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!

1. A simple exercise to jump-start your copy revisions
2. The right tone for your web copy: as easy as ABC
3. Creative team managers: ask this one critical question to help employees solve problems
4. How to prioritize your writing projects
5. I’ve reviewed hundreds of writing resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Here’s how to make yours stand out.
6. Is listening the most important skill a creative manager can have?
7. The importance of not doing everything by yourself
8. Why you need to keep a reminder binder (or a smile file)
9. How the four agreements help me as a creative team manager
10. Energy flows where attention goes
11. Want to be a writer? You need to do this one thing.
12. How clear writing helps your critical thinking skills
13. 14 inspiring quotes to kick-start your copywriting
14. To get better at anything, you need to do the thing
15. 10 ways to improve your writing today: A list for copywriters, UX writers, and anyone else who writes for the web or a business
16. Writing these 4 things in the morning can drastically improve your work day
17. 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
18. How 1-minute writing tips can boost your writing team’s visibility and impact
19. You can change your mind about anything. Here’s why you might want to.
20. 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
21. The secret to receiving writing feedback: A guide for copywriters, UX writers, and anyone else writing for the web or a product