Blaugust 2025: Lessons Learned
This year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging has reached an end and it would appear that this event has been well received by those who have participated in it. I believe that there were 168 bloggers taking part this year, many of whom have not participated before. Some were new to blogging, where others simply wished to see if they could increase their writing output. As ever there was a wide variety of blog styles and subject matters and it has been most interesting to read new posts every day. I have attempted to leave comments and positive feedback where I can and I hope that some of these new blogs that I’ve discovered continue to write. Well done to everyone who took part. I hope it has been an enjoyable and informative process and that you have learned from it. I know that at least one blogger has determined that writing online is not for them, which is a valuable lesson.
This year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging has reached an end and it would appear that this event has been well received by those who have participated in it. I believe that there were 168 bloggers taking part this year, many of whom have not participated before. Some were new to blogging, where others simply wished to see if they could increase their writing output. As ever there was a wide variety of blog styles and subject matters and it has been most interesting to read new posts every day. I have attempted to leave comments and positive feedback where I can and I hope that some of these new blogs that I’ve discovered continue to write. Well done to everyone who took part. I hope it has been an enjoyable and informative process and that you have learned from it. I know that at least one blogger has determined that writing online is not for them, which is a valuable lesson.
As for myself, this year’s Blaugust has been broadly enjoyable from a writing perspective. I have posted every day and so met the goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the event. A slap up meal and a bottle of the good stuff awaits as a reward. I shall try to continue posting regularly in September but don’t feel disposed to make any commitments beyond that. The biggest impediment to writing I have at present is a neck injury that I recently “acquired”. I find sitting in my gaming chair at my desk can become painful after an hour or so. But like any problem, there are always ways to manage or work around it. Here are a few additional thoughts and lessons that I’ve learned from this year’s Blaugust. They’re in no particular order and I’ve simply written them down as they’ve occurred to me.
Squarespace as a blogging platform, lacks several key features such as a word count and a means of counting published posts.
The word count of a post on Contains Moderate Peril can range from 700 to 1,200 words.
I can write short posts if I wish to but prefer to express myself in a more detailed and expressive fashion. I speak the same way, so it’s not my default position to be brief.
I celebrated 18 years of blogging during Blaugust, so I cannot claim to be a newbie. However, like life itself there is always scope to learn new things and this year’s Blaugust participants have given me much food for thought.
Lot’s of bloggers don’t worry about adding images to their text but I guess that very much depends upon what you write about.
I think there is a finite number of blogs that you can effectively follow. I am presently tracking over two hundred blogs via Feedly and it is proving difficult to do this, due to the time it takes. I may have to do some “pruning”.
It is reassuring to see people still expressing opinions on politics, current affairs and social issues. I understand how social media culture can be somewhat intimidating or unpleasant, so making any sort of public statement requires a personal “risk assessment”.
Every blog post you read presents an opportunity to learn of a new pop culture reference.
Blogs can directly or indirectly tell you about the author’s life. Some folk are going through a lot. Bear that in mind. Be kind or at least don’t be a fool.
If you post pictures of your pets on your blog, then people will read it.
Reading new blogs via Blaugust: Festival of Blogging has been fun, as has getting to know their authors. It also highlights how the blogging scene is in constant motion and that people come and go over time. It brings absent friends to mind. Blaugust, as well as my 18 years of writing online, has brought back fond memories of numerous bloggers who have hung up their proverbial spurs and headed off into the sunset. However, that is the way of things. Nothing remains the same forever apart from those two hardy perennials, death and taxes. So it just remains for me to say goodbye to Blaugust 2025. With regard to those who have participated, let us remember the wise words of Young Mister Grace from the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served, “You’ve all done very well”.
My Oldest Draft Post
There is currently a group writing prompt available as part of this year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging which has piqued my interest. It asks the question “what is the oldest draft post you have” and suggests that it is revived in some manner. I have dozens of draft posts in a folder in my Google Drive. Many are film reviews or film related. The oldest of which dates back to summer 2010. Rather than write a straight forward review of Blake Edwards 1968 comedy The Party, I rather foolishly thought at the time that I’d tackle the issue of whether the film is sufficiently racist to make it beyond the pale. Let it suffice to say that I quickly found myself bogged down in the complexities of the subject and thus never completed the blog post.
There is currently a group writing prompt available as part of this year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging which has piqued my interest. It asks the question “what is the oldest draft post you have” and suggests that it is revived in some manner. I have dozens of draft posts in a folder in my Google Drive. Many are film reviews or film related. The oldest of which dates back to summer 2010. Rather than write a straight forward review of Blake Edwards 1968 comedy The Party, I rather foolishly thought at the time that I’d tackle the issue of whether the film is sufficiently racist to make it beyond the pale. Let it suffice to say that I quickly found myself bogged down in the complexities of the subject and thus never completed the blog post.
For those who are unfamiliar with the film, it is about an Indian actor who is making his first big budget American film. He is fired due to his incompetence, yet due to a clerical error is instead invited to a fancy party held by one of the film’s producers. The plot focuses on his naivete and the difficulty it causes him in navigating the social complexities of late sixties Hollywood. However, his inherent good nature and fundamental decency is a stark contrast to the iniquities of the film industry. Blake Edwards was an established film maker at the time and had already made several successful comedies, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). The main issue with The Party is the casting of comedian and actor Peter Sellers as Hrundi V. Bakshi. An Englishman playing an Indian.
Below is the complete draft post as abandoned in 2010.
Is The Party Racist?
Racism can be defined in many ways. One definition is that racism is a belief that all racial groups are distinguishable by intrinsic characteristics or abilities. Hence, some such groups are therefore naturally superior to others. Racism then manifests itself as a set of practices that discriminate against members of particular racial groups. However, some would argue that such a definition is too simple and others may think it too broad. It can therefore be argued that if defining racism itself is potentially complex, determining if something is racist, can at times be similarly difficult.
I am reminded of something that African American comedian Reginald D. Hunter said many years ago in one of his routines. He humorously pointed out that he was often asked to arbitrate as to whether something is or isn’t racist by his white friends. One anecdote recounts how a white man stood on someone’s foot in a cinema. He immediately says “sorry I didn’t see you” and then realises that the guy who’s foot he stood on is black. Reginald D. Hunter was amused by this moral dilemma and jokingly said “was there hate in your heart when you said it”. I think this is a point worth considering when trying to determine if something is or is not racist.
Bearing this in mind, does this make the 1968 Blake Edwards comedy The Party, starring Peter Sellers as Hrundi V. Bakshi, an Indian man, racist? As there are so many subjective variables pertaining to racism, perhaps a better question to ask is do you think that The Party is racist? Let us consider a few points that may be of relevance and then try and determine whether they prove one way or the other:
Use of Brownface: Peter Sellers, a white British actor, plays an Indian character, which involves him using makeup to darken his skin—a practice known as “brownface.” This is widely recognized today as a form of racial caricature that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. The use of brownface has been criticised for reinforcing the idea that people of colour can be reduced to exaggerated portrayals by white actors, rather than being represented by actors of the same ethnicity.
Stereotypical Depiction: The character of Hrundi V. Bakshi is portrayed in a way that plays into several stereotypes of Indians, particularly in Western media. His exaggerated accent, clumsiness, and naivety can be seen as contributing to a caricatured and one-dimensional portrayal of an Indian man, rather than presenting him as a fully developed character.
Cultural Sensitivity: The film was made in the late 1960s, a time when awareness of racial and cultural sensitivity in Hollywood was far less than it is today. While some argue that the film is a satire or a critique of Hollywood's treatment of minorities, this defence does not fully account for the offense that people of colour felt.
Contemporary Reactions: At the time of its release, the film was generally well-received as a comedy and many viewers may not have questioned its racial implications. However, in more recent years, critics and audiences have reassessed the film in light of changing social norms.
In summary, while The Party may have been considered humorous and harmless at the time of its release, by today's standards, the film's portrayal of race is widely regarded as problematic and potentially racist due to its use of brownface and stereotypical depictions, irrespective of any emergent humour.
Further notes.
The film draws much inspiration from the works of Jacques Tati. Particularly; Monsieur Hulot's Holiday and Mon Oncle.
Shane Danielson in The Guardian described The Party as "A comic masterpiece - yet hardly the most enlightened depiction of our subcontinental brothers. Still, propelled by Seller's insane brio, this late display of blackface provided some guilty chuckles, and at least one enduring catchphrase (the immortal 'Birdie num-num')."
Blake Edwards has run into similar later criticism for the casting of Mickey Rooney as a Japanese character in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
The Party was hugely popular in India. The late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was a fan and was very fond of repeating one of the film’s most memorable lines. When an irate producer shouts at Hrundi V. Bakshi “Who do you think you are?” Bakshi forcefully replies “In India we don't think who we are, we know who we are!".
In some ways, I’m rather grateful for this Blaugust writing prompt because it is a timely reminder that not all ideas translate into good blog posts. The entire post is poorly framed. It’s not a question of whether The Party is racist or not, because it essentially is. However, to apply Reginald D. Hunter’s test, I don’t think it had hate in its heart. The prevailing culture of the US film industry at the time just wasn’t sufficiently racially and culturally sensitive enough to do justice to the film’s plot and thematic aspirations. With regard to incomplete draft posts, I have numerous others that aspire to long form criticism and analysis. Re-reading them now, I remember why many of them remained as drafts. They are mainly ideas that don’t work or have not been thought through. However, rather than considering them failures, I prefer to think of them as examples of slowly gaining experience.
NB. I referenced this draft post five years ago in previous “Blapril” writing prompt.
Blaugust 2025: Staying Motivated
I’ve participated in every previous Blaugust: Festival of Blogging event. Prior to that I was involved in the Newbie Blogger Initiative or NBI as it was affectionately known. I have therefore written quite a lot of blogging advice and suggestions over the years. If anyone feels disposed to do so, you can access them all by clicking on the “blogging” option on the top menu of this blog. However, it is important to remember that a lot of the ideas I have advocated and written about over the years are purely subjective. Not all advice or guidance works for everyone. People have different ideas about blogging, different approaches to it and different aspirations. This year has highlighted some quite distinct differences among bloggers which has been most illuminating.
I’ve participated in every previous Blaugust: Festival of Blogging event. Prior to that I was involved in the Newbie Blogger Initiative or NBI as it was affectionately known. I have therefore written quite a lot of blogging advice and suggestions over the years. If anyone feels disposed to do so, you can access them all by clicking on the “blogging” option on the top menu of this blog. However, it is important to remember that a lot of the ideas I have advocated and written about over the years are purely subjective. Not all advice or guidance works for everyone. People have different ideas about blogging, different approaches to it and different aspirations. This year has highlighted some quite distinct differences among bloggers which has been most illuminating.
It is currently “staying motivated” week in this year’s event. As ever, there are some optional questions which can be used as writing prompts. Usually, I just offer advice and such like but this time round, I’ll actually answer the questions.
Q: What tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated when something feels impossible?
A: I gamify the process. I set specific criteria and if they are met, then I reward myself.
Q: What are your blogging goals? Do you think participating in Blaugust is getting you closer to where you want to be?
A: First to blog consistently for a month. Secondly, I want to increase my readership. The former is achievable. The latter requires a well defined promotional and marketing policy. That is not within my skillset, so it requires the involvement of a third party and capital expenditure. At present I am still considering whether to do this or invest in a new and separate project.
Q: What do you think you’ll get out of completing your Blaugust goals?
A: The same personal satisfaction I got from writing consistently for a month that I did last year.
Q: What drives you to blog?
A: Robert E. Howard used to burn the midnight oil and write prodigiously because he believed that if he stopped, the spirit of Conan would behead him. I write mainly for pleasure.
Q: Are you happy with your Blaugust so far? If so, why? If not, why not?
A: Yes. I’ve not struggled for ideas and I don’t find writing a chore.
Q: How important is goal setting & reaching your goals to you overall?
A: Quite important. If I reach my writing goal then I’m having a fancy meal at the best Indian restaurant in the borough and also buying a litre of good quality gin.
Q: Did you read any posts during Blaugust (or before) that you found particularly inspirational? Share them!
A: There have been some very good posts from Blaugust 2025 participants. Especially those that have struggled and written about it. I admire their honesty. Perhaps a quote from Stephen King may help those looking for motivation. “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
The Pronunciation Police
This post is courtesy of a Blaugust: Festival of Blogging writing prompt. Specifically, “write about something that’s pretty insignificant overall that you have a very strong feeling about”. Effectively a low stake hot take, to coin a phrase. Twenty years ago I could have provided dozens of examples. People who eat with their mouth open, the decline of public toilets and what is the point of male body hair?
However, old age has calmed my tumultuous soul and I no longer allow an excess of trivia to get under my skin. That being said, there are a few things that continue to set my teeth on edge. The immediate problem I’m presented with as far as this blog post goes, is choosing one to write about that won’t get me sectioned, defenestrated or sent to Coventry.
“It's spelt Raymond Luxury-Yacht, but it's pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove.”
This post is courtesy of a Blaugust: Festival of Blogging writing prompt. Specifically, “write about something that’s pretty insignificant overall that you have a very strong feeling about”. Effectively a low stake hot take, to coin a phrase. Twenty years ago I could have provided dozens of examples. People who eat with their mouth open, the decline of public toilets and what is the point of male body hair?
However, old age has calmed my tumultuous soul and I no longer allow an excess of trivia to get under my skin. That being said, there are a few things that continue to set my teeth on edge. The immediate problem I’m presented with as far as this blog post goes, is choosing one to write about that won’t get me sectioned, defenestrated or sent to Coventry.
So I have chosen a particular subject from the world of fandom. Because the good thing about fandom is that it’s mature, tolerant and nuanced as well as a broad and welcoming church. My low stake hot take is about the works of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. A master of literary world building and the inventor of multiple languages specific to that world. The creation of Sindarin, Quenya and Khuzdul are incredible achievements and a gift to fans, who relish such depths of lore.
However, as with any language there are a set of rules that govern their use. As these are not living languages currently in use, it can be argued that they have not evolved and are therefore static. Hence there are clear, unequivocal and definitive ways to pronounce words. Therefore, any variations or deviations from these are wrong.
The Lord of the Rings and especially The Silmarillion are filled with characters and places with complex names. However because most are derived from the three aforementioned languages, there are clear rules as to how to pronounce them. Furthermore, there are guides on this very subject within the appendix of both books. Hence, if a reader is struggling with names, all they have to do is take a few brief moments to consult these guides. There are also numerous websites that also have collated this same information and can similarly render assistance.
Therefore, upon mature consideration and sober reflection, unless you are the Elephant man or a habitual helium breather, there is absolutely no fucking excuse for getting this shit wrong is there? For god’s sake, Tolkien went to all that bother to create a tangible and credible living world and you can’t even be bothered to take the time to pronounce the source text that you profess to love, correctly. What the fuck is wrong with you?
Michel Delving in The Shire
People who play the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, are by far the worst offenders. How many fucking times do you have to be told it’s not “Michael Delving” or “Mitchell Delving”. The correct pronunciation of Michel Delving is Mickel Delving. And once again, in Sindarin “c” is pronounced like a “k”. Therefore you say Celeborn as Kellerborn. Oh and let’s not forget Sauron, you know, the bad guy from The Lord of the Rings. The “au” in his name makes an “ow” sound. So when pronounced properly Sauron is Sowron.
Then there are some words and phrases that are traditional English, often of Celtic origin, that further bamboozle Tolkien fans. For example there is a village called Combe, northeast of Bree. Despite its spelling, the correct pronunciation is Coomb and not Comb as in the thing you use to part your hair. It is an archaic word for a small, deep valley. Is it really too much to ask that people reading Tolkien’s work have a degree in both history and ancient languages? I am so fed up with listening to people calling it Comb or as one imbecile did, combi. Haven’t you people learned yet that English is seldom spoken as it is spelt? We are consistently inconsistent.
Sadly this ongoing pronunciation problem is unlikely to get any better. Since the release of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, there has been a huge increase in Tolkien fandom. Many of whom are American. Sadly, through a cruel caprice of fate, all of them are afflicted with a chronic speech impediment. Therefore, any US YouTube channel offering linguistic advice, be it pertaining to Tolkien’s work or not, is inherently wrong.
My advice to anyone struggling with all this, is to listen to the BBC radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, where you can hear the clipped and precise tones of numerous Great British character actors and their correct pronunciation of the source text. For those disposed to quibble about this, Christopher Tolkien himself was a language consultant on the production. So there.
N.B. This is a humorous post, not to be taken seriously or personally. Although you can if you want.
18 Years of Blogging
Today is my blogging anniversary. I have been writing online consistently for 18 years. My earliest blogs no longer exist, although they can be found via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. My first blog was a Lord of the Rings Online fansite called Misadventures in LOTRO. After a while this morphed into a wider gaming website; Misadventures in Gaming. However, I soon discovered that I wanted to write about more than just video games, so I decided to start from scratch and created Contains Moderate Peril in February 2010. This blog endured and has been my main online presence ever since. It has moved several times for various reasons. For a while I had a sponsor, as well as a reasonably sized audience and had dreams of making money from my writing and podcast. But it wasn’t to be and now I just write primarily for my own peace of mind and amusement.
Today is my blogging anniversary. I have been writing online consistently for 18 years. My earliest blogs no longer exist, although they can be found via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. My first blog was a Lord of the Rings Online fansite called Misadventures in LOTRO. After a while this morphed into a wider gaming website; Misadventures in Gaming. However, I soon discovered that I wanted to write about more than just video games, so I decided to start from scratch and created Contains Moderate Peril in February 2010. This blog endured and has been my main online presence ever since. It has moved several times for various reasons. For a while I had a sponsor, as well as a reasonably sized audience and had dreams of making money from my writing and podcast. But it wasn’t to be and now I just write primarily for my own peace of mind and amusement.
One of the most rewarding things about writing online and doing so fairly regularly is the fact that over time you build up a body of work. This iteration of Contains Moderate Peril has approximately 2000 posts. Some of them aren’t too shabby. I certainly think that writing consistently for 18 years has improved the standard of my writing and helped me develop my own style. Writing has a multitude of benefits which is why I continue to do so. There’s the community aspect of blogging and the sharing of ideas and interests. Then there is writing to order your thoughts and to try and make sense of the world. I find this extremely therapeutic. It takes a degree of confidence to stick your head above the parapet and express an opinion online. As a result, writing has played an important role in my life and been beneficial to my mental wellbeing.
Blogging has also led to numerous online friendships that I value greatly. I take the annual Blaugust: Festival of Blogging seriously because it can be a beneficial experience to new and returning bloggers. Modern life is fast paced and there are so many things competing for our attention. Writing online has given way to video and audio content. Social media, an even briefer medium, has diminished the popularity of the written word even further. However, you’ll find no nuance in a meme or tik tok. Hence they are blunt tools. The written word can express the complexities and range of human emotions far more effectively. They can also speak truth to power. Which is why I think it’s important that people keep writing and expressing themselves in this way. With that in mind, I shall continue blogging and maintaining my corner of the internet. Will that be for another 18 years? We’ll see.
The Great Blaugust Comment Debate
This year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging has already raised a very interesting debate. An old one that habitually comes up when discussing blogs. Namely, whether a blog should or should not have “comments” enabled. However this time round there is a different slant on things. Rather than the usual binary choice of having comments enabled or disabled on your site, this time round there is a third option available. Leaving comments via email or a third party service such as Mastodon. Both of these additional options keep comments conspicuously at arms length from your website. Furthermore, the email option makes the comments private, instead of in the public domain. All of which puts a subtly different spin on conventional notions of blog comments and makes this ongoing discussion all the more interesting.
This year’s Blaugust: Festival of Blogging has already raised a very interesting debate. An old one that habitually comes up when discussing blogs. Namely, whether a blog should or should not have “comments” enabled. However this time round there is a different slant on things. Rather than the usual binary choice of having comments enabled or disabled on your site, this time round there is a third option available. Leaving comments via email or a third party service such as Mastodon. Both of these additional options keep comments conspicuously at arms length from your website. Furthermore, the email option makes the comments private, instead of in the public domain. All of which puts a subtly different spin on conventional notions of blog comments and makes this ongoing discussion all the more interesting.
Let’s see if I can marshall my thoughts on this matter into some semblance of coherency. First off, what is blogging? Google defines it as “the act of creating and publishing content on the internet, typically in the form of articles or posts, on a website or platform known as a blog”. Straightaway, that definition does not state that comments are in any way a mandatory part of blogging. However, posting an article online places it in a public and shared space. The internet is not a void. Quite the contrary. Hence, you may not have or want comments on your blog but by publishing a post that is open to all, you’ve stuck your head above the parapet. Thus you may attract comments, by hook or by crook. Other bloggers can link to your post and write their own reply. Similarly they can reach you via social media if you have allowed it. It is also worth noting that private email comments can be made public.
So there is an inherent social aspect to blogging, whether the blogger expressly desires it or not. If you’re truly blogging just for yourself, there is the option to make your blog private. However, few bloggers do this because most do have a desire on some level for their writing to be read. Therefore it is my opinion that this tangential move to have comments via email or say Mastodon, is a way for the blogger to have greater agency over the process. Because allowing comments on your blog can have negative consequences. There is scope for spam, abusive comments or for your writing to be derided. Not everyone copes with such things well. Plus, all of this can happen in a very public way. That in itself can be a negative factor for some bloggers. I believe that an element of this shift to having comments conducted offsite and possibly privately, stems from a desire to conduct such activities from a safe space.
I like feedback, constructive criticism and exchanging ideas. So I am happy to have comments on Contains Moderate Peril. I apply my own notions of etiquette and manners to comments that have been left and I have no qualms in deleting those that are insulting and unconstructive. I tend not to lay awake at night ruminating on negative feedback left by a few individuals. However, I appreciate that not everyone is wired the same way as me and some folk find these potential aspects of reader comments troubling. Hence, everyone makes a choice that they are comfortable with. If this newer approach works for the blogger in question then so be it. It has also been brought to my attention that comments have never been a cultural expectation with blogs on some subjects. Perhaps my social expectations regarding comments, comes from my gaming background.
I have always felt that my writing is to a degree, a prelude to a discussion. When writing a post, I sometimes won’t cover all available talking points, thus leaving scope for these to be explored in the comments. But again, not everyone holds such a view. I do feel that being confronted with opposite views to your own and then responding to them can be a useful experience. I’d even argue that deleting abusive comments can also teach a valuable lesson. However, the toxic nature of the internet means that some people may not want to countenance such things. Keeping bullshit at arms length is wise, especially if you write in a field that attracts hostility. Being constantly abused is exhausting. However, digging a virtual moat and pulling up the drawbridge has its own consequences.
The fact that I’ve managed to write as much as I have on this subject shows the scope of the discussion surrounding it. Your approach to blog comments is ultimately entirely up to you and you should make your choice accordingly. If you have a static site and integrating comments requires incurring a further cost, then that in itself is a good reason not to have them, if you’re working within a budget. The most important factor is to be content with your decision. I shall make one final point regarding blog comments. Not having them on your blog doesn’t stop people commenting on your writing. They will just discuss your material elsewhere, which is something you have far less say in. The reality is that if you blog publicly, then you cannot truly avoid criticism. Perhaps that should be the first lesson of blogging.
Writing Every day
There is currently an interesting discussion on the Blaugust: Festival of Blogging Discord Server about writing every day. It can be quite a polarising subject but the one thing that everyone agrees on is the fact that it is hard to do. A daily schedule requires multiple factors to come together to be sustainable. It is also fair to say that if you go about it unprepared, it will be a very hard learning curve. Ultimately it may not work out and then there is the risk of a bad experience negatively impacting upon your wider writing plans. Hence it is not something I would recommend to new bloggers or those who aren’t keen on a baptism of fire. Some writers like to test their metal and jumping feet first, into daily blogging may be the sort of challenge they seek. For everyone else I would urge them to plan a strategy and consider the following point if you wish to try it.
There is currently an interesting discussion on the Blaugust: Festival of Blogging Discord Server about writing every day. It can be quite a polarising subject but the one thing that everyone agrees on is the fact that it is hard to do. A daily schedule requires multiple factors to come together to be sustainable. It is also fair to say that if you go about it unprepared, it will be a very hard learning curve. Ultimately it may not work out and then there is the risk of a bad experience negatively impacting upon your wider writing plans. Hence it is not something I would recommend to new bloggers or those who aren’t keen on a baptism of fire. Some writers like to test their metal and jumping feet first, into daily blogging may be the sort of challenge they seek. For everyone else I would urge them to plan a strategy and consider the following point if you wish to try it.
Prepare posts and keep a list of writing prompts.
Remember, not every post has to be perfect.
Try to establish an appropriate time and place to write.
Write first, edit later.
Be experimental with your content.
Be prepared to fail and to learn from your mistakes.
Mental and physical health issues are legitimate impediments to daily blogging.
Finally, if you wish to write everyday then you have to be disciplined. More often than not, the biggest impediment to writing daily is the will to do so. We all have days where we don’t feel especially motivated or inspired to write and it becomes quite a struggle. There are also days when we simply can’t be bothered. Occasions when it is a clear choice between sitting down and writing, or having a tasty sandwich and watching cat videos (other distractions are available). This is not a Kobayashi Maru test. It simply needs discipline, focus and determination. If something is important, you find the time for it, to quote Hikaru Sulu. Ultimately if you really want to blog everyday then you will. You just have to put in the work.
Writing everyday isn’t for everybody. For many bloggers it isn’t even necessary. Yet for some reason, in certain quarters of the blogosphere, it is held up as some sort of test of character or gold standard. Such notions are bogus. Find what works for you and do that. If that means posting once a week, once a month or when you feel like it then that’s fine. If you have the time and the energy to write everyday then do so. Both approaches have their own benefits. Writing everyday is not an impossible dream. It is more of a logistical and psychological balancing act. But it is an undertaking that is far from mandatory. Consider it an optional extra or an additional goal. If you’re already maintaining a blog then that is a more important success.