Are you up for a writing challenge?
Here's the deal...
A small group of my friends have committed to writing ONE QUALITY POST every day in the month of August.
That's it. 31 posts in a month.
It's that easy... And that hard.
Why you should join the writing challenge with us!
While some of you may have "commitment issues" especially when it comes to writing, here are five great reasons why you should try.
1. CLEAR YOUR MIND
I don't know about you, but when I write I'm all in. Writing is an essential sanity tool. You can purge the negative thoughts, share the beauty of your world surroundings, tell a funny story, impart wisdom... The point is to get it out of your head.
I write fiction because I have these amazing voices in my head - and they have a story to tell. Sometimes I can file them in the back of my brain and tell them to shut up - more often than not - they drive me bonkers until I sit at my computer and share their tale. Sounds nutty, I know! I call that THE GREAT PURGE. It's like having a house full of relatives and booting them all out in one fell swoop! Ahhh...
2. HONE YOUR WRITING SKILLS
The more you read and write, the better you become at it. By default, you will expand your vocabulary, better your grammar, and improve your craft.
And if you bookmark my article: HELPFUL TIP: Optimize Your Steemit Posts you may learn a thing or two about formatting your posts for easy readabilty.
3. CONSISTENCY
Any life coach or business coach will tell you that consistency is the key to success. If you're a parent, then you have to know that consistency with your kids is paramount to a happy home. So, why not consistency with your self?
Here is the power of doing something every day
- It's measurable You can track your writing and tick the days off the calendar. There's a greater chance that your writing will be noticed and praised.
- You are accountable to you SURE, you've got a lot of stuff going on. Who doesn't? But if you have the mindset to say "I'm doing this because it's ME TIME you can hold yourself accountable and feel good about it.
- Build your reputation Steemit is looking for quality writers. Build your reputation as a solid contributor and you will go far.
- Get it done and get over it I know too many people who don't even try because they're afraid their stuff is crap. I have one thing to say to that: GET OVER YOURSELF No one is perfect, so how can you expect your writing to be? The trick is to just do it and get over it. Of course, no one wants to hear they have an ugly baby, but this community is pretty supportive.
4. SHARE YOUR ART
One of my best friends in the world yelled at me once. She said, "You have a gift that no one else has. You have a unique voice and style that no one else has...and you're keeping it to yourself?!? HOW DARE YOU!"
One: I was shocked because I didn't think I had a gift.
Two: I never considered myself unique.
Three: I didn't have the self-confidence to share my work because I was afraid of negative feedback.
You are unique and special. Your voice should be known - MUST be known
So get over yourself and just do it.
5. MAKE MONEY
There is an opportunity here on Steemit that I have not witnessed on other platforms. The ability to make pennies or thousands of dollars. The point is, the potential is there to put some change in your pocket while doing something that you love.
Some of the major things that gives me hope about Steemit's longevity is the transparency of the platform, and how it's members are investing back into it. That means sustainability, folks. They are in it for the long haul. So, while current parameters will freeze income on posts older than 30 days, you've made money on them. And who can complain about that?
Final Thoughts
Yes, it's a 31 posts in the month of August. You may be nervous about committing to it - and that's okay. But give it a try. There are no losers, but what you gain is so worth the effort!
- Picture attributes: All pictures listed are from Pixabay (creative commons) except for my mug on the bottom.
If you found this helpful or inspiring and want to join in, kindly vote up and leave me a message!
Meredith Loughran blogs at ScribblingBandits.com | Follow her on Twitter & SnapChat or LinkedIn
Some of my other articles on Steemit:
Great idea homie! Everyone needs to keep improving and molding themselves to be that successful human!
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Exactly, @bitcoindon23 - every day is an opportunity to improve and be better. You can take that to any aspect in your life. Thanks for stopping by and showing some love. :)
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Agreed! No problem, see you around and keep #steadysteeming
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should add in, if need accountability partner or feedback, then add or ask for a channel for others to check out their work or get feedback quikcly
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Hi @cybercodetwins - I'm actually part of a closed FB group but I wanted to keep this open to anyone who is willing to give it a shot. I tend to give out inspiration and writing prompts on Twitter to grow more exposure for Steemit. Alas, I'm a minnow so I'm pulling a Dory (Just keep swimming) LOL How do you feel about committing to 31 posts?
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Totally pulling a dory :) one post per day is doable. At times, It is usually a post every 2 days on the weekends if we have hackathons to pull a 24-hour hack. is this one #unitedminnows?
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Hmm @cybercodetwins - I'm not sure how to answer that. I have joined the #unitedminnows chat but the genesis of the challenge was on another platform. I'm just trying to get people to join Steemit and WRITE! Either way, I'm only hearing crickets. It's kind of sad.
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It's DAY 9 of the challenge!
*HOLY CRAP, what happened to day 8?
Ah well... I actually did post a blog but I just didn't post here. Being that I'm kind of talking to myself, I thought, meh, who's gonna notice? LOL Thus ends this episode of All By Myself.
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Just as a side note: This sure could use a little @berniesanders love, support and exposure! With love, Meredith
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I am going to try if not one a day maybe 1 every couple of days but do more than I'm doing now
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excellent @karenb54 - even if it's one post a week, at least you're on some kind of consistent schedule. That's the trick!
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I'm trying to think of something but my brain isn't working I will try again tomorrow
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NO PRESSURE. If you aren't enjoying the process then it's not worth it! I just wrote about my dog. LOL I simply couldn't do serious today.
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Didn't say I wasnt enjoying it my brain is still in down beat mode after yesterdays assesment
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i'm in, although it's getting a bit late in the day i best get my writing cap on.
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That was really inspiring, especially the one about keeping your gift from others. Getting others reactions on my writing will really help me too. Now just to sit and organize my thoughts...
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exactly @sorcpenz - there are tons of ways to get yourself organized. What's your writing process? Do you outline. storyboard, shoot from the hip, word vomit? It also helps to write at the same time of day, so knowing your energy levels are a good thing too. Keep writing!
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I'm not even awake during the same time of day. My circadian rhythms are shit. But I outline pretty heavily. I don't want to repeat myself, so the outlines sometimes extend to the whole blog. I was thinking of just writing down a couple topics and then a list of post ideas to pick from when I sit down to write something.
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Hey, hey, hey! It's day 14 of the challenge. I've been posting consistently, which is surprising the hell out of me, considering that I'm still logging on from the parking lot of Lowe's. Another full week without internet at my house and I'm going batshit crazy. Alas, the writing challenge continues and I want to know how you are all doing?
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DAY 7 Everyone! We've officially made it through the first week of the 31 posts in August challenge!
Remember: Consistency is the key to success
If you've posted something today, be sure to include a link so we can see what it's all about. Chances are that I'm talking to myself. LOL It's all good. Maybe I'll just consider this a daily diary without flooding the blockchain with a bunch of daily update posts. Carry on and get writing!
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We're on Day 3 of the writing challenge! Please post a link to today's contribution so we can take a peek at what you're doing. Remember - consistency is key...even if you're committing to one post a week. Let's help each other grow as a community - and maybe find some new friends.
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It's Officially Day 5 of the challenge - but who's counting when you're too busy writing??? LOL sadly I missed a couple of days. I blame moving and a lack of internet. But I posted today and I'm in the parking lot of my local Lowe's. What's your excuse?
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This is great. I have Jobs that actually pay(I need to live) so I will not have the time to keep up with you guys. But, I will try to make good content this month for Steem.
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Hey @luke490 - I really appreciate you stopping by. 31 posts is A LOT for a lot of people but I'm hoping the exercise isn't to scare anyone but to maybe get them to write more consistently. Even if you could commit to one post a week - it's something! Thank you for taking the time to comment :) Have a great weekend!
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Day 6 and nearly an entire week in. I'm so glad to see a few people popping in and sharing how they're doing and what they CAN commit to. Hey, I'm in the process of moving and don't have internet at my house BUT I can write ahead of time and plan my posts so a quick trip to a wifi hotspot makes quick work of a post. Anyway, if anyone's reading this: My contribution today was a Pierogies recipe. https://steemit.com/steemianfoodnetwork/@merej99/recipe-homemade-pierogies-save-money-eat-well-and-your-family-will-never-know-they-re-eating-leftovers Don't be afraid to share your daily post offering here. It will help me find you. Thanks!
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