✯ Day 319 of Vintage 365 ✯
Today's is a post that I've been thinking about writing for a while now. When the idea for it first popped into my mind I figured I'd write it once Chronically Vintage's ongoing Vintage 365 series had wrapped up.
However, last night I was reflecting on this point it struck me that, as some of my readers out there may be considering launching daily projects of their own for 2012, it would make more sense (and be more beneficial to you) if I shared some of my tips on doing this kind of project with you a few weeks in advance of January 1st.
Though I was certainly no strange to blogging or writing online content prior to this year, I'd never before made the conscious decision to try and create a new post (by which I mean several paragraphs of content and an image or embedded video) every day for a whole year in a row prior to 2011.
As some may recall from my post announcing the Vintage 365 project back on the first day of January, the idea for this unique spin on Chronically Vintage's usual routine, was not one I'd been plotting and planning for a long time.
The notion come to me a couple of day before New Years, and while I wrestled with whether I should undertake such a long commitment (especially factoring the unpredictability of my health), I decided to take the plunge and go for it.
This year (or at least all 319 days of it we've experienced so far) has been a most interesting experience and experiment indeed. There's been some bumps in the road for sure, but through thick and thin, the project has prevailed and in the process I've come to discover some useful tips that may help you should you ever decide to take on a daily blogging project, too.
Before you do however, I strongly urge you to consider what you're thinking about doing. Writing quality posts, each on a different subject matter, for a full year might not sound that hard at first, but a few weeks or months in and you may find yourself wondering just what the heck you signed up for!
I encourage you to look at your own personal work/school/family/personal life schedule, your health, your relationship with blogging, and your interest level in the general topic you'll be writing about before you devote yourself to intentionally writing every day (I say intentionally because while some bloggers post every day or nearly every day, they may not have set out with the specific goal of ensuring they post every day for a whole year straight without fail).
While no one has a crystal ball that will let them peer into the future and know what lays ahead in the coming months (in other words, what might derail a daily blogging project), if you believe that you can devote yourself to the time and commitment required to carry out a daily blogging project of your own, then I hope you'll enjoy (and be able to use) the following suggestions.
5 tips for successfully running a year-long daily blogging project
1.) Schedule your posts to go live at the same time every day (or at least most days). Presumably when you decide to take on a project like this, you'll write an announcement post about it on your site to let your readers know what's in store for them over the next 12 months.
As people enjoy knowing when exactly they can look forward to your next post, it's a good idea to add your daily post to your blog at the same time each day (for the Vintage 365 project, I schedule most of my posts to go live at 10:00am each morning).
Most major blogging platforms (such as Blogger and WordPress) allow you to schedule your posts for any date and time you desire in the future, so by all means avail of this handy feature and give your project an element of uniformity by having your posts appear at the same time each day.
2.) Pace yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a year-long blogging project. While doing anything (even something you really enjoy) every day for a whole year without fail may seem a bit daunting, remind yourself why you got into such an undertaking in the first place and try not to focus on the numbers (aka, that you'll need to create 365 different posts before the year is up).
Instead take each day as it comes and enjoy the articles you're writing right now instead of stressing over what you might chat about on your blog come July.
3.) You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Though you may adore writing lengthy and/or highly eye-catching posts, trying to create award-worthy content day after day, month after month, can start to wear on you.
Chances are your readers enjoy seeing an array of different types and lengths of posts from you, so be sure to shake things up by creating some smaller posts to balance out your longer ones. Such posts certainly don't have to be dull by any means though. Four or five great paragraphs on an interesting topic can be way more pleasant for your readers (who may be pressed for time themselves) than trying to get through your War and Peace-esque coverage of a subject that perhaps isn't quite as interesting to most people as it is to you.
4.) Keep a log of ideas you might like to write about on hand at all times. Honestly this tip is super useful for bloggers everywhere, regardless of how frequently they post. Create a Word document (or any kind of file, be it online or off line, you'd like) in which you jot down potential ideas for a post each time you get one.
While you may not end up ever using all of your ideas, it can be very comforting and handy to know that at any given moment, if an idea for a new post is eluding you, you can open this document and be greeted with an array of topics you'd enjoy writing about.
5.) Always try to have backup posts on hand. Though you may have every good and honest intention in the world or writing a new post each day, the simple fact of the matter is that life is unpredictable and there may very well be times when you can't make to the computer to create a new entry for your blog.
Ideally it's great to have ten or twenty posts already to go live at any moment, but this may not be realistic for everyone (throughout this year I've always tried to have at least two backup posts ready at all times, and let me tell you having them on hand has been massively beneficial to me on those days when, for whatever reason, creating a new post just wasn't possible).
Instead start with a just a few posts (for example four or five) and replenish (as circumstances permit) your backup posts as you use them, thus ensuring that you (ideally) always have some posts in reserve to see you through anything from the flu to issues with your internet service.
{Much like the individual dates on this immensely charming vintage calendar page from 1945, when posting for a whole year straight, remember that life only ever comes at us one day at a time and that each one is a new opportunity to create and have fun with what you write. Image via saltycotton on Flickr.}
I won't lie to you, opting to take on a daily blogging project is not the easiest of jobs, but it's certainly not the trickiest either.
Though there will likely be days when the last thing on earth you want to do is write something for your 191st post, there will be many, many more when you're bursting with excitement over the fact that you'll be connecting with your blog readers again and sharing in whatever topic you love enough to write about it for a whole year straight. (In short, you'll find, as I have, that the tough days are vastly outnumbered by the wonderful ones. )
If you ever (be it in 2012 or whenever) decide to tackle, experiment with, and embrace a year-long blogging project yourself, from someone who's been in your shoes before, I truly wish you the best of luck and endless blog post inspiration.
