Book Blogger Confession..... for Monday the 16th

I discovered For What It's Worth while hopping around the blogosphere, and came across this Monday meme.  Co-hosted with All-Consuming Media, these two bloggers have come up with a discussion topic for the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month.   I didn't see the first one, last Monday, but I thought it might be interesting to participate in the one today.    

Answer the question: Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them? 

I definitely have experienced reading slumps, and blogging slumps, as well.  Reading slumps are almost a bit easier for me to deal with, and luckily, it's not something that happens often.   I read a lot of different genres, and a fair amount of nonfiction, so I don't always get in a rut.  However, when I do, it's usually because I'm not reading anything that's striking me as really great, or resonating with me.    To beat a reading slump, I usually re-read something that I really like --- a/k/a "comfort reading."   A comfort read can be something like a Maeve Binchy story, an Anne Perry mystery, or even a book by one of my favorite authors.    A comfort read is usually a book where I remember the story and characters pretty well, and where I know the ending ..... but I still enjoy the read.    The other thing I have done to get out of a reading slump is to do a mini read-a-thon ---- I read and reviewed a bunch of Roald Dahl books a while back, and that was fun --- and completely got me out of my slump.

in manageable ... and bit-too-big size

Blogging slumps are a bit trickier for me.   Occasionally, I find myself struggling with a bit of the blues.  Actually, I like to think of it like Winston Churchill described his depression --- "The Black Dog."  Sometimes, it follows me around a bit too much and even though I try to lock it in another room, it gets out to keep following me .....   and enticing it with treats doesn't always work, either.     


 Either way, I do sometimes get in a bit of a slump where I don't think anyone is reading my posts, and maybe it's just completely stupid that I write them.....    and then I pinch myself and get going again.   I try to keep myself on a schedule, and that helps, too.  I look forward to certain days, for example, like Wednesdays, when I can go to Wordless Wednesdays and see different blogs and photographs.   Visiting other blogs is nice, too -- just reading what other people are saying and leaving a few comments is helpful.     Having a good read to blog about helps, too ---- I started blogging just to get my own thoughts out there, and if I remember that, then everything else falls into place.    After all, the Black Dog is just a dog -- -sometimes, it's a bit of a beast, but I always do tame it (or at least shrink it to the size of a strawberry, so it doesn't bother me much).   And, my slumps don't last very long most of the time, I'm happy to say.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other bloggers have to say on this subject --- maybe I'll get some good "slump-busting" ideas!