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So Dear Readers this page is about
The Conscious Me Pre-Writing Challenge!
The Challenge has begun! From Now until March 21,
I will have 10 new posts in queue!
The Challenge is Now Over!
Okay folks the challenge is over. How did I do? Well I didn’t quite finish the whole challenge. I was close. I have 7 of 10 posts ready to publish at a moments notice. One thing that should be taken into account is the fact that I actually used 4 posts from the challenge to fill my daily queue. I still am planning on finishing 3 more posts to hold onto so I have the 2 weeks worth of posts available.
So why didn’t I finish? Well that was me and laziness. I started off strong, with pages, post titles and promotion, and then proceeded to squander the first 2 1/2 weeks with thin excuses and only a bit of writing. I really needed to have my posts better scheduled out and not just go at it as it comes. This challenge was awesome and I learned a bunch about myself and my blog and how to work with some other people out there is Blogistan.
I hope you guys all had as much fun as I did. I can’t wait to hone the process and get the next challenge going even better than this one!
Thanks Carlos and thanks to everyone who participated!
The Final Week Is Here!
This week has actually had progress and setbacks. I did manage to get some more work done on a few of my posts, but I got enthralled with some of them and had to write and publish them. So I have a couple of new ideas to work on. I am also working on my guest post for the wrap up. I still have been able to write the night before (for the most part) so they get to post at the same time. I look forward to busting out the last posts to at least draft status by next Friday! I hope everyone is doing as well!
Week 2 has come and gone, I haven’t worked much on my posts but I have figured out how to write the night before and to get things posted at the same time every day. I even did 2 posts in one day to get my regular posts out. I still have ideas and some notes on my PWC posts. This whole idea is going crazy. We are now talking about an e-book on the subject of pre-writing as well as another huge and fantastic push for Challenge number 2! I am excited to be on this maiden voyage and can’t wait to keep it going!
See week 2’s official update here.
Also, Darren Rowse sent us a great little video about the challenge! It is up at Carlos’ site!
I have begun to write the posts below! Most are titles with notes but they are in my drafts queue and will be finished my the end of the challenge. I will keep the status updated as I write! Please also see the progress that my new friends are making! ***Scroll Down for the Truth***
This is the official link to the Week One Challenge Update Page. I have also listed the updates below!
Pre-Writing Challenge Update: Week 1
This challenge is a month long exercise in writing. It is designed to give your blog a cache of posts, ready to go, for those times when writing is at the far end of the to do list.
The dates of the Challenge have been set! We will begin at 12:01AM on February 19th and go until our brains explode. The challenge will end on March 21st at midnight. Get in on the challenge and get writing!
The challenge is simple. First read two blog posts from the site of one of the best blogging professors, Dr. WordPress, Dave Doolin. Website in a Weekend is a fantastic resource for all things blog and specifically WordPress. Both of these articles discuss pre-writing articles.
First, Prewriting Friend Benefits Part 1 and second Prewriting Friend Benefits Part 2
So Far not too bad right? Next, click on the banner above and visit The Conscious Me Pre-Writing Challenge page. This page will explain the challenge and introduce you to all of the players involved.
Next comes the forum discussions. Yes there is a forum to discuss the challenge and how we are all doing on it.
The main part of this challenge, besides the writing, will be to promote the hell of it. Make a page on your site devoted to it. Tell everyone you breathe near. Make people sick of hearing about it and they will push you. “Just get the F done already and shut up about it” would be a great line for me to hear at least. Use the hashtag #pre-writing on Twitter.
My challenge is 10 posts. That doesn’t seem like a lot. That is 2 full weeks of posts for me and I will get it done! I hope I can help others as well. I am really looking forward to it.
Coming soon on this page I will have a list of topics that I am going to be writing on. I will also have updates on all of them. I may work on bits of one and bots of another; I may sit and write the whole thing. The important part is when they are finished, they are ready to publish. All metadata in, links working, pics in place etc.
If you have any desire at all to better your writing, your discipline about writing, and to give a ton of link love to your fellow bloggers, get over to the main page and get with it!
Justin
Posts I am working on:
1. Not fitting in any category when explaining my blog
Status: Done!
10 ways for a guy to survive pregnancy
Status:Used for a post!
2. Dad’s are Supposed to do Laundry!
Status: Done!
3. When the car is paid off, it falls apart
Status: DONE!!!
4. How teaching my daughter to write is helping me
Status: Done!
5. How I got into Kettlebells
Status: Done!
6. A 5 Point Plan to Happiness
Status: Title Only with some good ideas!
The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go.
Status: This post was one that I just had to write and post to my blog on 3/8. It spoke to me so there will be another post here at #7 shortly.
7. I won a cruise…a very strange dream
Status: Draft Started
8. Our Fighting Men, Our Peace of Mind
Stats: Done
My Brain Hurts! Free Thought is Hard
Status: used for a post!
9. I know way too much about dresses
Status: Done
How to Traumatize Kids Without Really Trying
Status: Another one that I jut had to use for a post on 3/12. I will add another one here shortly
10. Of all the books…
Status: Title only
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Here is a partial list of those in the Challenge. I of course am on the list!
Author: Carlos Velez
Blog Challenge Page: Conscious Me | A Personal Development Journey
Challenge Status:26 Feb: Since the challenge started, I’ve almost completed 2 rough drafts of pre-writing posts, along with writing the 3 posts that published this past week, completing this coming monday’s post, and most of the next post. I’ve also worked on 2 guest posts to submit to other sites. I’ve done a pretty good amount of writing this week on top of a lot of other work, so it’s been a very productive week. It still leaves me a bit behind on the Pre-Writing front, though.
– Carlos
**Special thanks to Carlos for solving some HTML problems for me!!!!***
Week 2 Update: Oy vey, I felt like I was massively behind all this week. I’ve been staying up late and sleeping through my writing time in the morning. I failed to put out my February Newsletter on time (I’m still working on it). I thought I had dropped the ball a bit on this challenge too.
I just spent a couple of hours restructuring this page though, and adding in the drafts I have in WriteRoom and suddenly I realize I’ve been a writing badass these past two weeks.
I am ending week 2 with 5 published posts since the start of the challenge (all written during the challenge), 3 drafts completed or mostly completed, and 2 drafts for guest posts. A few hours time should wrap those all up, and I’ll be right where I need to be, plus 2 guest posts to submit to other blogs.
WEEK 3 Update!! I finally started to get my act together this week. My wife went to Vegas last Friday and I have put in mass amounts of hours on different blog related projects since she’s been away. One of the biggest projects has been getting organized.
I built this spreadsheet on Google Documents, after being inspired by Aaron Pogue’s (Unstressed Syllables) use of a spreadsheet to track his pre-writing work. What a difference it makes! Between totally restructuring my own challenge page last Friday into the week by week format you see now, and laying out posts and schedule dates on the spreadsheet, I have a much better idea of what I’m doing now.
I have more filling in to do on the Google doc, but just the little that’s in there so far has really helped me to see exactly where I’m at and what the plan is. I feel like I have a lot to do to finish the challenge, and that’s a little true, but I’m actually doing better than my feelings would have me believe. I now have posts scheduled for a week out, and I only need 1 more draft to meet my goal. The extra drafts still need to be revised and readied for publication, which will be my biggest task this week, more-so than writing new content.
Go check out my personal Pre-Writing Challenge Updates page to see the details of how my posts look now. I’ve highlighted all changes and updates in blue, like this, so you can quickly figure out what’s going on. Be sure to read the teasers for my scheduled posts…I want to get you anticipating their publication 
Author: Megan Potter
Blog Challenge Page: Limitless Living – Open Yourself to the Possibilities
Challenge Status:26 Feb: I decided that I needed to look at this challenge as the entire 6 weeks of writing (18 posts) rather than just the 2 weeks of pre-writing (6 posts) otherwise I would be so focused on the 6 post topics I’d forget to think of things for the others. So this is where I stand on all of them.
I have, at least, an idea for something like 13-15 of the 18 posts. Three are now in draft format (fully written and linked, waiting for editing and finalizing), and three have either been posted or are already scheduled to post.
I’ve written at least two of the six around midnight when I should be in bed – or at least not working. I just can’t stop writing! Although, I imagine there’s a good chance I’ll crash and burn in about three days 
.
Week 2 update: I’ve written 9 of my 18 posts (6 pre-written, 12 posted during the challenge); I updated my Pre-Writing Challenge page with all 18 post ideas/titles and linked to the six of those that have already gone up on my blog. Three more are in draft format waiting to be edited and I have three more with intros and outlines done just waiting to be typed. I’m not actually following a theme or purpose for the challenge this time around (I’m so not organized enough for that) I’m just plugging away at pure content. I’ve been really enjoying getting to know all the contestents and am looking forward to being able to get to know our newest victims .
Week 3 update: Gosh, you start all gung ho and then things just S-L-O-W right down. I did post three posts this week, but I ended up veering off my planned course because of international woman’s day – so, do I take two or three of the “planned” titles off and count these towards my 18? That seems like the best plan, I mean, the goal was to write three posts a week and I did do that. So, that would mean that I’m officially at 12 of my 18 as it stands right now.
But, the week’s not officially over (it’s Friday morning as I type this) and my To Do list for today includes writing a few of the posts I’ve got outlines down for. If I accomlish my primary goal for the week that would mean that I’ll have done 15 posts typed and saved in my draft or published for the end of the third week. Fingers crossed that it happens!
Author: Bert Padilla
Blog Challenge Page: The Conscious Me Pre-Writing Challenge
Week 2 update: It’s late in the evening here, so I’ll just make a quick update for Week 2 before I wake up tomorrow and realize that you are already asleep. I set a goal to make 10 posts per week, but due to some pressure on my part- I’ll just write 5 pre-written articles per week. I completed 9 rough drafts and started 2 other drafts. It’s a series of articles, or guide for new bloggers using Blogger.
Week 3 Update: Last week was tough for me on the Pre-Writing Challenge. I finished only two drafts as I’ve been busy on my “real” job. In fact, I only posted one or two articles for my daily blogging updates since Monday. I was supposed to finish five drafts for this week, but that’s okay though- I can still draft the last eight articles on the final week. My overall goal is actually to have twenty pre-written articles by the end of the challenge. Oh, I almost forgot. I have to include one guest post for Conscious Me, so that would be nine.
Author: Amanda Farough
Blog Challenge Page: rockin-the-pre-writing-challenge/
Author: Antti Kokkonen
Blog Challenge Page: Blog Post Buffer and Pre-Writing
Challenge Status Feb 28: I’m filling my buffer by writing only on weekends. At the moment I’mpublishing every other day, which makes the target for the challenge (two weeks worth of content) 7-8 posts. On the first weekend I got 5 articles going and finished two of them. During the second week I worked on my content strategy, and decided to push for a full series of posts about SEO (search engine optimization). I have the content outline drafted, and it looks like I might end up with more than the 8 posts I originally planned, but we’ll see.
Cheers,
Antti Kokkonen
Week 2 Update: For the second week I worked on my content strategy, and decided to push for a full series of posts about SEO (search engine optimization). I have the content outline drafted, and it looks like I might end up with more than the 8 posts I originally planned, but we’ll see.
In addition to having 6 nearly done posts on drafts, I have 3 posts ready to be published at the moment, so I’m well on my way to the target of 8 posts I set myself.
Author: Dustin Evenson
Blog Challenge Page: Pre-Writing Challenge Page – Professor Budget
Author: Deacon
Blog Challenge Page: Pre-Writing Challenge
Week 2 Update: I have been very busy with my day job, working evenings and weekends, and it has put a damper so far on the pre-writing challenge. I should finally get a good start this weekend. I’ll be using these posts to do some technical “how to” and “what is” type articles about various printmaking methods.
Week 3 update: This week, I squeezed in some time to get this challenge rolling.
I’ve got 12 titles for posts, now I just have to write the posts. Easy, right?
Luckily, I am writing informative posts about various printmaking methods and issues, which I know quite a bit about. The content should come fairly easy.
My plan is to get 5 drafts done by the end of this weekend.
Best,
Author: Aaron Pogue
Blog Challenge Page: the-conscious-me-pre-writing-challenge/
Challenge Status 28 Feb: As Carlos has pointed out, it’s been my goal to work through the next six weeks (or, five now) of posts during the course of this challenge, so I’ll end the month with two more weeks finished. Given that, I haven’t made great progress on my eight challenge posts. I’ve written one to completion, and done good descriptions on the other seven. I have gotten nine of the next twelve posts done, though — so I should be rolling right into the challenge posts early this week.
Week 2 Update: I’m working on building pillar content — deliberately structured advice on writing well, so that requires some careful coordination. Because of that, even though I reached two full weeks of buffer during week two (with eight articles written and scheduled to post), I’ve still got a way to go on my challenge.
That’s because my official challenge commitment was to complete the final eight posts, and only one of those is totally done. I have started drafts on all of them now, though, and finished rough drafts on three more. I’m definitely getting closer, and it gets a little easier every day.
Week 3 update: I’ve been building up toward my challenge posts with consecutive articles so far, but during week 3 I finally got to start on some of my goal articles. And with the preliminary material all done, I really slammed into the challenge posts.
My goal for the project is eight articles, which will go live over the two weeks immediately following the end of the challenge. Before week 3, only one of those was done, but over the course of this week I completely finished three more, leaving me only four more articles to hit my goal! This has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had blogging, and I really look forward to the work I can get done next week.
Author: Eleanor Edwards
Pre-Writing Challenge Page: GiveABrick.com | Give A Brick (i.e. just £1) then ask your friends to do the same
Bio: Eleanor writes for UK registered charity, Give A Brick. Give A Brick think they are the first charity to ask all their friends to give just one brick (£1) and then ask them to ask their friends to do the same. Your £1 will buy bricks (and roof tiles, concrete and slabs) to provide a place for children to play, young people to hang out in safety and older people to meet. All deserve to feel valued and loved. That’s what Give A Brick is about and you make the difference.
At Give A Brick, Eleanor is building an online community of people helping each other out, listening and being listened to. That aspect of Give A Brick doesn’t cost a penny 😉
Goal: “I normally post twice daily; one a short motivational piece designed to be actioned in about a minute and the other, a slightly longer piece around 500 words in length. Therefore, I’m aiming to pre-write 28 posts by the end of the challenge *gulp* This might be slightly insane but given that these are short posts compared to some, I believe this can be done :)”
Week 2 update: Given that I joined the game a week late I determined I had to make this one really count. I’ve been fortunate that this week my part time job as a supply teacher has given me some time with pen, paper and less distractions. As a result I’ve been able to write titles and short teasers for all 28 posts. Hopefully by the time you read this, I will have added these to my update page. I’m also delighted to announce that I’ve finished writing one of the 28. One down, 27 to go
Week 3 update: After a brilliant start last week in getting all the titles and teasers sorted, this week has been incredibly frustrating. At the time of writing I have four of the 28 written. 
That said, I’m also hoping that by the time you read this I’ll have written a whole lot more. You’ll have to check out my pre-writing page to see what I’ve done
I had the opportunity to write a fun guest post for Heather of Shades of a Dream and Dave gave me some excellent advice on structuring the one minute motivators so despite less writing it’s still been an exciting week
So seven days left. I wonder what they’ll bring? Lots of writing and completed challenges if I have my way
Author: Ralph Carlson
Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Ralph Carlson Blog
Goal: “I post 5 times per week for ‘serious’ posts and one on Sunday for fun. I intend to double that output for four weeks to provide a one month cushion of posts to refine or give me time to work on other key areas like making money.”
Week 3 Update: Finished week two today. I am not quite where I planned to be (10 posts in draft or final form) but it still isn’t bad. I have two posts scheduled for next week (finals) and 5 drafts that are ready for final editing. This means that I am down two from the plan. I am keeping a file of drafts which need to be finalized, final versions and this week I added a file of drafts saved in their original form in a file for drafts which have become finals. This is for possible evaluation per Carlos suggestion about this process improving the quality of writing. Next week should put me in a position to get farther ahead since I have two posts already in final form and five drafts to work from. The trick now is not to get lazy or complacent.
Until next week. Keep it up guys!
Heather from The 3D Student has decided to participate unofficially!
Check out her page: http://www.shadesofadream.com/blog/2010/03/02/pre-writing-challenge/
Author: Heather CraikPre-Writing Challenge Page: The 3D Student | Tutorials, Reviews, and advice for 3D Students
Goal: I usually post 4 times a week, one of which is a webcomic. My goal for the challenge is to have 3 weeks worth of posts pre-written (apart from Tuesday posts), 3 guest posts, and a finished ebook by the end of the Easter Holidays. Suddenly looking like very deep water… ah well, it’ll be fun.
And last but not least, Our good friend Dave Doolin has finally got his gremlins in some sort of line and is ready to join us!
Author: Dave Doolin
Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Website In A Weekend Pre-writing Challenge.
Bio: Dave Doolin is a writer and programmer who is putting full time effort into launching Website In A Weekend as a major destination point for anyone interested in using blogs, especially WordPress blogs, as an essential tool for marketing, customer development and sales.
Goal: “I normally post every day, with articles ranging from moderately technical to community discusssions, all centered around small business blogging. My goal is to have a definite schedule for articles reaching out to April 12, 2010, and to have a full 7 days of articles scheduled for publication by the end of the Pre-writing Challenge.”
Week 3 Update:
Here’s what I’ve learned my first week into Carlos’ pre-writing challenge:
- More than one week out, scheduling in the WordPress Edit Posts interface is nearly unworkable. Going out 5 weeks, I had to use paper. There was no way around it for me.
- Scheduling is the hardest part for me. Keeping track even on paper was tough.
- The time lag in the editing interface really sucks when you have to spend a lot of time in it. Since I use a fair bit of HTML, I’m pretty well trapped in the integrated editor. Getting around would require a lot of work.
- “Pending” doesn’t sort by date, which is really annoying, because I’m using pending status instead of draft status to mark articles which are definitely scheduled.
- Wednesdays and Thursdays are my toughest days to schedule. I don’t have a tight grip on what I want to write for those days. Or rather, I don’t have much in my draft queue (yet) which will fit into my new plans. I should have this solved by next week.
By the time we’re done with this, I may not have everything scheduled for publication, but I will know what I need to write. And that will give me a lot of free time to kick off the promotion campaign for Blog Post Engineering. Which will be plenty good enough.
Hammer down.
