The Holiday Slump

Well, the Grinch has paid a visit to my house. He has not stolen my holiday spirit, I have buckets of that, and that would have been too easy for an old pro like Grinchy. Oh no, he took something far, far worse: my blogging mojo.

I may not be the most accomplished blogger out there, but it comes pretty naturally to me. Normally when I sit down to blog I make my post for the day, plus a few drafts of ideas that I can pull out in a crunch if I need to. I’m like a blogging machine, ideas flying out of my head left and right.

And then The Blog Grinch visited, and there are no more flying ideas. He did it at Thanksgiving too. It’s too difficult to concentrate with the festive lights and the heavenly smell of the Christmas tree and a cat to pull out of the tree that she thinks is her new bed and the presents to wrap and the cookies to bake and the parties to go to and the sales to shop and the TV specials to watch…

My synapses are over loaded; my brain just can’t process it all. I’ve tried to write about twelve book reviews. They all go something like this:

Blah Blah Blah by Whoever was a great read. The author did good. I liked it. That’s all I can think of to say right now because my mother-in-law sent us the best fudge ever and it has killed my concentration. Must. Eat. Fudge. Now.

Pathetic, isn’t it? But never fear! I’ve made a list of ways to get over my holiday blog slump! And incase you’re in one too, I shall share.

Amanda’s Five Rules for Getting Over a Blogging Slump:

1: Just get over yourself, chubsters, and eat the fudge! Whatever is distracting you, give yourself a few minutes to work it out, then come back. Make the phone call to the electric company, run over to the post office to pick up the mystery package, make sure the cat has water and isn’t stuck behind the dryer eating stray lint, eat the fudge from heaven, do ten jumping jacks to work off your fudge guilt, and then get back to work.

2: Read a few of your favorite blogs for inspiration. I’m not saying you should blatantly copy your favorite bloggers, but it could remind you why you love to blog in the first place and give you the motivation you need to get your ten little fingers and one little brain back to work.

3: Revisit an old, unused idea. This has been a list of many different five (or seven, or three, or fourteen) things, but the others just never panned out. That picture of Mr. Grinch has been sitting on my computer since last Christmas when I said I was finally, for real this time, going to start blogging. (Notice I didn’t start this blog until August? Yeah, timing is not my strong suite.) You just never know where some gold is lurking, but chances are you’ve got a few nuggets buried in your archives that you’ve forgotten about.

4: When in doubt, talk about yourself. Try to make it either funny or touching, whichever you can pull off better. I know narcissism is not usually advisable, but it works in a pinch. Your followers already like you, and aside from the books/knitting/underwater basket weaving that brought you together in the first place, well placed personal antidotes can serve to strengthen your blog-friend bond. Side Note: Do not let this turn into a play-by-play of every day of your life. This is not your diary, or at least it shouldn’t be if you want anyone but your mom to read it. I have made this mistake, and guess who read my whiny blog of day past? Only my mom. And even she was bored.

5: Fake it ’til you make it. Do I have anything worth while to say today? No, not really. But I’m pretending like I do, and someone will probably believe me. (Maybe. I hope. Please?) It’s like the idea that if you walk with confidence and act like you’re supposed to be wherever you are, you can probably get in. Many a teenager has gotten into an R rated movie this way, and I know of someone who got into the frequent flyer lounge at an airport using this technique, and you can do it to. (For the record, I am not recommending anyone sneak into anyplace they’re not supposed to be. I like rules. Rules are good. They keep you safe, and you should follow them.) The Who’s down in Whoville sang their Christmas song even without all the trappings, and Christmas came back to them. Sing your blog song, and eventually your mojo will reappear.

And that, my friends, is the story of how I got my mojo back by blogging about losing my mojo! Isn’t the irony just fantastic? Take that, Grinchster! I hope my techniques help you too in your slumpier times.

And now, I really must get back to my fudge eating and gift wrapping. I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed Christmas! Eat a cookie for me, okay? And if you live in a land where snow is not a fairy tale, maybe make a snowman in my honor too.

Feliz Navidad!

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