Last week, I wrote a blog about my struggle to maintain a consistent blog schedule. In order to regain my routine, I came to the conclusion that I needed to recognize my shortcomings, make a list of my priorities, and then follow through. These simple steps associated with establishing a routine put me back on track.
After I set aside specific time slots for my priorities, I was motivated to write again. But I still spent too much time staring at my computer. I was apprehensive. I wasn’t sure how I was going to reclaim my audience that was starting to stray. How would I lure my readers back and gain new ones?
For almost 2 years, I worked on creating a platform. Since my book, May This Be the Best Year of Your Life is being read by a wide variety of people, I tried to reach out to a few subgroups. I wrote about multicultural picture books and international education to attract educators and parents. Travel and living abroad blogs were meant to appeal to adventurers and expats. Lifestyle musings such as what it feels like to be an empty nester and the frustrations of downsizing and buying and selling a home were meant to lure middle-aged women who could commiserate with my predicament. To pay it forward, I chose to start interviewing authors and reviewing books. So many total strangers had done the same for me. I wanted to find a way to help authors and illustrators.
Despite these distinct categories, I spend a tremendous amount of time contemplating what I should write. To increase my productivity, I will be participating in the BlogHer NaBloPoMo February 2014 challenge to write daily blogs that are posted Monday through Friday. Sometimes I will follow the BlogHer prompt while other times I will write on an independent topic.
The overall BlogHer theme for February is “perspective.” These daily blogs will fall under my general musing category.
February will be an experimental month that will force me to evaluate my blog postings in more depth.
- Will posting more frequently (hopefully daily) affect my readership?
- Will I have the time to maintain such a rigorous writing schedule?
- Will writing more frequently make my ideas flow easier?
- Will prompted posts create more engagement and comments?
- Will my existing followers be open to new topics?
- Who will be my core audience at the end of the month?
- Will quantity positively or negatively affect the quality of my blogs?
After living and teaching in India, I have written frequently about the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone. This bold step is essential for human growth. By accepting the challenge of posting daily, I will be pushing myself to maintain a very strict routine. I will also be writing on topics that may be outside my area of expertise or comfort level.
I hope that my existing readers will join me on this daily blog adventure. Please don’t be shy. It would be great to hear your comments.
Related Blogs
Importance of Having a Routine
Confronting an Irrational Fear
Holding Hands With Uncertainty
Bio
Sandra Bornstein is the author of MAY THIS BE THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE. It is available on Amazon.
Sandra’s memoir highlights her living and teaching adventure in Bangalore, India. She is a licensed Colorado teacher who has taught K-12 students in the United States and abroad as well as college level courses. Sandra is married and has four adult sons.
The memoir was a finalist in the Travel category for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the 2013 International Book Awards, the 2013 National Indie Book Excellence Awards, 2013 USA Best Book Awards, and a Honorable Mention award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category for the 2013 Global ebook Awards.
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