I didn’t do very well at NaBloPoMo. I lasted for about two weeks, posting a short piece every day, but then I hit a wall. It wasn’t that I couldn’t find anything good enough to write about, it was simply a matter of time.
I’m not really sure why I attempted the project in the first place, I think I was just curious to see if I’d learn anything. In fact, I really have.
I went through what I’d assume is the typical cycle for anyone attempting one of the various video/blog/novel projects that happened throughout November: proud that I got through the first week, naively thinking it would be fine to put it off till the last thing I did during week two, hating that I’d agreed to do it and resorting to posting photos on week three, then utterly exhausted/skipping it entirely on week four.
The purpose of National Blog Posting Month from the organiser’s perspective seems to be encouraging creativity among bloggers, but I actually found the opposite to be true. I’m a firm believer in the fact that creativity can’t be forced. It can be encouraged, through inspirational surroundings or such, but when I signed up – I’d made a commitment. Maybe that says a lot about my own character, but I couldn’t look at it as anything else.
It became a bit of a chore. All of a sudden I wasn’t enjoying writing for my blog, I was resenting it. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer during the day, and produce a lot of content that fits into an editorial schedule. Therefore, having one at home as well didn’t suit me?
Perhaps it was the sheer volume of it all. Since I started this blog, I’ve been setting my times and places to write for it – and I’ve never felt tied down. Or perhaps it’s just as simple as placing priority on what pays the bills over what doesn’t. You can be utterly in love with a subject, but if you’re exhausted from a day of work, it makes no difference. Whereas some people may have responded well to the project, I wonder if it’s those writing their blog full time that found it more useful – instead of those that treat their blogs as a secondary output.