Writing a blog is fun, it’s hard work but at the end of the day, it’s fun! As you all know, I’ve been running Mettel Ray for five years now and during those five long years, I’ve learned some things. Big things, important things and sometimes, little things that I can’t help to shake off as irrelevant. So here are those little things that I’ve learned.
RESPONSIBILITY
It’s been five years and I’ve sort of hit this strive of just being able to sit down and write, whatever, whenever and about anything really. This hasn’t been always the case, trust me, I’ve gone weeks, months even, without putting down a single word but part of me feels that those times are gone. It’s like writing has become a daily activity, something that just is and needs to be done, all while it gives me a sense of satisfaction. It’s like making breakfast, or doing laundry, it’s part of my routine, and doing it makes me feel accomplished. In other words, it’s a responsibility, but the kind I feel happy to oblige and the kind that makes me feel happy.
COFFEE
Even when the sky is gray, and it’s either raining or there’s a storm outside, coffee makes everything look a lot better than it actually is. When some have a cup of tea, I have a cup of coffee from a mug that represents my true feelings: I (heart) Coffee. I can’t remember when I last wrote a post without my trusty companion, my elixir of life, my first and only writing partner on Mettel Ray. Though a cup of coffee itself is a small part of my day (even though I sometimes have like three cups per morning), it carries a lot of meaning and it’s sort of a work mode initiator.
BREAKS
Recently I’ve noticed that whenever I sit down to review or write another Commercial Break, I take short breaks. May it be a 30 minute series, or a 1,5 hour movie, I sometimes cut the writing into pieces, and it helps me to navigate through my thoughts. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, where I sometimes pen down a 1000 word review in one sitting, without even blinking, but even then I take little coffee making breaks. It’s like giving your brain a short intermission to catch up, to tidy the mind and to rest before the final act.
ANTI-NUMBERS
For the better half of my five year blogging I was focused on numbers. I needed views, clicks, comments, likes, more views, more comments and so on. I was so focused on getting more and more, bigger and bigger, that I lost passion for Mettel Ray right after my views tumbled into oblivion due to Google changing its image policies. I was crushed and soon after I decided not to be so dependable on views. It’s not how many times you get clicked on, or commented on, sure it helps, but it’s all ultimately just meaningless if you keep focusing on numbers.
CLEAN
This is a weird little thing I have but I want Mettel Ray to be clean. I like it clean, and by that I mean the variety of posts and the topics I tend to write about. Meaning, this is a movie and a television blog. That’s it, it doesn’t venture to things outside of that realm although my interests expand to further territories. Time after time I’ve thought about expanding, going bigger and bolder but then I’m reminded of the fact that the more things I have in my room, the messier my room gets. So it’s a simple rule I live by, keep it clean, and keep it fresh!
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This post is a Coffee Talk post, a series where I write and ramble about emotions, feelings and decisions behind my process of watching things and blogging about stuff.
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*sees first title* *hides* You shall never find me, Responsibility!
No, really––I honestly just really admire your blog & what you’re doing here. I hope you’ll go on for the five years to come! I’ll be here, reading. 😉
Same here! I like your blog. I’ve been to movies or series lately because of my fiancé who loves to watch a looooot! I hope you’re having a good time! And yeah, you’re right, my blog is messy unlike yours, very clean and fresh. I hope, I can do the same. LOL. I hope you’ll earn more followers and clicks. Happy 5! 🙂
Thank you!
Very interesting and fun post. I particularly agree with your last two sections. I’ve managed to keep my blog clean in that sense. It’s just movies regardless of how many other interests I have. As far as anti-numbers, that’s a battle I find myself fighting all the time. I tepl myself it doesn’t matter, but find myself checking the stats and being happy or disappointed with what I see. Trying to get out of that trap.
It is a constant struggle between having readers and having views. Sure, it’s nice to have 10 readers instead of 10 glances but I guess it’s a matter of focusing on what’s good – and that is the number of readers, and that number, no matter how small, is the biggest one!
Really love this post. I have to say I rely on coffee a little bit as well! And I love your point about cleanliness and simplicity, I can really relate to that concept of things getting messier the bigger they are, sometimes it’s better to have a clear and clean focus!
Thanks! The simplicity should be something I’m going to try to achieve in my apartment as well.. especially my closet. There’s a big spring cleaning ahead of me and I hope to keep this post mind when I start throwing things away.
Great post! Like you, I realized a while back that blogging should be something you get enjoyment out of. Taking it seriously is a good thing, but being obsessed with hit counts and comments can be ruinous. And yep, nothing wrong with taking a break here and there. Congrats on your blogiversary!
You know, taking a break could be a bad thing in a way.. it’s harder to get back than push yourself going forward. Of course there are exceptions, like working and living abroad and not having internet connection but in general, building up the habit is better for blogging. I sometimes schedule a whole week and don’t blog for a week but that’s the only time I have off I’ve been now accustomed to.