When one of my friends suggested I join National Blog Posting Month two years ago, I accepted the challenge.
Write a post every day for 30 days? Hmmm. OK, I’ll give it a try!
I have to admit, writing and publishing a post every day was not as easy as I thought.
What topics should I write about? Where will I find the time? Who will want to read what I write?
I Made It!
At the end of November, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Thirty posts written and published, several people commenting about the posts. Woohoo!
I wrote about things that mattered to me. Answered questions friends and colleagues asked about the web. Promoted web professionals events in our area. Shared new features in browsers, as well as web design and development resources and how-tos.
I met a lot of other writers and web professionals online I wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t been writing daily.
Yes, some days it was a struggle.
My writing cap, as my sixth grade teacher Miss Brown would say, was lost. I couldn’t find inspiration to write.
Other days, my words would fly as I typed them on the screen, or wrote them down in my ever-present small notebook.
December 1 came around and I felt I had more to write.
More to share to help others learn about making it easier to work on the web. And use WordPress. Or make sense of the latest technology in our daily lives.
Two years later, I’m still writing and publishing a daily blog post.
I could stop. And I may sometime soon.
But writing daily has made a change in my life.
It’s helped me to focus and prioritize, not just in my writing, but in my web design and development projects and everyday life.
It’s also connected me with other writers and web professionals in the community, opening my eyes to amazing work by others, building relationships, and making new friends in my nearby community and around the world.
And if you’ve met me in person, or interacted with me online or on social media, you know I’m a social person.
I like to meet others, hear their stories, talk about their lives, and share my experiences.
And I thank my daily writing for allowing me to do that.
Give Daily Writing a Try
If you’ve been thinking about writing more often, or committing to daily writing, there’s no better time than now to start!
Whether you want to write once a week, once a month, or commit to daily writing, there’s a boatload of resources to get you started, inspired, and building a community of readers.
You can do a search online for writing or blogging, and get a ton of links and resources.
How do you know which one to use? Here are my recommendations, resources I’ve used in the past, as well as a brand new resource.
Blogging University
Some of my favorite blogging and writing resources are the WordPress.com Blogging University courses.
This morning, I was excited to see WordPress.com announced their free upcoming courses for November.
From daily assignments to help you learn about publishing basics to a two-week course about customizing WordPress.com to a four-week writing course with daily inspirational prompts, you’ll find a course that will help you reach your writing goals.
Depending on which course, or courses, you take, you’ll learn about:
- Developing a writing habit
- Finding inspiration
- Publishing a post
- Customizing your blog
And you’ll have the opportunity to interact with others on a private community site, to chat, connect, and get feedback and support.
Did I mention the courses are free?
Register online, and you’ll receive a confirmation and welcome email message to get you started. You don’t need to have a blog on WordPress.com to take the courses.
Are you planning to start writing regularly? I’d love to hear from you!
