Several years ago I made a weak attempt at joining the ranks of the NaNoWriMo contest (National Novel Writing Month) and penning 50,000 words of fiction in 30 days. The concept, I think, is brilliant, and it's no small testament that the program has survived this long and that so many people keep coming back to it.
This year I was in heavy debate over whether or not I should try it again, and a million reasons kept popping into my head arguing to abandon hopes of writing so much in a month like this. After all, I have 100 bracelets to make for my holiday shows, I have a study group once a week as I work through the Better, Smarter, Richer workbook by Jackie B Peterson, and I was just promoted at work and start my new job as a design team/project manager on Monday.
Call it stubbornness or the spirit of a martyr, but all of these reasons just make me want to do it more. I had already set aside my mornings before work for writing, I know that I want to continue developing and publishing meaningful content on this blog, and I love writing. So there you have it.
With my own unique style, however, I'm modifying the challenge and tailoring it to what I need right now. Forget NaNoWriMo. Say hello to PerBloPoMo.
PerBloPoMo (Personal Blog Posting Month)
- During the course of November 2011, I will post 25,000 words to this blog.
- Instead of fiction, I am writing non-fiction, advice, opinion, and generally divulging information to the masses.
- Instead of 50,000 words, and because I don't want to be a martyr, I will write 25,000 words in a 30 day period.
- My subject matter will fall along the lines of community building, technology as relates to small business, hard skills, soft skills and more, always fitting within the scope of The Ambidextrous Brain.
- I am accountable before my readership, and yes, this post counts.
My PerBloPoMo Objectives
- Develop a habit of writing and posting several times per week.
- Finish my Connecting to Your Community series (one article to go!).
- Explore all of the ideas that have been floating around in my head for the last few months.
- Hone in on my own expertise as relates to my dream job.
- Build a following of 200 people on my Ambidextrous Brain mailing list (currently at 40).
Seems easy enough, right? The only thing I need help on is spreading the word to gain followers. Please feel free to share the link and spread the love socially below.