Whatever life throws at you

9 Years of Blogging – some reflections and a Q&A!

Kat Impossible39 Comments

A scrap of paper taped to a light brown background with a dried yellow flower. The writing on the paper says "9 years of blogging - some reflections and a Q&A"

I’ve been blogging on Life and Other Disasters for 9 YEARS now. Can you believe it? I certainly have to say it to myself quite a lot, because it sure hasn’t sunk in yet. It has become increasingly harder to think of something entertaining and new for these celebratory milestones. Last year, I re-introduced myself, just because I felt like there were a lot of new people in the blogosphere that I wasn’t as close with as the ones I started out with … who kept dwindling away.

However, I really have to highlight how grateful I am for every single person who stops by, leaves a like or even comments. I know that there’s bigger and maybe more trendy and flashier blogs and social media accounts out there, but I love this little corner of the internet that I’ve built for myself with you all. I get to come here and just talk (or more like ramble) about the things I love or that are currently on my mind and that is such a gift. I’ve made some real connections over the years and found my kindred spirits through this medium, knowing that we otherwise would have likely never crossed paths. All of this is so special to me!

Still, after all those years, you kind of lose track of anniversaries and such, so this post is a little improvised. On a whim, I decided to ask my Twitter followers if they had questions I could use for a Q&A and they delivered! Thanks for showing up in my time of need. Ahead are some really contemplative musings on blogging, so I hope you enjoy them!

It's a WordPress badge, showing the blue W of the site with the text "Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered 9 years ago. Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging."
You’d think they’d change the text or make it somehow more special after a couple years, but nope … same badge as always.

The Q&A

Please don’t hesitate to visit the blogs of the people who asked questions! I will link back to each of them!

How have you been blogging for so long? (Chelle’s Book Ramblings)

I just … never stopped? I’ve definitely had ups and downs, times where I only managed to post once a week at most (which is low for me), but I still stuck with it and there’s no concrete reason to it. My perspective definitely changed after I bought my domain name, because then money was involved and I didn’t want to have spent it on something I wasn’t using? But also, at this point, I don’t really know if I even could stop blogging altogether. I’ve been doing it for almost a decade and it’s part of me?

This is just how I live now?

What inspired you to start blogging? (Naty’s Bookshelf)

Good question! I actually had a blog prior to this one. It was over on blogspot and just focusing on TV shows alone. I didn’t really love the platform and abandoned it after a couple weeks, but I was still yearning for someplace to just ramble about all the things I frequently got obsessed with. 

Then, one day, we had to do a project for uni, where we had to create a blog for class. I offered to sign up on WordPress for my group and then I secretly created a second blog for myself. I barely told anyone, in case it would fail and I’d abandon it again. It still took ages until there was real interaction on it, but I enjoyed the interface and everything much better and stuck with it.

Best thing that happened to you thanks to blogging? (Drizzle and Hurricane Books)

Meeting you! Making some real friends! If anyone had told me that I’d meet so many great people on here and that I’d make some genuinely long-lasting connections, I wouldn’t have believed it at first. Now, there’s just so many friends I talk to on a regular basis about much more than just blogging that I adore and couldn’t imagine my life without.

What did blogging teach you about yourself? (Drizzle and Hurricane Books)

Oh, quite a lot, I’d say! Here are some examples:

  • It helped me express my thoughts and feelings. I especially think that I’ve worked on my English language skills (particularly in writing) and expressing critical thoughts more clearly. There’s still room for improvement, but it definitely helped me know what I want my style to be.
  • No matter how niche you think your interests are, there’s likely someone else out there in the interwebs, who likes the same stuff.
  • Some thoughts and ideas don’t need to be shared and it’s okay to change your mind.

3 books you discovered thanks to the community and adore? (Drizzle and Hurricane Books)

I’m afraid I don’t have the names of the people that recommended these books to me specifically, but hype in the community in general was the reason I picked up the following books, which eventually turned into favorites:

Which blog posts do you find most fulfilling to write and why? (My Midnight Musing)

I wouldn’t say I’m the most creative blogger in general. I have a couple weekly features (such as my trailer round-ups and recaps of what’s I’ve been watching as well as Marvel reviews, when shows are on), but I feel like I really thrive when I have unique ideas … which doesn’t happen too often.

At the moment, I’m quite pleased with the compatible reader series (check out the latest one here) or the celeb book club (which you can find here), because they combine my interest for reading with TV and movies. They usually take a very long time and sometimes are frustrating to get through, but in the end, I’m always proud of stepping out of my comfort zone and giving it some serious thought.

What advice would you give to people thinking of joining the blogosphere? (My Midnight Musing)

I think there’s loads to consider once you’ve been at it for a while, but in the beginning? Here’s a few things I would tell every newbie:

  • Write about what YOU want to talk about and not what you think others want to read about.
  • Don’t be an island! If you want to be part of the community, go to other people’s blogs and engage in a meaningful way (that means no simple “great post!” comments). It might not always be reciprocated, but if you click with people it will happen naturally.
  • Other platforms will always grow faster, because they are flashier. Be patient, blogging is a long game.

If you could magically change something about your blog or the way blogging works in general, what would you change? (the wordy habitat) 

I think a lot of us have felt engagement on our blogs dwindling over the past years. I’ve tried to be really motivated and not just get views, but also to interact with people, but it just hasn’t been the same as say … 5-6 years ago. I’m happy for everyone who can report differently from their blogs, but it’s just what I’ve been witnessing. But, and that’s the important part, connecting and talking with people has always been my favorite part of this whole venture.

So, if I could change anything, I would wish for more engagement or that engagement might be easier? Sometimes I wonder if the whole “signing up to leave a comment” etc. and being on so many different platforms makes it less likely for people to interact.

I hope you enjoyed this little exploration into my innermost blogging thoughts! If there’s anything more you would like to know, feel free to ask in the comments. I’ll do my best to answer you there!

39 thoughts on “9 Years of Blogging – some reflections and a Q&A!”

  2. CONGRATULATIONS again, Kat, what an incredible milestone 🥳 I’m so happy to have known you and your blog for… maybe 7 of these years? Wow, it’s been a while ahah.
    I see what you mean about blogging being part of yourself, I feel that way, too. After so long, it just feels like something you do, a habit you got into and… that’s all ahah, really.
    Also meeting you definitely one of the highlights of my blogging adventure 🥺😭 I love how this starts out as something fun and ends up as something that gave us real, genuine connections and friendships. This is the best part of blogging! 🥺😭
    Also I feel you on the engagement part. I wish it could be easier, in a way, but I guess that’s how things changed, unfortunately.
    Here’s to many, many more years!! 🥳🥳

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    • THANK YOU!!! And again, thank you for posing great questions! Blogging just wouldn’t be the same without you, friend ❤
      Here’s to many more years indeed and me coming up with something amazing for next year’s DECADE OF BLOGGING celebration :O

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  4. Happy Blogivserary! 9 years is amazing! 🎉😊 The way you started this blog is quite similar to how I started my blog. I had a blog previous to this one and the website changed and got rid of user generated content and became more of a magazine content website. So during one of my uni courses we used WordPress and I found my new home!
    I’ve also enjoyed talking Star Trek with you!

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  11. Congrats on 9 years!! 🎉🎉 That’s soo amazing… and it would be so cool if WordPress made special badges each year. Like it is an achievement especially as you do see quite a few people sadly drop off over the years. But, I love your blog a lot 💕💕 I find your blogging voice really comforting and I really love how you articulate yourself. And of course, it is even better to see how much you love and gain from blogging too!! 💗
    The community is so fun and of course, I do love getting book recs. I know I’ve mentioned it before but I really hope to read Red Rising soon!!
    Congrats again, I loved reading your answers and here’s to all the years to come! 🎊

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  12. Congratulations, Kat—9 years is huge! 😍 I love your creative posts and I think that the series’ that you do are so much fun! I think that the best thing about blogging is really all the new friends I’ve made who share the same passion and interest for books as I do. I also wish that engagement was easier too but it does always feel great when you create those connections! I’m so glad that I discovered your blog 💜

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  13. I hope you’re planning for your post next year already 😉 it seems inevitable that you’ll be writing one up for a decade of bogging sooner than it seems. 🥰 And an additional question if you don’t mind: how has your writing voice or style changed since your earlier years (if at all?) Even just in my 3 years of blogging, I can see differences from then to now, so I would guess it’s even more so after nine years. Congrats, I hope you continue to enjoy this part of who you are 🎉

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    • I’m definitely starting to think about next year already. I suppose a 10-year-anniversary really should be something special and not just an afterthought.
      As to your question, I’m not entirely sure how it has changed and if I can put it into words. I feel more assured in what I’m trying to say. But I also just think that I’ve honed my language skills in general, especially since English isn’t my primary language.
      Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

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  15. Congratulations on this beautiful achievement, Kat! One more year and you’ll have achieved a milestone that some could only ever dream about! 😛 I’m glad that you stuck to sharing stuff that you love and do it with a passion. You’re right that it doesn’t matter how niche our interests are since someone is bound to have such an interest in the interwebs! 😀

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