But, true to my Thankful For series, I am trying hard to be thankful for this. It has allowed me to put into perspective what I want my blogs to be about.
Recently, I applied to be a guest reviewer on another blog, and did not get the position. I was really sad at first, because I thought the product reviews I had done in the past were pretty good, and I know my book review blog is good. But then I realized, maybe I did not get the reviewer position because product reviews are not what I should be focusing on. There are plenty of product review blogs out there, and many of them are really great, but many people only read them for the giveaways. I actually read quite a few, and rarely enter the giveaways unless it is something that I really really want, but I think I am in a minority there.
If you remember, the whole reason I am writing these blogs is to write the stories of my everyday life, and hope to touch someone else's. I have made some wonderful friends through blogging, and I want to continue making these types of connections. I do not think product reviews will help me do that.
I am also writing these blogs to strengthen my writing skills and develop an audience in the hopes of writing a book. Again, writing nothing but product reviews will not help me do that. I will still do occasional reviews, as they do help me strengthen my writing skills in ways that storytelling alone will not, but this will not be the main focus of my blog. With the book review blog, that actually is strengthening my literary skills, and helping me make connections within the industry, so those will continue regularly. But as for this blog, well, it is going to continue focusing on my small town life, with an occasional review or giveaway thrown in to spice things up. I will still do blog hops when I remember, because I love meeting new friends and discovering new blogs.
*hello new friends, sorry your comments got eaten by the blog monster*
As for full time product reviews, I am going to leave those to the bloggers who are already doing it so well. And rest assured, I do read the reviews and appreciate the work that goes into them, regardless of whether I even enter a giveaway.
So, thank you blog monster, for giving me some perspective.
(don't you love my drawing of him?)
