Blogging Confessions from A Small Anime Blogger

We all have them, I’m sure. Our little blogging secrets that we thought we’d never reveal.

Well, that’s about to change for me. Being honest is something that I’ve been wanting to do for as long as I can remember and yet, for some reason, I don’t do it that often when it comes to blogging.

Perhaps it’s because it’s quite a competitive area and being honest shows weakness. Perhaps it’s simply because if I’m honest on a blog it’s out there. It’s where people can see and read for years to come. As quite an introverted person, I don’t really like that.

That being said, I do think it’s good to get things off your chest now and then. I also think it’s a good thing to be honest with your audience. So, that being said, I’m going to confess three things today about my experience as a rather small anime blogger.

It’s not easy.

This applies to every blogging niche, I’m sure, but if you’re thinking about entering the anime blogging community, you need to know that it’s certainly not easy. Some of you might sit there and ask, “But what’s so difficult about watching anime and then writing about it?” Well, you just answered your question.

Watching anime is easy, especially in today’s day and age where we have access to streaming services such as Funimation and Crunchyroll. Watching anime is also enjoyable. However, when you begin to write about it, that’s the difficult part. No matter what type of post you’re writing, you have to put time and effort into it. If it’s a review, you have to describe and analyse different aspects of the series or episode you’ve just watched. If it’s an editorial piece, you might need to do research which can take hours, days or even weeks. We eventually find a rhythm, sure, but it is tiring.

And it doesn’t stop there. There is so much more to blogging than just watching anime and then writing about it. We have graphics to make, tweets to tweet, blog posts to read, bloggers to talk to… And doing all of that, and more, as well as having a life outside of anime? It does get tiring. Sometimes it’s often exhausting. That’s why it’s okay to backdate posts when life gets hectic. That’s why it’s okay to take breaks now and then, even if they are unplanned. We need to look after ourselves before anything else, after all.

It’s scary.

This one ties in with the previous point, but the blogging world can be scary. It’s often overwhelming, especially when you pay a lot more attention to someone else’s blog rather than your own.

I realised this when I was first starting. I would focus on my blog when it came to writing posts, sure, but once I clicked ‘Publish’ that was it. I was then looking at other people’s blogs, glancing over every little word, every graphic, every hyperlink…

And although looking at other people’s blogs is a good thing, especially for networking, it can become obsessive. It can also make you reach the point of self-critcism, and self-doubt. In the past I’ve asked myself, “Why am I here writing about anime when there’s a lot of people who know more about it than I?” I’ve asked a lot more questions along a similar line as well. The truth is, however, is because I like writing about it. I love having a blog.

That being said, that’s not where the scariness ends. The blogging world is always a scary one. You might have a brilliant idea and then hesistate to go ahead with it because “people won’t like it”. Yet, that’s the complete opposite to what you should be doing. Don’t hesitate to do something you want to do. How are you going to know if it’s successful or not if you don’t try? I realise this is easier said than done, but we’ve got to be happy with our content. Why? Because if we’re not happy with our content, who will be?

I have too many ideas.

And finally, to end, I thought I would share a rather personal confession that ties both of those two points together quite well. I have too many ideas.

I have lost track how many times I’ve come up with an idea and then discarded it out of fear or out of self-doubt. Most recently, I scrapped a YouTube video when it was still in it’s editing process because it “wasn’t good enough”. That was a video I spent almost two weeks working on.

After that, I decided to go on a bit of an impromptu small hiatus to get my mindset back on track. Now, I’m focusing on what I truly want to do. I’m in the process of making the things I want to make and that’s what is making me happy. I realised I may have a lot of ideas, but we’re not a blog to shy away from experimentation. So, from now on, any idea I have, I’m going to try at least once.

I don’t know how these things are going to go and that’s fine. Content creation is all about experimenting. If I fail, that’s fine. I just have to pick myself up and try something else.

As scary and as overwhelming blogging can be at times, I couldn’t be happier to have found my special hobby – my passion – in such a supportive community. I know that if I have a problem I can ask and people will respond. I know that there are so many friendly faces out there who I can talk to when I’m down. And that is worth more than any negativity I’ve come across.

Blogging is completely worth it.