The rumors are true. Writer’s Block is contagious and I’ve caught it from Freshly Pressed, and now I’m having a very public outbreak. I am working to get this outbreak under control with out scaring off/spreading it to any of my followers.
On Monday my post “The Pros and Cons of Race Running” was given the incredible honor of being chosen by WordPress as “Freshly Pressed”. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about anything (writing-related) in my life! Not when I finished my senior thesis (and got a solid B+), not when my speech was chosen to be read at Baccalaureate, not even when several of my articles were published in the New England Journal of Lacrosse. Freshly Pressed blew all those other achievements out of the water, and they say the first time you get pressed is always the best.
I’m not going to lie, I felt like a pretty big deal, (a big thanks to my friend Carley of findingravity.com for letting me know I had been chosen-otherwise I would have been very confused by the sudden interest in my blog!) the number of views on my page skyrocketed, multiplying by nearly 7 times (septupling? Is that kind of like doubling or tripling? It is now, so get on board). My email was blowing up with notifications of comments on the post, and I have been trying my best to respond to them all because I am so grateful that people have taken the time to read and respond to my post.It was everything I’d dreamed it would be.
It has been a lot of fun, and I’m human enough to admit-quite an ego boost as well. But now I’m a bit stuck. My followers have multiplied by 14 (double septupling?…nah) as my only follwers pre-Freshly Pressed were my family (who I forced to follow me) and Carley (she’s too good to me). And now, I’m a little worried about keeping them! I’m psyching myself out thinking that now every single post I write has to be Freshly Pressed quality. I want all my posts to be as witty and entertaining as “The Pros and Cons of Race Running”. I want to keep my new audience engaged and interested. I want every time to live up to that time. AND I’VE GOT NOTHING. I contracted Writer’s Block from Freshly Pressed!
I know. It’s sad but true., and quite embarrassing to admit. I thought I could hide it from you all, but the first step to recovery is admitting it. My creativity well is completely dry. I NEVER struggle to find things to write about but now the pressure is getting to me AND I’M LOSING IT. Woof. Maybe I’ll go for a run to clear my mind-KIDDING, I haven’t gotten that desperate yet.
I know. I should quit my whining. Freshly Pressed is an INCREDIBLE honor. I feel like those people on twitter who tweet with the hash-tag #firstworld problems, as in “I have so many shoes, I can’t decide what to wear! #firstworldproblems”. Those people make me nauseous and simultaneously chuckle. I’m thinking of trying to get #bloggerproblems trending, as in “I was chosen for Freshly Pressed and now I’ve got nothing to follow with! #bloggerproblems”. Or maybe I’ll just make a pro/con list.
NOte to all my followers: I promise to practice safe writing in the hopes that you will not catch the dreaded Writer’s Block from me (although I make no guarantees!) I want you to know that I am working to move past this, and I don’t want this disease to define me. My next post will be legitimate.
Thanks for reading (this ridculous rant of a post)! xo Whitney
