Last year I did NaBloPoMo because I figured I wasn't doing anything else. Ha! I did it again this year! I posted every day this month! But this year I found a little community that was also doing it so I wasn't doing it solo. San organized and here is the list of people who did it with me this month:
I originally wanted this to be about lessons I learned doing this, but as I'm sitting here writing it, I don't have a lot that I think I learned. From June 2014 until June of 2015, I posted something here in this space every day as part of a blog project with my best friend, so I know that writing a little bit every day is possible, it's just something that needs to be prioritized if I need to get it done each day.
Frankly it was easier in 2014-2015 to actually write something because I actually left the house (man, I went to concerts, went on a trip to Nashville, went to Michigan - for me NOW in 2021, it feels like I was never home). I felt like I was really phoning it in last week when I just posted cute pictures of my pets, but sometimes it's nice to just write about small moments so that years from now, I will have those memories of daily minutiae. I just went down a rabbit hole of those 2014-2015 posts and I wrote hundreds of words about absolutely silly things. And some of those silly things are fun to go back to.
But back to lessons. I guess thinking about prioritizing things is a lesson. I prioritize walking the dog, reading, exercising, Spanish on Duolingo, and feeding my husband. I don't prioritize cleaning the toilets, keeping the yard maintained, or watching television. Writing is somewhere in the middle for me. I write a little bit for work with emails, a research paper I'm working on, and constant revising of documents for my program, but I used to have a job where I wrote a lot more. It's not something I have to do every day, but it does feel like I've accomplished something when I hit the publish button.
The other lesson is that a little bit of organization goes a long way. I had an editorial calendar for this month's posts and I would just add ideas when I thought of them and I would highlight the posts once I had completed them. This kept me accountable when I needed to take photos or start thinking about what I was going to write about more than the second I opened up a blank post. I'm not sure I'll be willing to do that for every month, but it was a good reminder that sometimes a big project doesn't have to be overwhelming - bite-sized pieces for everyone!
And the last thing I learned is that there is still an active blogging community out there! I don't know when we stopped doing blogrolls and people just seemed to stop blogging while I kept trucking away over here, but once I stumbled on San's post about NaBloPoMo, I was so excited that there were other people still regularly blogging! Yay for new discoveries!!
Congrats to all the other participants this year. We did it! It was fun and I enjoyed reading all your posts. Here's to doing it again next year.
How did I miss that you joined the NabLoPo?! I am so sorry I haven't cheered you on during the time but I will catch up reading your post through the next days (right now I should be working... ups). I also enjoyed that we have been a little community and that blogging indeed is not dead at all. You just gotta find your tribe.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it is a prioritizing thing. Once you starts it does not seem that tough because you have a routine. And I also agree that having an editorial calendar helps but I also wouldn't want to stick to one all year round. A little flexibility keeps the fun in.
Yes- we did it! I'm thinking your name wasn't on the original list for NaBloPoMo because although I had started to read you blog, it wasn't until about the middle of the month that it dawned on me you were posting every day and therefore most be doing NaBloPoMo! I agree, this was an incredible experience and I love the new blogs I've found- let's do it next year- for sure.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found us - or we found you :) (how did you find my post - if you remember? I am just curious!). Anyway, yes, I am also so very excited to see that there are still people out there blogging and this has been such a nice little community here for NaBloPoMo... I was actually able to mostly keep up with everyone and really enjoyed the companionship this year. Let's do it again next year!!
ReplyDeleteWow - a whole YEAR of posting every day. That's incredible.
ReplyDeleteIt's been so much fun to follow along this past month; I'm so glad there was a small but steady crew of NaBloPoMo participants.
http://elisabeth-frost.com
I'm so glad to have discovered your lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are posting more, and I love that through your posts I discovered some new bloggers to follow!
ReplyDeleteI was so happy to learn you joined NaBloPoMo because I always love hearing more from my fave bloggers! I can't wait to do it again with you next year. <3
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your posts every day! I read most of the NaBloPoMo group members' posts and really enjoyed getting to know people better. Perhaps I shall consider it at some point in the future (although honestly the timing is terrible for academia... sigh... ).
ReplyDeleteI do find it fascinating how this experience highlighted what you emphasize / prioritize in your life, and what takes a back seat. It's interesting when we reflect on our daily life, isn't it?