The One Where I Do a 180
Posted on Jul 1, 2011 in Blogging | 9 comments
A few months back I talked about how I wanted Diary of a Mad Freelancer to develop into something else than it currently is. I wanted to spend less time writing here and bring on contributing writers who could write about other sides of freelancing. In August, I would start paying them per post and turn this into a daily, multi-author blog. It was a great idea. Plenty of blogs operate like that and do just fine. I got some interest from other freelancers who wanted to write here. At the beginning of last month, I had everything in place to start making the changes around here I had planned out. And then I didn’t.
In fact, I didn’t do anything. I stop writing frequently here. I didn’t give the writers the go ahead to start working on their ideas. I didn’t write the editorial calendar. Actually, all I did was get a queasy feeling every time I pulled my website up.
That hesitation spoke volumes. You see, I’m a Go, Go, Go Girl. When I make a plan, I dive headlong into it. As one friend put it, you can’t call me up and ask me to go run errands with you unless you’ve already got on your shoes. Because, I’ll show up to your house in 3 minutes with a list, a backup list, map of what I think are the best routes, and an essay on why I’m refusing to stop at Starbucks on the way. So when my feet are glued to the floor and I can’t take the next step in a plan, it’s for a reason.
It took me a while, but I think I figured out why that little voice in my head refused to let me go forward. It was a great idea, but it wasn’t for this site. That happens a lot in the blog world. You see something working so well some place else and you think you just HAVE to do something like that. Everybody’s got great ideas and there’s always the next big thing you MUST do if you want your site to be anything worth seeing. You HAVE to monetize. You HAVE to use Twitter. You HAVE to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger or everything you’re doing is a waste of time.
But, when I get to that quiet place where it’s just me and my instincts, I realize that the only thing I HAVE to do is stay black and die remain true to my purpose. I went back to that post about why I started this blog. Reading that, I realized that my motivations haven’t changed much. I do still want to communicate with my community and I do want to talk about freelance life. Maybe just not the way everybody else does it.
So here’s what: I’m not going bigger. I’m going smaller. Instead of writing more and bring more people in, I’m going to bring my posts down to once or twice a week. I’ll still take guest posts, of course, because any time I can get someone to bring their talent over here, I’m happy. But I’m going to try to keep the voice on this site as close to my own as possible. I mean, that’s what a diary is, right? That’s not to say that two years from now I won’t have decided to make another 180 to make this one big neurotic circle. It happens that way sometimes. And I always reserve the right to change my mind as many times as it takes to get it right.
9 Comments
Beautifully written. I love when this happens to me — my inner self just won’t let me do something, and I don’t find out WHY until later. Amazing how our brains and hearts work that way. I always look forward to your posts, and I have a feeling your audience will grow whether you actively work on promoting this site or not
I completely understand where you’re coming from, PJ. I admire people who can knock out 2 or 3 posts a week on their blogs. But I know that it’s simply not for me. My schedule is too packed as it is, and I can’t dedicate that much time to my blog without sacrificing somewhere else.
You know me — well, not really — I’m a big fan of doing what works for you, and not what everyone else tells you SHOULD work for you. I like that you’re going to stick around, even if it’s in fewer increments.
I’ve done my fair share of 180s in life, and sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t. All you can do is wait and see what happens next. No matter what you decide, just know that we’ll be here. (You’re in my RSS feed.
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I had to leave a comment because I actually went through this process myself–maybe not publicly, but the thought processes were similar. I wondered if I should hire others and commercialize my blog. In the end, I also decided I wanted to stay true to my voice (as you did). I think that we writers need a home base online.
Laura, I respect you so much and appreciate your encouraging “us writers” to be true to our voices.
You always keep it real, Princess, and that’s why I enjoy reading this blog. So if you’re going smaller, that’s fine with me. I’ll keep reading. Keep on rocking!
I’m having a similar experience with a decision I made a few weeks ago. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Good for you! I like the fact that you decided to stick to what YOU feel instead of being washed over by what the hype is nudging you towards.
Glad you made that choice.
Personally I had “tuned out” with the constant articles when you started the alternate format.
I really enjoy the format of few, quality, articles per month.
P.S., I missed your voice and wasn’t so thrilled about having the others here, though they are talented people and it’s so none of my business anyway. I’ve read a lot of posts lately about growing one’s blog in just the same way you started to (grammar-gone-to-hell alert). I pondered and pondered this advice myself. Then I read a blog by Deb Ng about how most of us read blogs because we like the voice of the blogger. We want to hear THEM, not their friends or associates. It’s kind of a puzzle, really, and the answer is different for everyone. I’m very happy with your decision. Thanks for being here however often you want to be. I’m an email subscriber so I ain’t gonna miss anything.