I've been reading about writing/reading challenges on BlogHer and have come across some really great ideas to get 2014 started. I will probably do a mix of them, but wanted to share some of the ones that really appealed to me, just in case someone else stumbles upon this and it turns out to be just what they need.
A Month of Letters: There's no way I can take time off from the internet anytime soon, though it's not like I'm on it that much lately. Just the same, the idea of writing and sending something in the mail every day is lovely. I don't have a ton of friends who will actually write back, but there are a few who have sent me letters and cards this past year and I have been really slow to reply. So even though I'm not going to do this process the way it's posted, it serves as a great reminder that when I don't know what to write on my blog, writing a letter to a friend is always a good option to keep creativity flowing.
Family History Writing Challenge: I have been researching my family history for quite a while, but it's been on and off. I have a back log of unedited stories and notes from both of my parents about their families. I would love to delve into my ancestry further, but just getting the stories of the people who are still alive has been really challenging and that's actually what I want to start with. So, again, I'm not going to participate in this challenge, but (again) it reminded me that I have that project to work on. And it got me to take advantage of a free trial period at Ancestry.com, so that worked out nicely to get my family tree started and figure out which gaps I need to fill first. 
The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: My obsession with Gilmore Girls will never really end. That said, Rory read a lot of books that I have no desire to read, but probably should read anyway. This does not make me actually want to read them... I'm far more interested in the fact that there are a bunch of great reading challenges on here. The two I'm looking at are 101 Bestselling Books of All Time (I've only read 26 of them) and BBC's The Big Read (I've read 30 of them). ...Maybe I should use one of these to start a book club on MeetUp...
Too many things!
What I'm getting at is that if you're feeling out of sorts, directionless, have writer's block, what-have-you - there are a lot of great ideas out there to help get you moving again. Just don't do what I did and overload on ideas without getting any additional writing done!
A Month of Letters: There's no way I can take time off from the internet anytime soon, though it's not like I'm on it that much lately. Just the same, the idea of writing and sending something in the mail every day is lovely. I don't have a ton of friends who will actually write back, but there are a few who have sent me letters and cards this past year and I have been really slow to reply. So even though I'm not going to do this process the way it's posted, it serves as a great reminder that when I don't know what to write on my blog, writing a letter to a friend is always a good option to keep creativity flowing.Family History Writing Challenge: I have been researching my family history for quite a while, but it's been on and off. I have a back log of unedited stories and notes from both of my parents about their families. I would love to delve into my ancestry further, but just getting the stories of the people who are still alive has been really challenging and that's actually what I want to start with. So, again, I'm not going to participate in this challenge, but (again) it reminded me that I have that project to work on. And it got me to take advantage of a free trial period at Ancestry.com, so that worked out nicely to get my family tree started and figure out which gaps I need to fill first. The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: My obsession with Gilmore Girls will never really end. That said, Rory read a lot of books that I have no desire to read, but probably should read anyway. This does not make me actually want to read them... I'm far more interested in the fact that there are a bunch of great reading challenges on here. The two I'm looking at are 101 Bestselling Books of All Time (I've only read 26 of them) and BBC's The Big Read (I've read 30 of them). ...Maybe I should use one of these to start a book club on MeetUp...
Too many things!
What I'm getting at is that if you're feeling out of sorts, directionless, have writer's block, what-have-you - there are a lot of great ideas out there to help get you moving again. Just don't do what I did and overload on ideas without getting any additional writing done!
I would love to do those! Alas, I know myself too well. It's challenge enough just committing to blog every day this month!
ReplyDeleteI actually did an extensive genealogy project for my senior research project in college - I think about picking it back up from time to time, but that usually ends up with me paying for a month of ancestry.com that I barely use. :)
I fear the same thing may happen to me with that site. I'm trying to get my parents involved while I still have access for free, just to see how much I can get done quickly.
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