#bloglikecrazy

It’s Time to #bloglikecrazy

javacia #bloglikecrazy

Ladies of See Jane Write, it’s almost time to #bloglikecrazy.

Every year I challenge the women of See Jane Write to publish new blog posts every day for 30 days in the month of November.

Yeah, I know that sounds crazy. But that’s why it’s called Blog Like Crazy!

Throughout the month, share your posts on Twitter using the hashtag #bloglikecrazy and in the See Jane Write Facebook group. Do this and I’ll read, comment on, and help promote as many of your posts as I can.

If you’ve been stuck in a blogging rut, #bloglikecrazy could be the cure to your writer’s block. If you’ve been wanting to start a blog but you’ve kept putting it off, #bloglikecrazy could be the motivation you’ve been looking for to end your posting procrastination.

I’ll even give you writing prompts to keep you from running out of post ideas.

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what See Jane Write member and fitness blogger Tanya Sylvan had to say about #bloglikecrazy:

I had thought about blogging but had many hesitations: Would I have enough to write about? Would anyone listen? Would I want to keep blogging? #bloglikecrazy was the perfect opportunity for me to test the waters. Before and during the entire month of November, Javacia and the other ladies were nothing but encouraging and loving and helpful. The prompts took away the fear of not having anything to write. And after blogging for a month, it felt natural and I found my voice. I owe all my All In Stride craziness to Javacia!

If you need help getting started, join us at the #blogikecrazy kick-off workshop 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 1 at Church Street Coffee and Books, 81 Church Street in Mountain Brook.

Now let’s get ready to #bloglikecrazy!

Ask Jane

Ask Jane

November is just around the corner and soon it will be time for #BlogLikeCrazy!

For those of you who are new to See Jane Write, for #BlogLikeCrazy I challenge the women of See Jane Write to publish a new blog post every day in the month of November.

Typically, I post on my personal blog, WriteousBabe.com, for #BlogLikeCrazy, but this year I’m doing something a bit different.

This year I’m going to post her to  the See Jane Write blog and each post will be an answer to your questions. I’m calling this special series of posts “Ask Jane.”

So help me collect 30 questions to which I will respond in November during #BlogLikeCrazy. I’ll answer questions about blogging, freelance writing, social media, or the future of See Jane Write. I’ll even answer questions about myself and the writing life.  Leave your questions in the comments of this post or email them to javacia@seejanewritebham.com.

I can’t wait to read your questions!

 

Let’s #bloglikecrazy!

Thanks to Carol Marks
for creating this graphic for us!

Today is the day! Today is Day 1 of #bloglikecrazy. I’ll be participating in the challenge with my personal blog, The Writeous Babe Project.

Here are the rules:

1. Visit the See Jane Write Magazine announcement of #bloglikecrazy and leave your name, blog URL, and Twitter handle in the comments section of the article to let me know you’re in!

2. Publish a new post on your blog every day in the month of November.

3. If you’re on Facebook, share links to your posts in the See Jane Write Birmingham Facebook group.

4. If you’re on Twitter, tweet out links to your posts and use the hashtag #bloglikecrazy.

5. Have fun!

You’re free to write about anything you want this month, but if you find yourself struggling with blogger’s block, use these prompts for inspiration.

I’d love for you to also grab the code for the image above and add it to your blog sidebar in case your readers would like to join the fun. (You can find the code to the right of this post.)

Now let’s blog like crazy!

It’s Almost Time to #bloglikecrazy

bloglikecrazy

It’s about to be that time again; it’s almost time to blog like crazy!

Last year I challenged the women of See Jane Write and some of my other blogger buddies to “blog like crazy.” The challenge was simple: for the month of November post new content to your blog every day. That’s a new blog post every day for the 30 days. Sure, it sounds simple, but if you’re a blogger you know that posting every day is a lot easier said than done.

But many ladies of See Jane Write gladly stepped up to the challenge, posting daily and sharing their posts in the See Jane Write Birmingham Facebook group and on Twitter using the hashtag #bloglikecrazy.

Starting Nov. 1 we’re going to #bloglikecrazy again this year. I hope you’ll join us. You don’t have to be a member of See Jane Write or live in Birmingham to participate. You just need a blog and willingness to write.

You may be wondering why you should bother blogging every day. Some people believe that writing daily can kill your creativity or result in sub-par content. While I believe there is some truth in those statements I also believe in the power of practice. Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones explained this notion best:

This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Some days you don’t want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway. You practice whether you want to or not. You don’t wait around for inspiration and deep desire to run. It’ll never happen, especially if you’re out of shape or have been avoiding it. But if you run regularly, you train your mind to cut through or ignore your resistance. You just do it. And in the middle of the run, you love it. When you come to the end, you never want to stop. And you stop, hungry for the next time.

 

This summer I exercised every day for 30 days as I was working to complete Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred workout plan. This meant that one night, after a very busy day and an evening spent at a friend’s birthday dinner, I had to exercise at 10:30 p.m. with a belly full of Indian food. But I was determined not to skip a day. That month I likened exercise to brushing my teeth and in November I’ll do the same with blogging. You don’t skip brushing your teeth because you’re too tired or too busy, do you? (I sure hope not.)

I believe that choosing not to write simply because you don’t feel like will, in the long run, hurt your craft because you won’t learn the discipline and dedication necessary to succeed at writing.

You may be thinking, “But what if I have nothing to write about?”

Don’t worry. I have you covered. Head to See Jane Write Magazine for prompts for each day of #bloglikecrazy. Now, you don’t have to follow these prompts to participate. But these suggestions are here in case you find yourself experiencing blogger’s block and staring at a blank computer screen.

If you plan to participate, visit the See Jane Write Magazine announcement of #bloglikecrazy and leave your name, blog URL, and Twitter handle in the comments section of that post.

Let’s get ready to #bloglikecrazy!

Let’s Blog Like Crazy!

I'm not a player, I just blog a lot
Image by J. Money via Flickr/Creative Commons


Since I’m a writer, blogger and feminist it should come as no surprise that Julie & Julia is one of my favorite films. I watched this great Nora Ephron movie Friday night and by the end my enthusiasm for blogging was renewed. 

I started thinking about Julie Powell and other bloggers who have been wildly popular and landed book deals because of their websites. The one thing these writers seem to have in common is that they were willing to do something crazy. Naysayers may call it a gimmick, and perhaps for some it is just that. But when I think about Julie Powell and women like Rachel Bertsche, author of the blog and book MWF Seeking BFF, they were all willing to do something that took courage and discipline, whether that was cooking 524 Julia Child recipes in 365 days or going on fifty-two friend-dates, one per week for a year, in hopes of meeting a new Best Friend Forever.

And so I present a challenge.

November can be a lonely month for us creative non-fiction writers because in November many of our ambitious fiction writer pals are busy with National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.

So I thought, what if we bloggers had a project of our own for the month of November.

Inspired by Tarayi Jones’ #writelikecrazy, in which she encouraged writers to write every day for a month, I’ve decided to launch #bloglikecrazy for the month of November.

Here’s the #bloglikecrazy challenge: publish a meaningful blog post every single day in November. That’s 30 posts in 30 days. 

I’ve tried to do this several times before and failed miserably. But I figure I’d be a bit more motivated if I’m actually leading this endeavor over at my blog The Writeous Babe Project.

So are you with me?

Project #bloglikecrazy will begin Nov. 1. 

Also, if you’d like you can sign up for me to send you writing prompts throughout November to help get those creative juices flowing. Just email me at javacia@gmail.com with #bloglikecrazy in the subject line and in the body of the email simply say “I want prompts so I can #bloglikecrazy!”

So does this mean that after blogging for 30 days you’ll get a book deal? Probably not. But at the end of November you will be more dedicated to your blog and it’s dedication that will help you make your writing dreams come true. 


So let’s blog like crazy!