Roast or Toast Another Blogger, Figuratively Speaking

On day 24, I’m forgoing the funny for a drizzle of sap.

Glasses of champagne await use to toast the ar...

Glasses of champagne await use to toast the arrival of my grandmother in her new apartment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’d like to thank Nicky and Mike @ We Work for Cheese for hosting the 30-day blogging challenge.

I jumped in on day 17 and this morning, on day 24, I had a blogging epiphany.

Blogging is nothing like writing and all about relationships. Writing is secondary.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s essential to produce great content to draw in readers, but personal connections build community and that’s the key to happiness and enjoying life online.

Several months ago, I stopped visiting many of my favorite blogs, a victim of information overload.

Having poor time management skills didn’t help, thanks to one of the deficits of being ADD.  Add to the mix that I was working on a memoir, which I finished but am still revising, and kaboom! Blog meltdown. Perhaps, some of you saw the mushroom cloud.

I don’t want to lose what I’ve gained over the past seven plus days and will try to stick to a schedule going forward. Good luck with that!

The 30-Day Challenge helped me realize that blogging is nothing like writing and all about connecting with like-minded people, that cranking out well-crafted pieces is in itself a skill.

The Challenge has reignited my passion for blogging and reintroduced me to the blogging world. It has taught me that there’s room for both blogging and writing in my life and showed me that I could, indeed, publish a post a day, so far anyway.

There was that one repost the other day.

Most importantly, it reminded me how special it is to be part of an incredible community of bloggers. There are no words to express the feeling you get when you connect with people online.

Thank you, Nicky and Mike.

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19 Comments Roast or Toast Another Blogger, Figuratively Speaking

  1. babs (beetle)

    That is so true. There is nothing like it!  My blog posting slipped badly when I lost my blog.  Four years of dedicated posting, gone! I almost gave up, but this challenge has given me the boost I needed to get back on track again 🙂

    Reply
      1. babs (beetle)

        My host’s servers crashed. They lost my blog AND my back-up! I have had to start from scratch. I’m slowly getting stuff re-posted, but it’s a slow process and I don’t have a lot of the material now. I’ll get there again 🙂

        Reply
        1. Lauren

          Fresh start! You’ll get there. I hate to sound fatalistic but sometimes things happen for a reason. Of course, the reason you mentioned sucks. I’m talking about the bigger picture. Make that the biggest picture.

          Reply
  2. Nicky

    Lauren, I don’t know what to say. I feel even more like a heel now, for forgetting you in my toast. And not a pretty stiletto heel, but a clunky, ugly, boxy, sensible shoe type heel.

    I think you are absolutely right about blogging being about the connections we make, at least for those who aren’t blogging “professionally”.  I am so glad this Challenge has helped you reconnect. I’ve really and truly enjoyed your posts *even the re-post*. Thank you for being a part of it!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Please don’t feel bad. I posted last everyday.

      Thank you!! I’ve really enjoyed participating and reading your blog. Nice to know there are other quirky types with a twisted sense of humor.

      Reply
  3. Laughing Mom

    Well, don’t I feel stupid for not knowing that you had joined the rest of us in the loony bin! Sorry that I haven’t visited before, I must have not seen your link thing on Nicky’s page! Welcome!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Don’t feel stupid. I was the last person posting every time. I’m an obsessive compulsive writer.

      I quite like the loony bin online. It’s an extension of my life.

      Thanks so much. I’m glad you stopped by.

      Reply
    2. Lauren

      Don’t feel stupid. I was the last person posting every time. I’m an obsessive compulsive writer.

      I quite like the loony bin online. It’s an extension of my life.

      Thanks so much. I’m glad you stopped by.

      Reply
  4. Linda Medrano

    You expressed this so beautifully!  It is about relationships.  This little challenge has not been easy for me, but I wanted to see if I had the discipline to do it.  I’m pleased to say, this far, I have.  I love your stuff, Lauren.  You are fun, sassy, and smart!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Thanks so much Linda. That means a lot of me.

      I admire you for sticking with the challenge from day one. It ain’t easy. Especially for me. It takes me hours at times to write a post.

      Reply
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  7. P.J.

    Blogging is definitely beyond the writing, though if a blog is littered with too many errors or odd writing, all the community in the world can’t get me to stay. That being said, if the writing is decent and the community is excellent, it’s definitely worth sticking it out!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      I agree. The writing has to be entertaining or interesting. Too many errors or awkward phrasings and I lose focus. I can get lost on my way to the computer.

      I blame the Internet for a short attention span.

      Reply
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  9. ReformingGeek

    Evil Twin, Cat, and I LOVE to have your sass visit our loony bin….er… community anytime!

    Thank you for reminding me why I still write a few posts periodically.

    Reply

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