I Did It!

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You never what you can really do until you try. Like every old cliché, it holds a kernel of truth. When I impulsively committed to #AprilBlogaDay, I really wondered if it was possible. I worried about time and ideas. How could I do it?

As a teacher and principal, I have worked with students who had trouble with writing. A lot of the difficulty was around writing stamina. They couldn’t think what to write about. They couldn’t write more than a couple of sentences. One successful strategy was timed daily free writing. Writers begin on the first day with five minutes writing on any topic, then gradually add a little time each day or week.

#AprilBlogaDay increased my writing stamina. Once I began and then blogged for a few days in a row, I gained confidence and wanted to continue. I wanted to meet the challenge! People began to read my blog regularly and even comment. I have to admit that was cool.  Then around Day 16 it became harder and I struggled to find meaningful ideas to share. So I paid more attention to Twitter and others’ posts. That helped me think a little more deeply. Another solution was mining my daily experiences and trying to see them through a reflective lens. Not only did that help my writing, it helped me make sense of each day in a more focussed way.

When I look back over the month, I am pleased with many of my posts. Some came really easily, others took more time. There are a few weaker ones (I’ll let readers decide which ones!) but the month represents who I am in many ways.

Thank you to everyone who witnessed this journey. And thank you especially to Chris Crouch, the brain behind #AprilBlogaDay.


Comments

11 Responses to “I Did It!”

  1. Congrats! I have enjoyed reading your blog this month. I think you are right we built stamina from writing daily.

  2. Congratulations Sue! I’m so glad that you met this goal, and with such great posts! I’m really going to miss your daily posts in May. This challenge also inspired me: I didn’t think that I could blog each day, but I decided to comment on your posts each day. While I met this goal of mine, these comments also got me even more excited about “commenting,” and I commented on many more blog posts as well. The conversations that evolved from the different comments were great! So thank you for the inspiration, and keep on blogging! 🙂

    Aviva

    1. Aviva, thank you for commenting on every post! I’m glad that I was able to spark some thinking for you. I agree that commenting is fun and important for many reasons – I’ve blogged about that very thing.

      As for blogging every day, don’t you pretty well do that?

      1. Sometimes yes and sometimes no … but I think that for me, blogging works when I’m inspired to share. I like having the flexibility of topics and of time. I don’t know how I’d do with a “need to blog every day” challenge. I do like commenting though, and this blog challenge got me commenting more — not just on your post, but on other ones. Thanks Sue for the inspiring writing!

        Aviva

  3. Kristi bishop Avatar
    Kristi bishop

    Thank you, Sue, for a whole month of good reading. I love listening in on people’s daily thoughts in this way. You have given me lots to think about. I’ll miss these daily thoughts!

    1. Kristi, I really appreciate you reading. I feel the same about your blog – even when I read one of your posts a couple of weeks later because of other stuff, I really like peeking into your mind to see what you’re thinking that day.

  4. David Avatar

    Congratulations Sue on completing your April Blog a Day Challenge. I read them all-excellent words of wisdom for teachers. I used your 5 minute writing strategy with my grade 7’s on Friday, the last period of the day. The students wrote non-stop, student selected their own topic and were engaged/focussed until the bell rang to dismiss. Results-the writing information was impressive, many students wanted to share their work and keep writing. I will continue this exercise for the next 6 school days. Thanks.

    1. Thank you so much for reading, David. It’s great to know that I have a bit of an audience. And, if you liked the free write idea, then you may want to investigate Writer’s Workshop – such a great strategy!

  5. Yes, Sue. I would like to add my congratulations to the others who commented here.

    I’ve enjoyed reading your blog last month. It is nice to get to know someone through blogging. You have a nice writing style, and good voice in your writing. I’m glad you grew in writing stamina. How can we not? Thanks for commenting on my blog too.

    It was also my first time blogging each day for a whole month. For me it was rewarding too, and I learned much about myself.

    Looking forward to your continued writing.

    Denise

  6. Yes, you did, Sue! Congratulations from me, too! I enjoyed reading your blog a few times last month. 30 posts is impressive. I managed to do it myself, and I never thought I’d finish either. Thank you for commenting on my blog post too.

    Glad to hear you developed writing stamina. How could we not? I think you are a good writer, your voice comes through in your posts and I felt I got to know you through your blog.

    Best wishes to you in future blogging and in your school district work.

    Regards,
    Denise

    1. Denise – thank you for taking so much time to comment on my posts and to read them. I appreciate it. Congrats to you too!

Leave a Reply to Kristi bishop Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Like what you're reading?

Subscribe now to be notified of new posts

Continue Reading