I talk about depression and bipolar on here, and I talk about book blogging on here, but today I want to talk about where the two intersect. I’m in no way an authority on bipolar, depression, or book blogging, but I do think I can manage talking about depression and how it affects my book blogging strategy and vice versa. And maybe I can give you some ideas and suggestions, which I’m writing as much to myself as to other book bloggers. Maybe I can manage to give you some book blogging post ideas for when you’re staring down depression. I hope I can. If I can manage this post, I think I’ll feel a lot steadier on my feet as I contend with depression yet again.
Here we go.
Managing Expectations for Book Blogging and Depression
Truth: it’s hard to sit by and watch other blogs being updated constantly when you can’t manage to log a book on Goodreads, much lest post regularly when you have depression.
For me, it’s not really a feeling of jealousy as much as it puts pressure on myself to aim for something that’s often not doable. If you’ve been to this blog before, you know that I don’t post very regularly, often because of depression and just feeling not up to it, cognitively, emotionally, energy level wise. So in the four years since I created this blog, I’ve had to adjust my expectations. I don’t have the stamina to post as often as I’d like (which would be every day), nor can I read as much as I’d like to in an ideal world.
But what I have learned is that taking some time off here and there (going on hiatus) has steered me away from total blogging and reading burnout. If I forced myself to blog my way through depression as much as I’d like, I would not enjoy blogging as much as I do because I wouldn’t be taking care of myself. I want Broke by Books to be a refuge for myself as much as my readers. I can’t do that if I’m measuring myself against expectations I cannot realistically meet.
Above all, blogging should not consume your mental health but enhance your mental health.
It’s not worth it. What I have learned is to put my best effort into the posts I can write, to make sure my content strategy involves a lot of evergreen posts (ones that aren’t necessarily timely but are relevant no matter what day they are read), and write with focus, passion, and intensity about the topics that mean the most to me. Those posts consistently get traffic and bring new readers to the site. So if the articles I wrote during a year when I only added 30 posts to my blog are new for people finding them now, is that any different than posting something new to my blog every day?
To be clear: I’m not trying to paint myself as a guru here. This is just what’s helped me get in a healthy mindset about blogging during the many times over the last four years when the pressures I put on myself to blog as much as possible have made me feel like a failure. Often they made me feel even more depressed if I can’t match that vision, so enough.
I’d also like to say that readers understand and readers get it if you need to step back. I’ve been quite open about my mental health on this blog, and those posts are the ones that seem to really connect with readers. Honesty and transparency are two of my guiding blog principles as well as trusting in the support of my readers.
Productivity Shortcuts for Blogging While Depressed
When I’m depressed, reading seems impossible. I struggle to connect with a book, if I haven’t lost my passion for reading and all my interests altogether. The last thing I feel like doing is looking at a book, knowing I’ll have to open up its covers and read it the whole way through. It makes blogging more difficult, too, since the lifeblood of book blogging is reading and writing about books. Fortunately, there are some ways to make blogging more manageable when you’re going through a difficult time with reading and posting regularly. These productivity for book blogging and depression tips should help simplify things and maximize your blogging energy when you’re depressed or well so you can be prepared for when times get tough.
- Stickies! Whatever you’re reading, write sticky notes with your gut reactions as you go. If you’re reading an eBook version, make use of the notes and highlights features. When you go back later, it’ll be easier to remember what you felt as you read and build a review out of them.
- Templates – Set up a template for a book review post in your blogging platform so you can streamline your posts, taking the legwork out of formatting and making it easier to organize your thoughts. Here’s a tip sheet for WordPress. Many blogging themes now also include built-in review templates ready to go.
- Write now, publish later – Maybe you’re on a once-weekly posting schedule, but you suddenly get an idea and the energy to write a second post in the week. Draft it now, then schedule it to post at a later date.
- The Plus Fifteen (+15) Technique – Last summer, I was straddling several major freelance projects at once, which had me putting in 16 hour days. I learned a trick that made it easier for me the next day. I would work as long as I possibly could, then I’d try to work for fifteen more minutes. Gradually, those +15 sessions tacked on at the end would add up, and I’d always thank Yesterday Sarah for doing it. So if you’re feeling up to writing a post whether you’re feeling healthy or grappling with depression, spend an extra fifteen minutes on your next post. Just drop some ideas in a draft and organize them later. A related strategy is to regularly schedule an afternoon a month, write down a few post ideas on paper, and then load up your blogging queue with drafts. Create a blank post, add the headline, and save it in draft. Next time you log in to your blog, you’ll be looking at several options where the hardest part—taking that idea in your mind and making it a real, living draft—is already done.
- Break epic posts into smaller ones – Also think about splitting mega posts into smaller posts and scheduling the second part to go live further down the line. Who says your Top Ten list can’t be two shorter lists of five?
Post Ideas for Blogging When You’re Depressed
If you haven’t been reading much, there are still so many topics you can write about on your book blog. These suggested post topics and blogging ideas can help you post often when you’re in the depression fog, your energy’s sapped, and you still want to blog without the pressure of writing an epic article or cornerstone content.
Book blogger Q&A’s
Lift up the veil and be frank with your readers. Show them the real you! A blogger survey or blogger Q&A only requires short-ish answers, though you can go as in depth as you want, and easily fill out a post. Request that readers send you some questions they have for you in a comment, email, or message. You can of course think of some of your own, too.
Here are 10 questions for a book blogger survey:
- What’s your favorite book? Who’s your favorite author?
- What do you love most about book blogging?
- If you could co-write a book with any author, who would it be?
- What’s something bookish that people wouldn’t guess about you?
- If you could have any bookish job, what would it be?
- What were your favorite books and authors 2 years ago? 5 years ago? 10 years ago? How have your reader interests changed over time?
- What subgenre is your niche and why do you love it?
- Do you read multiple books at once?
- What’s an awesome book you wish more people knew about?
- Tell us two truths and a lie. (Could be book, reading, or blog specific, or open-ended, anything goes!)
Vlogging or podcasting
Sometimes the idea of writing a long post or book review seems scary and daunting. I care a lot about what I write and want it to be perfect for readers, but sometimes that auteur-ish approach holds me back from posting as often as I’d like. In the upcoming year, I’d like to get better about doing video posts or potentially making a weekly podcast. These come with just as much effort as a written post, but you don’t have to type out 2,000 words. Sometimes just speaking off the cuff can help you articulate your thoughts in a more spontaneous way, often leading to insights you might not have reached without vocalizing your feelings about a book or related topic. Don’t think you have to commit to vlogging or podcasting long term. You can totally frame this as a sporadic, one time, or “special edition” for your readers. But if you enjoy the experience, go for it!
Guest posts and collaborative posts
Ask your blogging friend for a favor and trade guest posts. See if they’d be willing to go first and give them an IOU to write a shiny new post for them when you’re feeling up to it. Resist the urge to edit their ideas and just give them free reign to surprise you with a topic. You could also meet up on Gchat, Facebook Messenger, or your favorite messaging or texting platform and have a discussion about something bookish, perhaps a debate about the best book in a series, which books are the most overrated, or your opinions on book blogging (how often to post, should you write negative reviews, how is book blogging changing for the better or worst…). Publish the transcript alongside a short post with your conclusions and reactions.
Visual-heavy posts
I try to include as many pictures, GIFs, videos, or visual material as I can in my posts because I know I can be longwinded and need to break up the text. There’s also something to be said for a post that’s primarily visual. It’s a refreshing approach that will keep things new for your readers and cuts down on how much text you have to write. Here are a few ideas on quick visual posts for your book blog:
- Best book covers – This can be a roundup of your favorite book covers of the year or ever, and you can break it down by genre, too.
- Your most popular posts on Bookstagram – What got the most reaction? What kinds of comments did you get?
- Don’t judge a book by its cover – What books did you pick up and love despite a blah or ugly cover?
- Your bookish life in 10 pictures – If you had to explain your life as a reader and book blogger in ten images, what would they be and why?
- Casting call – Take a book you enjoyed and cast it, using photos of the actors you’d want to star in a film or TV adaptation. Another version of this could be location scouting. Dig around on Pinterest and find some stunning images of places where you’d set your favorite books.
Writing about how depression affects your blogging
This very post is an example of how you can turn your depression into inspiration for blogging. Use your personal experience with depression or mental illness as a launching point for a personal essay. Or spin it into a recommendations post with your picks for books related to depression, comfort reads, books that have inspired resilience, or even just five books you’ve read that have helped you through some dark times. Share your tips for blogging and reading while depressed. Create a resource page for bloggers and readers. Taking your depression or mental illness and creating something out of it that could help others is a great feeling.
(For more book blogging ideas, check out my epic post of 52 book blogging ideas and more in my eBook 365 Book Blogging Ideas.)
