I'm still in it. Some days, it's easy as pie.....but then about mid-month, I got swamped with other stuff and it was kinda hard to slide in those few minutes to post this or that. I must say, my quality 'did' drop some during those days and I'm just now able to get back into the swing of it before I get hit again at the end of the month. November just really isn't a good time for this for me, but oh well...I'm still going!
I thought I'd be more organised this year and I picked a theme to blog along. Still finding it a real challenge though! Maybe even harder than last year.
I think it's because with the theme I feel like I should do "proper" posts rather than just random filler posts. More effort and more time. Will have to rethink for next year.
I'm still posting everyday. It hasn't been too bad. There has been a lot of topics to post about this month. My advice is to participate it weekly memes once or twice a week. I have Wordless Wednesdays and Booking Through Thursdays. I also do a links post on Friday: The Friday Bookish Buzz. I link and comment on interesting book related news items on the internet. That takes some of the pressure off.
I usually put up several posts a day, so being required to do just one is easy as pie. They're not all deep and meaningful, since I've also go NaNoWriMo to think of, but I just try not to put too much pressure on myself with the blogging. After all, it's meant to be fun. It also helped that I was tagged for several memes and signed on for a couple myself.
I've been writing one or more posts a day for several years now, so NaBloPoMo isn't too challenging. I think that the ability to write anything I want really helps; I just sit down and freewrite for a set period every day and then see what I'm working with. Sticking within a theme or topic would be hopelessly restrictive.
I usually post daily anyway on my blog, so it hasn't been hard to keep up. Sometimes, like today, I'll do 2 or 3. What I hate is the time it takes to upload photos. I'm on satellite internet (when you live in the boonies it's the only option) and although it's faster than dialup it's not like those fast lines other folks have.
I've managed to hang with it every day so far, and I think only a natural disaster, an attack from a pack of wild elephants or a really severe paper cut will stop me from crossing the finish line on November 30.
And I also must say I've enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, too. I mean...I signed up with the intent to have fun and challenge myself. But I thought that, among the 30 days, there would be at least a few that would be a complete drag. There have been some challenging days, yes...but overall I've had a great month writing every day and exploring other people's blogs.
Now I'm anxious to see what happens to me...and others...come December, when we don't have an obligation to post every day, and won't get sent home from school with a note from the teacher if we miss a few days in a row. Before NaBloPoMo, I was a sporadic blogger at best. I hope this feeling of accomplishment has helped to change my views on how much writing really means to me.
Yeah, I've had a similar experience. My previous blogging had been here and there, with some spaces of extreme activity interrupted by several months of absence. I'm glad I took up this challenge. Not only did it show me I could do it, it has improved my writing (I hope) and increased my traffic. Renewing my commitment to my writing and my art is a very positive outcome.
Mobile blogging has been a boon!! Being able to send pictures and accompanying posts straight from my phone has improved the likelihood of my posting. So I have not only posted every day, I've posted multiple times on some days. This has been quite a month -- I've had a lumpectomy and got great support, been to my first ever hockey game, Thanksgiving has been celebrated 3 times, my dog made a fool of herself at the vet getting her toenails clipped -- all 'reported' thanks to my cell phone.
I think I'll stick with this after November's long past. It's the sense of accomplishment and the feeling of community that I am responding to, every bit as much as my writing and art.
Still going :). There was a spell of "I can't do this," and a spell where I was convinced that the frequent posting negatively affected the quality of my entries, and then a sense of, OK, this isn't so bad. Previously, I'd been posting about every other day or so, so it wasn't too drastic an adjustment. It forces me to flex a bit to find things to write about, and I've ended up writing some things I may not otherwise have, like things overheard on campus or at work, or book quotes, or a brief bit of existential questioning.
I think some of the most interesting posts have been ones where people started out with an "I can't do this anymore" post and then, maybe because they weren't really "trying", went on to reflect on some really interesting aspect of their life - not realizing that what's mundane to them might be an interesting window into another person's life for other. I wish I could post some examples, but I haven't had enough coffee to find them again right now. *sigh*
I agree. I had a post like that before NaBloPoMo, when I decided to free myself up a bit. I decided to let my posts be... this'll sound New Age-y, but organic. Let them do their own thing, and let writing be a process of discovery. That's part of the challenge of this gig--that spontaneity is lost to a certain extent when put under deadline.
I'm still in! It's been good for me to get some writing and research done every day, if only to get myself in practice. I've had a few link-pile posts, but most of the rest have come pretty easily and some days I've really had a topic take my interest and come out well.
So am I!! Quite a challenge for me too, as I am not used to write in English! I am from Belgium and my homeblog is in Dutch. I am used to post something every day on that one, but I have committed myself to write on my Nabloblog every day too! So, that's two different blogs in two different languages! ????
No postcrossing for me, I write two totally different entries every day! And it's encouraging if some of my visitors write a comment on my page, or if they want me to add them as a friend, that really gives me the strenght to go on.( On my Nablopage that is, on my homeblog I am used to getting a lot of comments each day)
However, a day without comments makes me sooooooooo unsure of myself!
I have posted every day until now, and I will keep on going until this circus is over, I am not a quiter!!
But at this stage I am counting the days, yes ....
So, I guess it is more challenging than I expected, but only because of that!
I do not find it easy, and I have no secret either. Exept maybe that I am very eager to learn, and I feel by writing something each day, my English has much approved. Or so I think?
And I think I'm really, really gonna miss it when this is over!
What happens with this after November anyway, when this is over?
Will you still be able to write here?
Is anyone still going to visit here, or will your Nablopage transform into a ghosttown?
What happens here when November is through, does anybody know that?
I always try to post at least 5x/week, usually several times each day, M-F, so this was a bit of a challenge. Mostly, the challenge is that I babysit my granddaughter so weekends I tend to walk away from the computer and spend time with her. Surprisingly, I've had no trouble finding the time to blog on weekends, too, while still spending time with her.
I'm hoping this month of blogging every day inspires me to keep doing this all year long. Rather than lose track of the good ideas I have on weekends and never get around to blogging, I've actually gotten them down and been quite happy with the content.
I'm going with this all the way to the very end. I'm so glad there's a forum where I can feel normal about being a compulsive blogger.
FYI, I asked Eden what happens to this site after the end of November and she told me it will still stay up. Which means there'll still be this great venue for us to exchange our thoughts and share experiences and blogs of course!
