Behind the Blogging Scenes with Sophia, aka The Book Blogger Insider Tag

Look, everyone, I have a horrible memory, and I often forget who tagged me, what they tagged me for and if I’ve ever done that tag before.

Oh, and I’m kind of out of ideas, courtesy of the lack of (hopefully) inspiring posts that I’ve sprouted out occasionally in the past few months, so I dug into the interwebs for a tag! Turns out Clo from Cuppa Clo did tag me and I forgot. Oops. (This was brought to me by my random to-do list in Habitica that I’ve abandoned for the past few weeks.)

P.S. I’ve been delightfully unmotivated for the past two weeks, and there is a horrible cloud above my head. 😭

Let’s go behind the scenes and talk about my blogging secrets.

You’re very curious. You want to know secrets, right?

Where do you typically write your blog posts?

Probably my bed because I easily shift position as necessary. (I’m not the only one who gets tired of being in one position for long periods of time.)

How long does it generally take you to write a book review?

Anything from hours to days, but no more than 2 days, I think. It depends on how strong my thoughts are with the book.

When did you start your book blog?

November 2, 2012. Am I considered old now? I am considered ancient in some people’s eyes. 😭

What is the worst thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

The worst thing is the pressure that comes with having a book blog (or a blog in general) and being overlooked for the amount of work that book bloggers put into their blog. There are very few people who think that blogging is easier than it seems – I probably make it seem easy for sure – when there is a lot that goes into it, regardless of how big or small.

(And then there are a rare few who encourage leaving blogging because they feel there are more practical things that could be done in place of blogging. #youdontunderstandthough)

What is the best thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

🤔🤔🤔

1. The community, because blogging is a very lonely journey without fellow bloggers and bookish creators who share your passions.
2. The skills, because well… I wouldn’t be chugging out decent essays in the span of a few hours if I never started blogging in the first place.
3. Bookish photos, because I get to break Elena’s heart with my dollar store deals and be impressive at the same time. (My fans are cool and I need more.)

Which blog post have you had the most fun writing so far?

Why Do We Create Content? Why Do We Continue Creating Content? – This was originally a rant that turned out to be more of a “hmm…” for everyone. Oops. Some accidents are good, though, right? 🤔

How Book Nerds Procrastinate – Lupe and I had a little too much fun with this one, especially with the last option. 😈

What is your favorite type of blog post to write?

My favorite type allows me to have fun with the topic, whatever it may be. Top Ten Tuesday, for instance, lets me break the rules without actually breaking the rules (because why not). Sometimes reviews are fun, depending on well…

Okay, honestly, whatever posts allows me the freedom to express myself naturally without putting 200% effort are my favorites. Apparently they seem to be everyone’s favorites. 😎

(Obviously the moral of this tidbit is if you’re having fun, it’ll show and everyone else will have fun too.)

When do you typically write?

I try to write in the daytime, but sometimes I can be found writing at night. At night, though, I tend to be writing on my phone if I am writing.

Do you review every book you read?

When I first started blogging, I reviewed every single book that I read. For the past 2+ years, however, I’ve started to become a little picky about the books that I reviewed. I certainly didn’t write a review for most of the books I read in 2016 though.

I now write reviews if I have strong feelings about the book and can put it in coherent words or if I have to, aka I requested the book for review or it’s for a blog tour.

So in short, no, not anymore.

How do you write your book reviews? With a cup of coffee or tea? With Netflix? Cuddled with your fur baby?

Sometimes I’m listening to music or other forms of procrastination. Probably not a good idea if I want to accomplish things.

When do you write your book reviews? Right after finishing the book? Two weeks after finishing the book?

I try writing my reviews immediately after finishing the book – I’m very forgetful, and I want to get my thoughts down as soon as possible. If not, I want to get it down within a few days or I’ll forget completely… and I don’t generally like rereading. 😢

How often do you post?

I personally try for once a week if not more, but sometimes that never happens. Or I go on a posting spree and then disappear off the face of the planet. There really is no in between.

Who to tag, who to tag?

Honestly, I’ve been out of it lately, so anyone. 😊