8 reasons why I’m blogging daily
I took up the challenge of daily blogging to get my creative juices flowing again. But I also have specific goals I would like to achieve. My aims are not related to the daily part of blogging necessarily, I think they can be applied more generally to why write or blog, regardless of frequency.
Here are some of the aims I would like to accomplish:
1. Discover what I think
I don’t know what I think, until I write about it. To borrow from Joan Didion:
“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”
Writing sharpens thought. Doing it in public forces you to create something that is god enough to be consumed by others, which requires a degree of rigorousness I might not otherwise pursue.
The more frequently you write, the more you strengthen the writing and thinking muscles through repetition and training.
2. Build a body of work
I want to be able to look back and see what I was thinking over time. There have been many occasions when I’ve read something I had long since forgotten about, and felt such gratitude that I wrote it all down. It’s nice to be able to transport myself back to observe the trajectory of growth.
In the future, I might be able to build on these records and make something more of them. After all, many a book have been written from blog posts.
3. Self expression
Everyone needs a creative outlet. It’s important to have a space where you can express whatever is on your mind, tempered by kindness, compassion and empathy.
There is something unassailably wonderful about connecting with your creativity. It feels abundant, spiritual even. Having a daily reminder of this is grounding.
In an age where everything is monetised, it’s nice to have a space in public to just be.
4. Develop a daily writing practice
Building consistency is an important part of this exercise. It’s about what happens when you show up for yourself and allow yourself the time and space to create. It changes you.
5. Increase eloquence
Writing improves fluency, as it refines ideas and makes them coherent. I have observed that when I keep up my writing practice, I start to speak in complete paragraphs, and when the flow runs smoothly, essays entire.
6. Learn new things
Writing about something deepens your understanding of it. It’s inevitable that as I take on this challenge, gaps in my knowledge will become apparent. I welcome this.
7. Improve touch typing speed
I used to be a 4 finger typist until I decided to learn how to touch type in January 2023. I’m still a very slow typist for a touch typist at 35 wpm, as I temporarily gave up on the training. I am now returning to it and hoping to build my speed up to 75 wpm. Hopefully, having this space will help me put in yet more practice.
8. Have fun
I’d like to squeeze as much enjoyment as I can out of this process, and share that joy with you. At the very least I hope you find comfort in seeing someone else who is also trying to figure it out.
After 30 days of the daily blogging challenge
When I emerge from the other side of 30 posts in 30 days, I hope for bolstered trust in my own creative abilities.
I would like this challenge to positively change me so that:
- I develop comfortable faith in my writing
- it becomes easier to show up here than not to (create we must!)
- I learn how to manage my output better to avoid feeling tired and overworked
- open myself up to the unexpected
I will review after 30 days and see if I want to continue with a daily challenge. My hope is that I will.