It’s been a month since I officially resurrected my Blog. I mean, I’ve been blogging continuously after my Blogger’s Block struck me sometime in 2010, but I lost my mojo even while I was occasionally publishing posts. I’m really happy to consider that I’ve got my old, lively blogging self back (I mean, if it isn’t obvious enough, I’ve been posting pretty much on a daily basis).

There are so many reasons why this happened (this, being losing my blogging mojo) – primarily because Plurk happened, and then Twitter happened, and then Facebook evolved into this multi-microblogging platform, and then Blogging evolved into … well, what it is now. But what about us, the ones who started blogging as a way to express ourselves to the intarwebs, writing about how our day went, regardless of the number of people who read (mostly don’t read) our entries or leave (mostly don’t leave) comments? Cool thing though, is that I realised I wasn’t the only one who felt left out. I wasn’t the only one who lost their way, lost the motivation to Blog. I mean … it’s not cool, it’s sad. But at least I’m not alone. WE CAN CRAWL OUT OF THIS HOLE TOGETHER, BLOGGER!

If you feel the need / want to come back to Blogging, but don’t know how or where to begin, allow me to at least try to help. You know what the operative word is though (oh alright, I’ll tell you what it is, it’s “try”).

This may or may not be effective, but here are 9 tips from a Blogger post Blogging Limbo / Blogging Block. Mostly the Basics. Mostly, what I forgot (and sometimes, might forget) to do. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t for Bloggers interested to get crazy traffic / thousands of views. This is for Bloggers whose only aim is to Blog (circa late 90’s style) :

1.) Write what you are passionate about.
The most basic, and yet most important tip (well, to me they all are, but emphasis on this). For someone who tried going with the trends (unsuccessfully, may I add), it’s very important for you to stick to what you KNOW, or what you believe you’re good at. Sure, it’s not wrong to try a few things once in awhile, but make sure you’re not compromising who you are in the process. Try, but don’t try too hard. Blogging should NOT be and feel forced. Before swimming in that hip new neighbourhood pool, you dip your toe to test the water before you dive in (mentally preparing yourself and all that – I do not take swimming in cold waters lightly). Slowly but surely, Kid. Slowly but surely.

2.) Do not limit yourself.
Because where’s the fun in that? Unless that’s your aim, but I’m not typing this entry for that purpose. Most of us felt the pressure of wanting to define our Blogs. What’s so bad about owning a personal blog, where you occasionally share your trips, current favourite beauty finds, an outfit you’re proud to piece together, and at the same time, tell your readers about how bummed you are that it’s finals week or that you forgot your umbrella the other day and got stranded at Sonja’s in Serendra and waited for hours for your boyfriend to pick you up, or how it irritates you that Facebook is full of feelings these days and how excited you are that you’ve just adopted a Puppy from the nearby Animal Shelter? The big things, the little things, anything and everything you feel like talking about. That’s what Blogs are for. And if you got sucked into the trends and lost yourself, it’s about time you try to remember why you set up a blog in the first place. You don’t have to belong to any particular category. Not all Bloggers are meant to be Fashion / Lifestyle / Travel / DIY / et al Bloggers. We’re not meant to always talk about important matters, about things people could learn from, I mean, at least not for me. At least not for the people who started this more than a decade ago.

3.) Have a Pen and Notepad handy.
Inspiration can strike anytime : in the middle of a Bus Ride, Lunch Break, Shopping, Changing your Tampons. Sometimes, you can’t whip your phone out to type in your thoughts. Let’s be practical and realistic (also old school) by stuffing these two in your pocket / clutch / cooch (because “the Vayanya is Nature’s Pocket, it’s natural and it’s responsible”). I’ve lost a couple of topics / ideas I wanted to blog about (some of them are my wannabe short stories, poems, etc.) because Joy and / or Sadness dropped them and have disintegrated with Bing Bong in the Memory Dump.

Okay, that made me sad again. Give me a minute.

Also, spoiler alert. Sorry.

4.) Avoid Censorship.
But this is very one-sided, only for the Good People of the Earth. Online personas are very different from who you are in real life. I know, because I am testament of that. Although both of them are awesome personas (you don’t say?), some of us tend to censor, polish, and refine ourselves on the internet. DO NOT DO THIS unless you’re an EVUL PERSON and your advocacy in life is to start / join Hate Parades (to which by all means, please polish and refine yourself). When you blog about something, make sure it’s got 100% of your heart. If you’re not comfortable putting yourself out there, then why not blog anonymously? Or have both!

5.) Write for yourself.
I cannot stress this enough. It would be nice to write for an Audience, but the world is so vast and there are other Universes and Galaxies out there (LELZ). Who knows who could be reading your Blog! Humans are far too complex and different from each other in terms of the way we think and perceive, and not to mention, our personalities, what more the extra-terrestrials? Be considerate, and know that a lot of people won’t agree with you, so feel free to speak your mind anyway. But make sure you …

6.) Write Responsibly.
A lot of people take their blogging rights for granted. Just because you own a space on the intarwebs doesn’t give you the right to use it as a weapon to hurt other people. Always remember that your thoughts could affect the way others think. It could influence them. There is a very, very thin line you have to keep track of (and make sure aren’t crossing , blurring, erasing). Deliver your words and posts in a way that … how do I say this … in a way that they are yours. Expressing yourself is expressing yourself. Starting a revolution is another.

Funny. With the countless times I’ve seen Clueless, I don’t know if Amy (Heckerling) was being funny about this scene. I mean, clearly Dionne was talking about her nails. 

7. Stay Inspired.
Reading books and blogs is one of the ways to stay inspired and motivated. Apart from that, inspiration is everywhere. You could simply be people watching (one of my hobbies), and an idea could strike. Inspiration is contagious. I always read Saab’s blog  (she will forever be my favourite Blogger since I met her in 2006, when she was theincugirl ) and I always leave her page feeling fuzzy and warm. You could allow yourself to be influenced by other bloggers / writers / things around you, but once you translate your feelings and thoughts on your digital diary, make sure they’re all YOU.

8. Balance.
You take it seriously when you’re supposed to, but lightly on the regular. And most importantly …

9. Stay Happy.
More than anything, Blogging is supposed to be therapeutic and is supposed to be a positive experience for you first (your readers second). It is your outlet of everything you cannot keep in. Letting thoughts swim in your head is not healthy. You don’t want that. It is also one of the most effective ways of staying tuned in / in tune to yourself. Let yourself out there, and you will have lots and lots of space to grow, to learn, to change, to embrace.

That’s all I have so far. I really hope this helps! Surely I’ll have days when I feel like putting Blogging on hold again, but hopefully this could also serve as a reminder to myself, and why I chose to do this back in March 2003.

Blog away, Kids.