8 lessons from the Blogging Challenge

Today is the last day for the daily blog post challenge by UBC, NaBloPoMo and Blogathon. This is the first time I am completing a challenge. Yes I did miss two days, but then I back dated the posts immediately. I came across several new blogs who I realized are writing good content and that I need to improve a lot. Some of the posts I did this month were just fill-in posts and reminded me of my initial posts, where I just blabbered like a teenage young girl, chirping away her innocent thoughts. The pressure of writing daily, is like that of writing an exam, where you know you just have to write out answer to the point when time is ticking away. It may not be the perfect answer, but you write in somehow.

• Write short posts. The other members who would be supporting you in the challenge are quite busy with their own challenges. Long posts may shrug them off. The theme of the post and the points which you put across the table matters the most.
• Schedule your posts in advance. If not for all days, this gives you room to write for the oncoming days. And usually, writing streak comes in waves. This also frees you up on weekends.
• Its okay if you are unable to post one or two days. Its not the end of life, and there is no punishment. Do not feel bad about it. Instead focus on making up for the posts on missed days by writing more.
• Few people are very creative under pressure. Consider the challenge as a writing course which helps you to form a habit of writing daily. To get into a routine where you make time for your writing creativity and honing the skills.
• Memes and tags are handy to fill up the post when you are having a bad day. Keep them ready beforehand, and then drop it at the click of publish button.
• Unless you make the effort to comment on other blogs, no one would notice that you have read their blog. Leave your imprints in some way or the other. It may bring a smile on the writer.
• Do not get disappointed if the readership does not increase to your expectations. Relationships are not formed in one day.
• Do not attempt experimenting with back end of blog like changing themes, plugins and other works in the midst of a challenge. You may be knowing this already, but take care not to give into temptations.

And mostly enjoy writing. I did every bit of it. It has given me a hope that I can write more and more, if not daily, once in a week. There may not be any monetary benefits, but some experiences are priceless. Ain’t it?