Lessons From Running a Website

Well, would you look at that! As of this week, this little website will officially be one year old!

First of all, I’d like to thank each and every one of you reading this for allowing me to have a small part in your busy lives. Whether this’ll be your first time here or you’re a frequent visitor, I hope my work is able to improve your day, if not make it slightly more interesting.

The initial mission for this website was self-actualization. I wanted to have a place where I could write out and archive my work on things like Project Wardens and Project Spellcheck so that even if they were a long ways out from proper completion, I had at least something to show for my effort. Soon after, the ideas of having a public portfolio of short stories and other works, as well as a place where I could write out my thoughts and opinions regarding miscellaneous media and other life topics, sprang to mind, creating the framework for the three blog categories you see at the top of this website.

A year’s worth of blog posts later and I can say that I’m satisfied with how far I’ve been come (though not satisfied enough to keep me from pushing on). However, in addition to fulfilling its original purpose, it’s also transformed into a major exercise in self-improvement as well. Below are just some of the lessons I’ve learned thus far.

Lesson 1: Setting Standards (and deadlines)

Starting this website, I had a clear-cut understanding of how I was going to run and update it: weekly blog posts added every Monday about whatever I felt like doing or talking about. After years of basically freestyling when it came to a schedule, I figured it was time for some actual structure in my routine so that I could pump out work effectively and consistently.

Everyone has their own approach to deadlines, but I tend to use mine as a bit of a motivational crutch. When I’ve got plenty of time to do something, I find myself prone to distraction and loafing as I write. When working close to the day something’s supposed to be done, however, I find myself easily getting into an effective writing mojo.

Such a lopsided approach to writing would be foolish, however, if I didn’t plan things out ahead of time. That’s why I maintain a comprehensive “blog log” where I keep track of and schedule upcoming blog posts, giving me time to plan and make adjustments as necessary.

In the cases where I know for certain that there won’t be a blog post going up on time due to life circumstances, technical difficulties, or a craving for a brain break, I always want to make sure people are kept in the know with an announcement on the website and social media that there won’t be anything going up that week. After all, transparency is perhaps just as important as consistency.

On that note…

Lesson 2: Haste, waste, and burnout.

Sometimes, something comes up that you weren’t expecting to deal with, writing-related or otherwise. Other times, you’re simply recognizing that you’re burnt out and don’t have the energy to make something of genuine quality.

Writing on fumes, even (or especially) if you’re short on time, is almost always a bad idea. Not only will your work suffer for it, but it’ll only contribute to that burnt-out feeling and negatively impact your mental state and motivation. If you’re one of those marvelous few who can thrive in those conditions, then kudos! But the last thing anyone wants to do is make something they enjoy unfun and unproductive.

If you need to take a breather, don’t be afraid to take one. If you’re going to be late, be up front about it. If you can’t afford to be late, then don’t hesitate to ask someone for a little help. In the worst-case scenario where there’s nothing you can do, then the least you can do is learn from yourself and figure out if there’s a way to avoid such circumstances for next time.

Believe me: this can be a hard one to learn, especially if you’re as stubborn as I am. I know there are probably a few blog posts I could have taken a little extra time to make perfect if I hadn’t boxed myself into a corner (looking at you, Celagrades…).

Lesson 3: Learning From Mistakes

Probably the worst blog I feel like I’ve made was “A Laissez-Faire Approach to Media Discourse.” It was among one of the first blog ideas I came up with, but when it was time for me to finally sit down and write it, I had quite literally lost the plot as to what I wanted to say. The end result was, in my opinion, a bizarre and ineffectual statement of the obvious. I said as much during my 2021 “Year in Review” blog post, where I was able to provide a shorter and more concise version of what I actually wanted to say. Still, I wouldn’t say I regret making it, and I definitely don’t think it would be right for me to remove it just because I didn’t like it.

It’s a simple fact that anybody who makes anything is bound to end up with a stinker or two in their portfolio, and that’s totally fine…as long as you actually learn from what you did. Using my aforementioned Laissez-Faire blog as an example, I learned that I needed to make sure I wasn’t just writing down titles and excerpts when coming up with blogs, but also making sure I had down what it is I wanted to say and accomplish with them. As a result, I began feeling much more prepared to tackle a blog when it finally came up to bat, no matter how long it had been since I first came up with the idea behind it.

If you find yourself stumbling or even falling flat on your face, don’t panic. Just get up, wipe the dust off, and make sure the next step you take is a step in the right direction.

Lesson 4: Recognizing Accomplishments

For some of you, making and learning from mistakes may feel like the easy part of what you do. Maybe it just feels like all you do is one mistake after the other, or maybe the lack of knowing whether or not something was/is a mistake is what’s got you gnawing on your fingers. Believe me when I tell you I’ve been there. In fact, there are times when I find that I’m still there.

But even if you can’t take a complement to heart, it’s important to stop yourself and realize where all your effort has taken you. It’s easy to get so caught up in dissatisfaction and the frustrations of creation that you forget just how much you’ve been able to get done, especially when you’re the only one seeing what it is you’re doing.

Does that make what you’re doing any less important, though? Is it any less of a miracle that you’ve been able to pull yourself from wherever you may have been yesterday? A month ago? A year ago, even?

A lack of attention or fanfare doesn’t equate to a lack of value. In fact, when the time comes that people do recognize your talent, they will have plenty of your work to look through and enjoy. What matters most is giving it your best shot every time you sit down to write whatever it is you want to do next.

(With that being said, though, don’t feel the need to keep everything to yourself! Take the initiative to reach out to likeminded individuals who will support and assist you in finding ways to contribute to your chosen medium and get your name out there.)

Conclusion

Running a website has taught me plenty more than I ever expected it to. Since day one, it’s offered lessons about consistency, tenacity, temperance, humility, strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly, the importance of always going the distance. One year and over fifty blog posts after I embarked on this wild expedition, I’ve found myself looking back and realizing the mountain I’ve climbed, and even with there being many more mountains to go before I’m where I need to be, I know I can take ‘em all on, and I hope I’ll be able to entertain and help you, dear reader, every step of the way.

So What’s Next?

Before we go, I did want to make a couple announcements. regarding this website.

First of all, while I do plan on keeping blog posts going at a weekly rate for as long as I can, I do eventually plan on slowing the rate at which I do post blogs (likely to a bi-weekly rate) in order to help them be longer and richer in quality and to make sure I am giving myself ample time for other projects. I’m not sure when I plan to make this change, but I wanted to make sure you knew that it will probably happen sooner or later.

Second, I’d like to announce plans to create a brand new blog category: Gamer Moment! This category will be made for any and all blogs that discuss video games and game-related topics, allowing the Blah Blah Blog to be a place more focused on proper miscellaneous things like books, movies, and life. Any game-related blogs currently located in the BBB as of writing this will be moved to Gamer Moment once it’s officially up and running.

And with that, I don’t think there’s anything more to add! So much has been done and yet there’s still so much to do, so I’ll offer one more thank you for the road as we officially step into year two of spreisswriter.squarespace.com!