{Blog #10} Thoughts that have been keeping me from writing reviews...

Don't worry (let's be honest, nobody worried), the ideal month project is still going strong and I'll catch up with that before the year ends. Today I want to briefly discuss why I haven't been using this platform. 

In practical terms, it's because I began thinking about switching to WordPress, as it has a more active book blogging community and the templates are very nice. While I pondered the switch, I thought it would be best to take a break.

The break became a hiatus. 

The hiatus prolonged.

I kept meaning to return, but somehow couldn't find the time, the motivation, the sense of purpose in it. 

I realized it's because I've been thinking about content clutter lately. 

Correction.

I've always thought about it, but I've been obsessing over it during this pandemic. The obsession spiraled after I took a non-fiction writing class which was enlightening, but made me reflect on whether we really need all this content. Probably not, is the answer. But then we indulge in much we don't need, so the question shifted from necessity to benefits. What's the true upside?

Of course, for some people it's their livelihood, but in terms of audience... is it worthwhile, or even positive at all, to always be producing digestible lengthy sometimes-clever-sometimes-not-whatever-lands content? I think of all the websites churning out many entries every single minute and I feel a bit sick. Don't get me started on all the books... I don't deny some of it is brilliant, and on a personal level I do believe everybody deserves a chance to try their hand at it. However, as a reader, and aspiring writer and critic, it all just fills me with existential dread... tbqh. 

Thus, for many months my mind raced in circles. I couldn't get it to pipe down: Why was I reviewing? What format was best? Was it any good? What was I contributing by indulging in this impulse? Did it matter, one way or another?

I'm still not 100% convinced of my conclusions, but I've made a decision.

I have a format in mind, that serves the purpose of what I'd like to bring to book reviewing and sharing. It won't be groundbreaking, but I think it might suit me and be of interest to others as well. I will be conducting this project starting January 2021 (fingers crossed) on another platform, probably WordPress.

I'll catch up on the Ideal Month Project 2020 here, and then I will leave this lil' blog behind. Many of the projects will continue, however, just in a new format somewhere else.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and hopefully you'll stick around to see what's next :) Whatever it is, I'll put lots of thought and effort into it, and with some luck it might be just right this time... or close enough.