
At the end of July, I decided to complete a “blogust” (or “blaugust”) challenge, in which I’d write at least 21 blog posts of at least 600 words each during August. And I did, hooray!
How did I do it?
I wish I had a more intriguing story here, but the reality is, the process was pretty mundane.
- I wrote up a list of topics and themes I’d like to write about.
- Most mornings, after a coffee, I sat for a few minutes to contemplate and decide on the topic for the day.
- I outlined the basics of what I wanted to cover in the post, then put on my headphones with some music to focus and stay inspired.
- I gave myself one hour to write and publish at least 600 words on that topic. At the 500-word mark, I knew I had to start wrapping things up, so aimed my writing toward a conclusion.
- Then I searched for images from Adobe Stock, Unsplash, and Pexels.
- I published on my personal website first, then imported the post to Medium. Then I shared on Twitter.
What worked well?
- Writing in the morning before work. I’m an early bird, and accomplishing something before my workday starts helps me feel grounded and centered, whether it’s a creative project or something wellness-related like meditation or a workout. I’ve gone though phases of different times to write, and after this month, I can’t imagine going back to non-mornings now.
- Setting an hour to get it all done. A self-imposed deadline, especially a very, very tight one, is a somewhat extreme approach, but it was an exhilarating mental and creative challenge.
- Writing down ideas for topics as they come to me throughout the week. Keeping an ongoing list of topics, themes, ideas, phrases, and words helped me to make sure I always had at least a few ideas to toss around.
What could have been better?
- Because of the time limit, some pieces were published without a thorough proofread, and I published them with copy editing and proofreading errors I needed to fix once they were already live. People who receive my blog via email likely saw a few of these errors. Sorry!
- The stock photos of writers and writing teams felt repetitive and uninspiring after a while. It was a challenge to weed through many photos and make good choices. I’d much rather make word decisions than design decisions!
- The state of the world made this challenge feel inconsequential some days. That said, I do hope you find some of the articles useful.
Here are the 21 articles. Enjoy!
- A simple exercise to jump-start your copy revisions
- The right tone for your web copy: as easy as ABC
- Creative team managers: ask this one critical question to help employees solve problems
- How to prioritize your writing projects
- I’ve reviewed hundreds of writing resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Here’s how to make yours stand out.
- Is listening the most important skill a creative manager can have?
- The importance of not doing everything by yourself
- Why you need to keep a reminder binder (or a smile file)
- How the four agreements help me as a creative team manager
- Energy flows where attention goes
- Want to be a writer? You need to do this one thing.
- How clear writing helps your critical thinking skills
- 14 inspiring quotes to kick-start your copywriting
- To get better at anything, you need to do the thing
- 10 ways to improve your writing today: A list for copywriters, UX writers, and anyone else who writes for the web or a business
- Writing these 4 things in the morning can drastically improve your work day
- Which stage of editing does your writing need right now? A guide for copywriters, UX writers, and anyone else writing for the web or a business
- How 1-minute writing tips can boost your writing team’s visibility and impact
- You can change your mind about anything. Here’s why you might want to.
- The secret to giving good writing feedback: How to work with writers to make sure your product and web copy is the absolute best it can be
- The secret to receiving writing feedback: A guide for copywriters, UX writers, and anyone else writing for the web or a product