulous but if I really don't like a book I am hesitant to review it and say only negative things. Authors work very hard and it is discouraging to hear how awful your book was I'm sure. I'd rather review books I love or give an honest, but not harsh, completely negative review.

3. I don't write a book review every single week. I used to schedule a review for every single Friday. But I found it really stressed me out. Sometimes I was just too busy to finish a book that week or maybe I just had a week I didn't want to write a review. When reading long, epic books, a week is not nearly enough time to read it well. So now I'm working on just going with the flow. I have a schedule for blogging and regular posts but......I don't put pressure on myself to write a review every week on a certain day. I'll get to it when I get to it. Or at least I tell my brain that and try to relax, lol.

4. I am more motivated to enter challenges. Before, when I first started my blog, I didn't want to do too much for fear of failing to keep up with it all. But now I'm trying to relax and say, "these challenges are fun!" and enter them even if I don't do them perfectly. I try my best and if things get skipped sometimes oh well. The point is to have a good time and read some good books, right?

5. Comments on other blogs are very important the longer I do this. When I first began I liked commenting but didn't actually put it in my schedule. Now I do. Mondays and Thursdays I try to hop on and comment on a few blogs I'm following. It is so fun when I do and I find myself wondering why I don't do it more. Reading other book blogs, seeing what everyone is up to is never boring! And I've found people love to get the feedback. Just try to stay positive or be quiet. Don't hurt anyone's feelings....remember....this is a hobby people!!

6. I don't give ratings anymore. Honestly, I am not against ratings and have thought about doing it again. But like I wrote earlier on this post, I don't want to discourage an author or be deliberately overly critical. It's a fine line.

7. I don't change my blog's "look" anymore. This one is just because in the beginning I was trying to find the style and colors I wanted that worked best and had to try out different things. Now I have something that works, colors I like, the set up is modeled after blogger friends who use Blogger and have given me great ideas, thanks! I really enjoy experimenting with new looks but it is time consuming and if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

8. My reviews are shorter. Sometimes I don't like this change. But usually I find it is better for maintaining my motivation to blog regularly. I wish I had more time to devote to writing very thorough reviews but being succinct and to the point with the "My Thoughts" section I created this last year has allowed me to relax and be okay with a few well chosen paragraphs. It's okay if I don't get deep and long winded on every review. Just post! That's what I love about my fellow bloggers who have new content more often. 

9. Reading and reviewing cozies. Cozy mysteries are like Nancy Drew for grown ups! When I started my blog I didn't read them at all. Now it's most of my reading time between big epics or history. It has been such a positive, uplifting part of my life the last two years (I've had a lot of personal hardships recently) and I love to have found something light hearted to add to my reading time. It's okay if these books and reviews aren't profound or insightful. That can be just fine.

10. I'm starting to share that I even have a blog, lol....I don't know how the rest of you feel but when you tell most people you are starting a book blog their eyes glaze over. They might even smirk or laugh thinking you'll quit in two days' time. I get it, there are so many defunct blogs out there and mine might be one of them one day but after starting year four I know I love it! My days would be so incomplete if my blog wasn't in my life. So now I'm getting a little braver about telling people and asking them to follow me. 

These are my ways my outlook and style has changed over time with my blogging. I would love feedback and want to read about more from other bloggers and their changes in style! Happy reading ya'll!