*pokes head out* Helloooooo bookwyrms and everyone!
I’m hoping to get into the blogging swing of things eventually, but slowly and surely before going back into the storm again. 😂
Every blogging journey starts somewhere.
In February 2012, I took my first steps into the blogging world and created a blog dedicated to the game Wizard101. Nine months later in November 2012, I started Bookwyrming Thoughts, a blog dedicated to all things bookish. Mainly I wanted to shout into the void and maybe someone will hear me.
And since then, the blog has undergone a lot of changes, from:
Designs…
Contributors…
Content…
You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. I’ll just cut to the chase then:
Let’s talk about signs your blog is evolving.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about my journey as a blogger and how much the blog has changed. It’s very much like life – you learn, you make mistakes, you grow, you gain new insights. And when you’ve been blogging since 14, it’s definitely like life because it’s been almost half your life. Blogging just becomes a part of you then. But how do you know your blog is evolving, or maybe?
You’re writing content in other categories more frequently.
Sometimes, I want to talk more about the books that I read or the games that I play. I want to talk more about the movies or TV shows that I watch. Sometimes I want to go beyond life updates or blogging insights.
Maybe I want to experiment with my writing and see what else I can write about and make it interesting. When all you’ve done for nearly seven years is talk about books and create content about books, it sometimes feels that’s all you know to write about. Broadening your writing horizons might be scary because what if you mess up?
But the thing is, when you have your own blog, you can experiment all you want and simply learn from it. It’s a lot less pressure than if it were for a job or internship. You’re not really putting anything at risk (especially if you’re doing it as a hobby), and you’re not getting graded for how often you post or what kinds of posts you’re writing. Writing content outside of your norm occasionally is perfectly normal and happens, but it’s when you start doing it regularly where you might have to wonder if there’s something to it.
you want to talk about the other stuff you’re passionate about and share it with the world.
I found myself writing articles about the discbound system and enjoying every second of it. Not that I’ve published it. I’ve also found myself writing why I started an accomplishments journal. I’m thinking about other topics that I could write about that scream ME! and still fit the tagline of “musings from bookwyrms.” At the core, I’m still a bookwyrm. I’m just vocal about more than books sometimes, and I definitely have more interests than reading.
You’re creating new categories and rearranging posts on the blog.
You’re not just writing content from other categories a few times and then shoving them in a generic category with a tag. Instead, you’re creating new categories because you have more than a few posts and want to write more that fall in there. You’re going through and making sure all of your posts will work out with your new categories.
While it’s good to clean up your blog every once in a while and update categories, this feels more than just a cleanup. You feel like you’re setting yourself up for something more.
You’re making massive changes to the layout, design, etc.
It’s a blogging truth universally known that you’ll undergo a few design changes over the years – I’ve definitely been through a few makeovers since starting in 2012. Most of mine were made up until 2014, but it’s not until around 2016 I kept consistency in theme. While there may be consistency, there might be adjustments – perhaps some are minor like an adjustment to the header or sidebar, or major like overhauling the whole theme.
But sometimes you not only overhaul the theme, you’re also overhauling stuff like pages and menus. It’s when you’re going beyond the occasional makeover when it’s likely your blog is evolving.
You get tired of writing the same pieces of content.
Back in January, I confessed I sometimes don’t like writing reviews. I started out the blog writing reviews often. There are times as a veteran blogger now that I don’t feel like doing anything related to blogging. It only makes sense I experience burnout?
But sometimes that’s not the case at all. Sometimes it’s more than that – more than writing book reviews and getting tired of saying the same thing. It’s a lot more than that.
You’re changing the description of the blog
I think this may be one of the biggest signs that tell you if your blog is evolving because almost everything else is a normal part of blogging for so long. The moment I changed my About Us page, tagline and SEO page description was the moment I realized Bookwyrming Thoughts is becoming more than just books. Sure, most of the posts are about books, but “musings from bookwyrms” kind of gives off a message there are more posts beyond.
For some reason, changing the tagline felt more freeing, so I guess that was when the realization was made.
It’s okay to write content outside of your usual topic.
The most important thing to remember is writing other content is perfectly okay. Maybe you started out talking about books or a particular game or the recipes your family makes. Maybe you feel it’s time for a change.
But blogging at its core, especially when it’s a hobby, should be for you as a blogger. It shouldn’t be a chore and it should be fun for you. And chances are, your audience will enjoy getting a glimpse of you as well. If they truly enjoy you for your content and not just for the one topic you post about, they’ll stick around with you. They’ll not only stick around for your new content because they genuinely enjoy what you have to say, but they’ll be there for you for all the ups and downs. And honestly, those are the people that should matter most.
Let’s talk, bookwyrms: how long have you been blogging? How has your blog evolved over the time that you’ve been blogging?Do you think your blog is evolving currently?
Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.
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I think it’s good to evolve as you blog, but only if you want to. If you love what you’re doing, then keep at it. I’ve definitely changed the way I blog and what I blog about over the years though! It’s been almost 12 years now, so things have certainly evolved but it keeps it interesting.
-Lauren
12 years – wow! Changing things up definitely keeps things interesting for sure. I agree – it’s good to evolve as blogging, but only if we make the choice to do so.
First you are completely right to say that we blog for us. So the blog should be us. My blog evolved tremendously from what I imagined. I thought I would only post reviews. Then I discovered memes and tags. Then I decided to interview authors. Then to write posts about blogging. Then discussion posts. And now I want to write a post about the do and don’t of making your own candles LOL
I love your message here that it is ok to step out of your usual topic! And I have a confession to make too. I don’t like reading reviews *gasp* I know! Its weird hahaha. So I love it when book bloggers step outside of books!
I don’t think you’re the only one who doesn’t enjoy reading reviews – it depends on each person! I’m usually picky with my reviews – if it’s a book that I’ve read or interested in, I’ll likely read the review. If it’s a book I’m not interested in at all, then I probably won’t read the review.
I like when book bloggers branch out and talk about something else once in awhile. It helps me get to know them better!
Perfect timing. I am at the point that I am contemplating if I should talk more about other stuff in my life. Maybe even turn it into a lifestyle blog .But I am also too conscious about putting it out all there. You have given me a lot to think about now.
I think I’m slowly going toward lifestyle with my primary focus being in books. I’d say go for it if you’re interested, but pick and choose what you want to reveal out to the world! The good part about having a blog and social media channel is choosing what you want to reveal while also being aware of any potential risks that come with revealing that information out to the world.
I have only been part of my blog for about 2 1/2 years, but I have been talking about books in various places since about 2014. I still like talking about books and bookish things, and I feel like I have found a nice, small circle of friends in the community. I don’t watch a lot of TV or shop or have money to travel, so books are really what I will probably keep talking about, but I have gone through redesigns, and gotten the ok from the original WLABBers to review outside of YA, since I do read across age groups.
Love this!! <3
I love and agree with everything you said in this post. I started out writing review after review, then opening to different stuff (still bookish content, but lists, discussions etc.), and now we’re really trying to/wanting to incorporate other types of content into our blog. I love music so much, and movies and tv shows are a big part of my free time as well, so I’m definitely adding more of that to the blog. But even within bookish content, I’m trying out other type of posts I haven’t done before – master posts of recommendations, author highlights, series highlights. It’s great to experiment, and like you said – we’re doing this as a hobby, and so we should never feel like we can’t do something. 🙂 Great post!
Thanks Veronika! I can’t wait to see all the posts that you’re experimenting with on your rebranded blog!
brilliant post tbh! : )
definitely feel liket his is something that comes natural as everyone blogs., i used to be a big fan of weekly posts like top ten tuesdays etc but found that i wasnt even enjoying them so i stopped and found my love for blogging all over agian
Same! I did so many of those and never noticed until I started deleting posts that were really just pure promotion that I KNOW I wouldn’t enjoying today (although I still join, I just write it in a way that I would enjoy it).
I definitely loved hearing about your accomplishment journal and love reading whatever my friends are blogging about as long as it makes them happy. I think I’d really enjoy talking more about some other projects I do, maybe someday eventually! Definitely still trying to find my voice a bit. 🙂 Another great post!
I’m sure you’ll get there one day, Haley! It took me years before finding my voice, but even now, it’s still adjusting as I grow, but I think that’s a natural part of the process. I’d love to see some of the projects that you’ve done, though!
I have been blogging for so many years now. 6? Or 7? Maybe even more… I just take the time to enjoy what I write. I will never stop writing reviews – it’s how I started and it’s what I love doing. Sharing thoughts about books. But I really enjoy my outside of the usual posts and I think it definitely is a way of showing how your posts evolve! I completely agree.
I love this post so much, Soph! I think that in a lot of ways our blogs are a piece of ourselves… literally in that it’s the direct manifestation of our passion(s). And we all change as we get older, and it is only natural for those interests and inspiration to change. Especially if you’ve been at it for seven years! Keep evolving, we are here for you and not any specific piece of content that you create.
It definitely is! I’m not sure what I would be doing without blogging, haha – BWT is essentially a third arm or leg that I somehow acquired, only I can’t well… grab any extra bags when I need an extra hand.
Great post! My blog is still pretty new, so I can’t say it’s done much evolving, but compared to my old blog where I posted only book reviews, things have changed. I now do more discussions/ramblings than I had the bravery to do before. I’m still figuring things out as I go, but change is something I always look forward to.
That’s still evolving! It might not be one blog, but it’s definitely over time as a blogger. Sometimes interests change and you start a new blog that is more focused on your new interests. 🙂
*hugs* You’re one for sure – LOL, you practically watched me grow up across the ocean from high school all the way through college and holy monkeys, you’ll watch me struggle through adulting without scholarly commitments too. WOW.
I think everyone loves the purple dragon – personally, I love the change in the logo because a dragon fits me MUCH better than all the previous designs (but back then I couldn’t afford to get a dragon). Your orange is NOT a nightmare – if I can handle reading your blog, it’s perfectly fine, LOL. Plus, like you said, it fits you well. It’s… offbeat.
Seriously, I’m moved. I feel like crying happy tears now…
I love the idea of a blog evolving. I think there is definite pressure as a book blog to make sure all the content is somehow related to books and reading and that can be really hard especially when you’re in a slump and other things are happening!
Great post, really good insight.
I agree with you Soph! Although it took me a while to see that me wanting to write about something other than books on my book blog was perfectly okay, I agree that it can be liberating and fun. And it can help with not getting into a blogging slump, which is what happens unfortunately when things get repetitive. After 9 years as a “serious” blogger (we won’t count my other 2 blogs, they were…eh….the attempts of young me at being a blogger but failing miserably) I feel like my blog has been through so many changes, I think past-Ruby wouldn’t know how that happened. Love this discussion post!