Yes, my friend, it is true; there are lots of things that frustrates the living daylights out of a blogger.
It is as though frustration is a rite of passage for the individual who chooses to become a blogger.
Hey, I know for a fact that I have aroused your curiosity.
So, without further ado, it is time for you and I to have an in-depth look at some of the things that frustrate bloggers.
Wondering What The Hell They Should Blog About
There are numerous bloggers who believe in the existence of writer’s block.
In my case, I believe that writer’s block is a myth because I can always find something interesting to write about.
I simply choose a topic and write about it ― no rocket science involved!
The year 2021, is going to make it thirteen years that I have been pulling blog posts out of the thin air like a magician (When you have been blogging as long as I have, creating content for your blog becomes second nature).
Most newbie bloggers are intimidated by the sight of a blank screen; filling it with content is their ultimate challenge and worst nightmare.
By the way, my article, 10 Ways To Overcome Writer’s Block, will teach you how you can easily overcome writer’s block.
I strongly suggest finding a topic in advance; doing so will enable you to know what your blog post is going to be based on.
The Challenge Of Finding The Time To Blog
Finding the time to blog can be very challenging for a busy individual; which is why I recommend that you find a realistic blogging schedule and stick with it.
Some people can cope with publishing content on their blog twice a week.
I chose to publish content on my blog weekly because I know that particular schedule is most appropriate for me (I am granted enough time to choose a topic, put it together in the form of writing, proofread it, edit it and create an image for my blog post).
If you are too busy to write a blog post in one sitting, you can write it in parts; for example, you can write a few paragraphs for your blog post daily; at the end of the week, you would have completed an entire blog post.
The truth is that the people who managed to get their quota of blogging done made the time for it.
The Challenge Of Responding To Comments
I happen to be one of the many bloggers that enjoy responding to comments in a timely manner.
Do you know that there are bloggers who find it somewhat difficult to respond to the comments in their own blog’s comments thread?
Their excuses range from:
- Not having enough time available to respond to comments.
- Having too many comments to reply to.
- Believing that the time spent responding to comments could be used to create content for their blog.
Now, I am not going to say anything harsh about bloggers that view responding to comments as being frustrating.
Why?
Because each blogger is different.
Since I enjoy responding to comments, they might as well send all of their commenters my way (That way, both of us will be happy).
Moving Heaven And Earth To Blog When The Internet Goes Down
One of the most frustrating things for a blogger is for their internet to go down.
Some years ago, my modem stopped working (my service provider made upgrades and left me out of the loop); as a result of that technological fiasco, I had to wait three working days to receive the new piece of equipment.
What did I do?
I carried my laptop computer to a friend’s house, told them exactly what was going on and politely asked if I could use their WiFi.
My friend said, “Yes.”
I spent the time at my friend’s house putting together a few blog posts as quickly as I could and then I scheduled them to be automatically published at a future date.
I suggest coming up with a plan B for whenever your internet at home goes down.
Using A Different Electronic Device To Blog On
Many years ago, I had to use my smartphone to publish my blog posts (Thankfully, I was on Blogger back then).
Luckily for me, I knew how to put together a blog post on Blogger via a smartphone.
Why did I have to use my smartphone for blogging purposes?
I had to use my smartphone for blogging purposes because the power supply cord for my laptop computer died (I had to publish blog posts on my smartphone until I was able to locate and purchase a new power supply cord for my laptop computer).
Today, I would not even dream of using a smartphone to publish blog posts on my blog.
And, why is that so?
Because I am on WordPress; I would not want to face the nightmare of using the Block Editor on a smartphone.
I believe that I might have a much better chance of putting a blog post together on a larger device ― a larger electronic device like a tablet computer (One that preferably has Linux on it).
Using a different electronic device for blogging purposes might be a bit frustrating for some bloggers but in emergency cases, some of them would gladly step out of their comfort zone with the intention of keeping their blog active.
The Challenge Of Maintaining A Positive Frame Of Mind
It is no secret that a lot of people have a hard time dealing with the negative news that is circulating in the mainstream media.
Being told that COVID-19 claimed a large number of lives can have a devastating effect on our psyche.
Some people would actually take a hiatus from blogging until they can regain their mental balance.
I highly recommend, Larry Alton’s, 7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset, for anyone who is easily affected by the negative news that is circulating in the mainstream media.
One should never allow negative news to kill their blogging mojo.
Final Thoughts
As you have learned, bloggers are faced with all sorts of frustrations; bloggers can either find ways of overcoming them or they can allow those frustrations (in whatever form that they are in) to stifle their creativity.
Thank you for reading!
Please feel free to share the link to this blog post on your favourite social media networks.
I also invite you to subscribe to Renard’s World (Doing so will allow you to be notified whenever new content is published on my blog).
I have found reusable blocks is not supported on the mobile app. So I can start a post on my phone app but have to finish it with a browser.
Nice post Renard.
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🙂 Thank you, Neil.
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Time is the thing that I struggle with. It’s hard for me to find the time to blog, and when I do, I’m usually not in the mood to write 🤷♀️ I cannot force myself to write… I have to be in the right mood.
Bloggers who blog on the regular but can’t be bothered to respond to comments annoy me. I’ve even ufollowed a few of them because it’s a huge pet-peeve of mine. Engagement is huge on WP. Also, not having a comment option annoys me as well. A blog post could be really good, and a blogger might even ask questions to spark a conversation. That’s great until there’s no option to comment, or I have to visit their blog and type a comment, leave my email address, and wait for approval. Ain’t nobody got time for that! 😒
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🙂 Thank you for your perspective, Hilary.
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What frustrates me most is when legitimate comments go to spam, and then I only see them days later… and yet some lousy spam comments go through 🤦🏾♀️
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🙂 Yes, that can be quite frustrating.
Most bloggers have learned the hard way that spam filters are not perfect.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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I check the spam folder 1-2 times per week. There’s a way to filter comments so you have to approve new commenters (for their first comment) before automatically approving their future comments. No spam comments make it past me anymore! 😈 Seeing innocent comments in the spam folder is definitely annoying – I haven’t fold a fool proof method for that yet!
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Ooooh that’s helpful!!! I think I’ll try that 😊
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Nice post, Renard. If my internet goes down, I use my hotspot to switch my laptop over to my mobile phone provider. Also, when I take my travel computer somewhere, I use my hotspot rather than use free wi-fi. Thanks for the link to Larry Alton’s post. I stay away from negative news and posts related to subjects that are unsettling for me.
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🙂 Thank you, Eugenia.
Using one’s smartphone as a hotspot is a good idea. The only downside might be added cost (Depending on one’s mobile service provider).
For the record, your own hotspot will always be more secure than free WiFi.
I recommend using a VPN if you cannot resist the urge of using public WiFi.
I would only use the Wifi at a friend’s house for emergency purposes.
I am also pleased to learn that you found the link to Larry Alton’s post useful.
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I have a separate device as my hotspot and yes, I keep an eye on the amount of data is used. I just started using my VPN, which is now packaged in the software from my virus protector. We do what we can to keep our blogs alive. 😉
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Haha so true 😛😛
My main problem is to start writing a blog, once I started, I will write it in one go and then proofread it and all but the very first step of clicking that, ‘new post’ become challenging for me from time to time😛😛.
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🙂 Hmm. It looks as though you would have to work on that particular issue of yours for the year 2021.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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Time is the biggest barrier for me when it comes to posting regularly!
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🙂 Finding the time to blog is one of those sacrifices that we bloggers need to make in order to add new content to our blog.
Thank you for your participation.
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Thanks for the advice and comments on blogging.
best regards
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🙂 You are most welcome!
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Just time right now – working for the NHS means very little tome or energy left!
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I probably meant time there – see how tired I am!!
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🙂 In your case, you will have to work on your blog posts when you are fully refreshed (Hopefully, you should be in a more coherent state of mind after waking up in the mornings).
Thank you for your participation!
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Thanks Renard. Recently I have been republishing some of my older posts. I just have not had time to finish the posts in my drafts folder.
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Great article. 🙏
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🙂 Thank you!
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Words of Wisdom; thank you for sharing and remain safe.
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🙂 Thank you, Tangie!
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“I would not want to face the nightmare of using the Block Editor on a smartphone.” It is a nightmare, which is why I still use the classic editor in the iOS app for the iPhone. Fortunately, WordPress hasn’t decommissioned the classic editor on the iOS app…YET.
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😄 In that case, you can count on yourself as being lucky, Fandango.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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I wholeheartedly agree with you, dear Renard – writer’s block is a myth. Those who claim to have it should try to work for a newspaper and write to a deadline.
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🙂 Dolly, I have a strong feeling that they would be able to come up with something due to the fact that newspaper writers are paid to produce work within a specific timeframe.
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Exactly! And so they would quickly forget about writer’s blocks and develop working discipline.
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🙂 Nicely stated, Dolly!
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Thank you, darling.
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🙂 You are welcome, Dolly!
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You always hit the nail on the head. You have such great content. (I know I sound like a bot but I’m not 😂😂)
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🙂 Thank you for sharing your perspective!
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WHO ARE YOU CALLING FRUSTRATED?!?!?
😀 😀 😀
Great, and very true post. 🙂
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🙂 Thank you!
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I use my smart phone to blog on WP. There is an option to disable block editor in the app. The internet issues are the most frustrating ones that I face.
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🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me, Sadje.
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You’re welcome 😉
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Since we’re on Fibre our interwebz is very very stable so my only frustration is the fukn Gutenb… err Block editor. Boy, that shit is cumbersome.
All the other frustrations you listed are hardly regarded as such. If I don’t have time to blog I’m either too chaotic to plan my time or don’t find blogging that important at all and use the time thing as an excuse for my no-show.
No idea what to blog about? This is hardly a problem, isn’t it? Just don’t blog. Nothing simpler than that.
If responding to comments is hard/frustrating for you – simply don’t do it. Your blog, your rules.
I made it a habit to respond to all comments, at least once. Often just to affirm that I have received and read a certain comment. It’s just a small, quick gesture … barely an inconvenience, far from frustration!
And as a blogger, with a natural need to give my 2 cents to every little topic, it’s rather a natural thing for me to answer all comments.
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🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me, Orca.
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Congratulations Renard for being a successful blogger and completing 13 yrs.Not a small achievement!
Thank you for helping us out with your expertise and tips, which we are making use of, whenever we find problems in blogging.
It’s a long way for the rest of us to evolve from the Kindergarten stage.
Writer’s block- Can this be an excuse? My personal feeling is, individual priorities take the upper hand and writing an article is postponed. I may be wrong.
100% I agree with you regarding finding time to blog for a busy person, and as you suggested this person can stick to a schedule.
“The truth is that the people who managed to get their quota of blogging done made the time for it.” I couldn’t agree more with your statement.
Timely responding to the comments…I feel, gives great satisfaction that somebody who spared their valuable time is equally honoured by a timely acknowledgement. We do understand if the person left blogging or fallen sick.
I fully agree with you with your statement regarding maintaining a positive frame of mind, be it covid or other unfortunate things happening and your ref of Larry Alton is very helpful.
Thank you for all the guidance.
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🙂 You are welcome, Dr. Sridhar.
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the points are very true to many bloggers and interesting to read.
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🙂 Thank you!
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You always never fail to inspire people. 😇 Thank You! 💖
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🙂 You are welcome, Zandra.
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💖💖💖
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I totally agree with you. Blogging is a grind and often frustrating.
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🙂 Thank you for sharing your point of view!
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perhaps we can view these frustrations as tests from the stoic gods… 🙂
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😄 That is a nice way of looking at it, Jim.
Thank you for sharing your unique point of view, my friend.
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I had just written a post about the stoic test, and it seemed relevant here!
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Your an inspiration, not sure who found who but as a newbie on the scene am really glad for your tips hope I can make them more practical.
Taking it a day at a time.
🤝🤝🤝
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🙂 Thank you!
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I love this. Ihave only been blogging for a couple weeks so.. I’m still at the confused and don’t know what I’m doing stage. 😅
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🙂 You will figure it all out eventually, Sheri.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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It just takes time. Thank you! 😊
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Thank you, this was a great read. I found it very interesting
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🙂 You are welcome, Sarah. I am pleased to know that you found this blog post interesting!
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Thanks for sharing, I find this very relatable. I hope to do better in blogging this year.
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🙂 You are welcome, Emmanuella.
I wish you all the best with your blog!
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Thank you.
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Though I very fresh and new to blogging..
This post might help somehow.
Can relate it already.
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🙂 I am pleased to know that.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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Hi Renard,
It is good to be back buddy 🙂 I feel frustrated from time to time, especially a few episodes recently, blogging-wise. Slowly but surely, I left my funk. But even being a 12 year blogger does not make you immune to frustrations, triggered by more than a few reasons from your excellent list.
Ryan
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🙂 It is a pleasure to have you back, Ryan.
Thank you for sharing that with me, my friend!
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Your post is so useful. I loved it. I find blogging on my smartphone easier. Maybe cause I use notes and Grammarly on my phone. But otherwise, I see no difference between a smartphone and a computer. Lovely post!
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🙂 Thank you!
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You are absolutely right and blogging is in indeed frustrating😑
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🤔 I would not say that blogging is frustrating, but we do encounter various types of frustrations while we are trying to get our quota of blogging done.
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I like using my phone for my blog. It seems simple and I sometimes find myself writing out blog ideas while at work.
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🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me, Raymond.
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I can say I have no writers blog, rather the opposite. I have so many drafts that I have no time to publish those all…but it’s also frustrating…
The time issue have been really big issue for me but now on Corona I have more time cause I’m much more at home!
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🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me.
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In new at this, and this is very informative! Thanks!
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🙂 You are welcome, Stephen.
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Hi, Renard. Many thanks for all your informed posts. Following reading this post I have been restructuring my postings and amended the endings of the posts with the words of your last two sentences Final Thoughts section. I trust you don’t mind as I found the manner in which you concluded the post very appropriate and welcoming. Best Regards.
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🙂 You are welcome, Goff, and I do not mind at all.
Do enjoy the rest of your day!
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Thanks so much Renard. Trust you ave a great day too.
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Well…Things we go through for our blogs real struggle tough luck.
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🙂 Thank you for reading and commenting!
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So true !! I can’t explain how accurate this is
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🙂 Thank you for sharing your perspective!
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thank you thank you thank you so much
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🙂 You are welcome!
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