UPDATE, 10/1/22: I need to clarify something. I am NOT going to stop writing about true crime. I am ADDING other topics to my blog to write.
I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know of upcoming changes to TCD. I have been in a rut the past few months, which, if you are not new here, you know I go through this occasionally. The rut is giant this time.
Reasons for my Discontent
Boredom
I am incredibly bored with the blog. Twelve years is a long time, and I am now 52. Writing on this blog is time-consuming, like pulling teeth to get me to write on a case, and I realized that I am BORED, REALLY bored.
I was passionate about being a voice for missing persons and victims of unsolved murders. I LOVED writing true crime. But for the past few years, I have fought HARD to get the passion back, and I feel like I am losing the battle.
Views are Down
I used to get decent monthly traffic to the blog for YEARS. Now, barely anyone is coming to read my work. I average about a post a week and acknowledge that I do go some weeks without anything. But I did that before, too, and people still came.
I have always paid attention to monthly views but never obsessed over them. However, they have been way down in the past year or so. Something has to give.
I think a lot of it is because of all the true-crime creators out there. Honestly, I do not feel the work I do matters anymore.
Consistency
I have struggled with this throughout the life of this blog. There are many personal reasons for this, but one is that I kept it as a “hobby” blog and felt I would write whenever I wanted. I didn’t consider my readers, which is ridiculous, I know.
Another reason is boredom. It’s hard to be consistent when you are so bored that you would rather shut it down than continue.
True Crime Niche is SATURATED.
When I started blogging about true crime in 2010, there were not a lot of others doing the same. There were no podcasts and only a few YouTubers. I could write on whatever case I wanted because there was a chance nobody else would cover it.
I don’t know how many YouTube and TikTok channels are devoted to true crime today, but there is a shit-ton. It’s unreal. And let’s not forget the kazillion podcasts.
Newbies think they will be the next big crime YouTuber or podcast, but they’re just another show in a gigantic pool of others covering the same shit.
Even on Medium, there is an abundance of crime writers with their click-bait headlines.
It’s too much. I will explode if I see one more thing about JonBenét Ramsey, Ted Bundy, or the Golden State Killer. It’s ridiculous, to be honest.
It’s getting harder and harder to cover lesser-known cases.
A Change of Pace
Although I have not ruled out shutting down my blog, I think what I need most is change. I really want to love writing on here again. So, I’ve decided to open up the blog to more categories. I tried Diva’s Nook, but some of you became pissy about that because it was “not true crime.” DUH. That was the whole point.
Regardless, I may still bring DN back, but in the meantime, I am contemplating writing in the following categories:
- Bizarre & Unexplained: I have a subcategory titled “Bizarre,” but I would change or rename it to a primary category. It would include articles on strange criminal cases, accidents & deaths, conspiracy theories (not QAnon), paranormal, people, science, tech, and other weird shit (I may use “weird shit” as a category name LOL). I love reading about all things strange, so I think I would enjoy writing articles that fall into this category.
- History: This may or may not include crime.
- Personal Stories: Readers can submit a personal story to me, and I will post it on the blog. As long as it falls under any of this site’s categories, you can send it. So, it can be under one of the new categories or true crime. Have a ghost story? Send it! Were you a victim of a crime? Send it. Do you have a bizarre story to tell? Send it! You get the idea. You can be anonymous or not, or I will use your first name and the initial of your last name. That’s up to you. I will write a few of my own to start.
- Reviews: This one is a sure bet. I already have one article in this category. However, I will do more film/TV reviews of my favorite movies/shows on Netflix and Prime Video. I have one I will post soon. I may occasionally do a book review, but I’m leery of opening myself back up to that because I get numerous requests from publishers/writers.
- Travel: Most likely, I will write about specific locations where murders occurred, haunted places, etc. I need to brainstorm more. I might categorize articles here under #1.
Yes, I realize these topics are not all crime-related, so you don’t have to say anything. (I know someone will) None of these are set in stone. I may write on all or one or two. Please feel free to email me your thoughts on the new categories. I will rebrand the blog or shut it down if necessary. We’ll see how the new changes go first.
Social Media
UPDATE, 10/1/22: I will continue posting on Facebook, Pinterest, and possibly Instagram.
I will break from social media indefinitely as I update with the changes. So, I will not be posting my articles on my SM pages.
I am rarely on there, anyway. When you do not post often, asshole FB/Instagram hides your page from people’s feeds. So, it’s a headache I do not need. I may, at some point, start posting on SM again, but there is a chance I will walk away from SM entirely.
I will still send announcements, articles, and updates to my email list, so you can subscribe here if you are not on it.
Why am I letting you know first?
I owe it to my readers. Many bloggers will change or rebrand an entire site on short notice or not announce it.
I’ve been around long enough that a handful of people know of my site, lol. And those people are my tribe. They care about me and the blog, and I care about them.
It’s for the new ones who recently stumbled upon TCD and fell in love with it.
Lastly, it’s because I wanted to inform you BEFORE the changes. You mean a lot to me, and it’s only fair that you know beforehand, not later.
I hope you will like the new articles and continue on this journey with me.
4 comments
I am one of the newbies and / but have enjoyed TCD. Thanks for the update. Looking forward to what’s next! 🙂
Thank you!! I’m looking forward to the new stuff and continuing my true crime journey with you!
Thanks for all you do.
Thank you so much!