NaBloPoMo: The Ripple Effect

by Kathy on July 31, 2012 · 6 comments

in ALI Community, Awards, Background, Friends, Inspiration, NaBloPoMo, Writing

NaBloPoMo July 2012 A little over a month ago I got an email from BlogHer about the theme for July’s NaBloPoMo.

I was curious, so clicked through and read Mel’s post introducing the theme and another that included prompts for each day.

This was not the time for me to be considering committing to post every day for a month, in the middle of summer, with my kids out of school. But I really liked the prompts and for some reason I just got it in my head that I wanted to do this.

I decided to sit on it for a while, as I had a few days to decide.

During that time I was in contact with a blogging friend who was looking for some writing inspiration. I mentioned that I *might* be doing NaBloPoMo if she was interested in joining me, we could do it together.

Another day or two passed and I almost forgot I had made that suggestion/offer, that is until I saw that not only had my friend gone and signed up to participate, she had commented that I had talked her into doing it!

I realized it was probably best not to let my friend know that up until that moment I had been leaning against doing NaBloPoMo, as it just seemed like too much for me at the time.

So with that I jumped in with both feet and my eyes wide open, committed to finishing what I started this month and supporting my friend and a few others who also decided to join us in posting once a day, every day this month.

I feel like my blog entires this time around we’re not nearly as inspired as some of mine were last November, when I tried NaBloPoMo for the first time. However, I learned a lot then and once again I have appreciated the experience of writing consistently here, even when I didn’t feel like it.

I also have loved witnessing what the experience has been like for two of my friends, Justine from A Half Baked Life and Jjraffe from Too Many Fish To Fry, who had not done NaBloPoMo before. They are two of my favorites writers/bloggers and being essentially forced to write and post everyday definitely seemed to challenge their comfort zones. But boy did they ever rise to the challenge! I loved reading and commenting on their daily posts, along with others written by those participating in NaBloPoMo this month.

Last November, when I did my first NaBloPoMo wrap up post, I shared my Top Ten Favorite Posts that I wrote during that month.

This time around I am going to share my own Top Three Favorite Posts, along with my Top Three Favorite Posts that each of my three NaBloPoMo partners in crime wrote this month, including Justine, Jjraffe and Kristin from Dragondreamer’s Liar (who tries to participate in NaBloPoMo at least once a year).

Two days from now I leave for my first visit to BlogHer’s Annual Conference in NYC and I can’t wait to get to meet Justine, Jjraffe and Kristin in person, along with many other new and old blogging friends, there!

In honor of the Summer Olympics currently underway in London, England I decided to award each of us Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for my favorites posts that we wrote during July’s NaBloPoMo. If you haven’t read these blog entries yet, I encourage you to click-through and check them out. I think they are truly medal worthy and I hope you enjoy that as much as I have.

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Kristin from Dragon Dreamer’s Liar:

Gold: My 6:30 Wake Up Call (July 17)
A beautiful and moving post in which Kristin processes her feelings about her oldest son growing up and getting ready to leave the nest. By the end the title she chose took on a whole new meaning for me, as I am sure she intended.

Silver: Things I’m Afraid to Tell You (July 12)
A brave and honest post in which Kristin talks about some of her fears. It was validating for me and others to read, as Kristin found out in the comment section, she is not alone in what she shared. Kristin also inspired Justine and Jjraffe to participate and write “Things I’m Afraid to Tell You” posts which were both also very candid, moving and validating to read.

Bronze: Gonna Be “BlogHer Bound” (July 29)
Love this post in which Kristin rewrites the lyrics to Simon and Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound in honor of her upcoming trip to NYC for BlogHer`12. I like to rewrite song lyrics and think she did such a great job with this. I can’t wait to be BlogHer Bound with Kristin in just two more days!

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Jjraffe from Too Many Fish to Fry:

Gold: Faces of Adoption/Loss/Infertility: The Den Mother (July 31)
The latest installment in Jjraffe’s awesome series profiling everyday people living with adoption/infertility/loss. This time she chose to tell veteran ALI blogger Kir’s story and did an outstanding job.

Silver: Is There an Echo, Echo, Echo in Here? (July 13)
This one really made me think about whether niche bloggers tend to write in echo chamber-like environments that keep us from being more in touch with reality. Like most great posts, for me at least, the discussion in the comment section is as interesting as the post itself, which speaks to Jjraffes ability to engage her readers and ask the right questions.

Bronze: Find Your Blog Voice (July 18)
A thoughtful post about what makes blogs interesting to read. Jjraffe talks about how she used to believe that niche writing made a blogger more relatable and successful, but now she thinks that having a consistent voice is more important. I agree that a blogger’s writing style, including their genuine and unique voice, is what keeps me coming back to read and comment.

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On a related note, in case you missed it, Mel from Stirrup Queens wrote a great post this month called Is Your Blog Holding You Back? about how we can be both niche bloggers and general diarists at the same time. It brought up and out some great things to consider when it comes to our writing and made me even more excited for the panel discussion that I am participating in as a speaker at BlogHer`12 this week: My Blog No Longer Fits Me: Blogging After Life Change on Saturday from 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

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Justine from A Half Baked Life:

Gold: Things I’m Afraid to Tell You: A Food-Free Post (July 12)
Justine replaced food with intellectual porn in this post. She wrote what so many of us are thinking and covered how she feels about being a Stay at Home Mom, her personality, food and also added some “for fun” tidbits. I was impressed with what Justine shared and found that I could relate to so much of what she said.

Silver: The Sound of Silence: For Aurora (July 20)
A beautiful post about processing the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. It was just what I and others needed to read that day.

Bronze: Are Bystanders Ever Innocent? Or, WTF Happened at Penn State? (July 14)
A very interesting post that asks thought-provoking questions encouraging us to think about our actions and intentions, especially when it comes to helping others.

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My Top Three Favorite Posts that I Wrote this Month:

Gold: Dear Extra Special OB Nurses, (July 29)
An open letter to some people who I really appreciate. It is post that I have wanted to write for a while about the choices that some OB nurses make when it comes to the patients they serve and how much their care and compassion means to bereaved parents like me.

Silver: When You Get Little (July 14)
Mel chose to feature this post in her 402nd Friday Blog Roundup on July 20th. These are her words about my post: Bereaved and Blessed has a post on something her daughter says. It’s such a moment of sweetness, but it also ends with a thought-provoking question, one that scared me shitless when I thought about the ending to Max Tivoli. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts over there.

Bronze: Ideas Underwater (July 23)
A post featuring a quote that I came across at a museum, while chaperoning a school field trip with my son. It’s about the times and places that inspire us to create and whether we follow through on the ideas we come up with when we are musing.

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Whether or not you participated in NaBloPoMo this month, what are three posts (or even just one) that spoke to you the most in July? 

Please share links to your Gold, Silver and Bronze medal worthy posts in the comments below, so that I and others can check them out.

Thank you for sharing, for reading and for commenting on my NaBloPoMo posts this month!

Your support and encouragement means a lot to me.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Kristin July 31, 2012 at 6:34 pm

Thank you hon. I loved doing this with you and I love having my stuff recognized by others. Can NOT wait to meet you in person.
Kristin recently posted..Super Secret Squirrel ShitMy Profile

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2 Justine July 31, 2012 at 7:25 pm

Aw! Thank you!! 🙂 The posts you chose for yourself are my favorites, too … it’s been so much fun to do this with you! Mine just went up … I was waiting for the pictures. 😉
Justine recently posted..Keeping the Old: Perfect Moment MondaysMy Profile

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3 Jjiraffe July 31, 2012 at 11:21 pm

I LOVE this!!! Thank you so much for providing me with the motivation and the encouragement to do NaBloPoMo with you all! I loved getting to know you all better through your posts, and I think we all did some kick butt writing. I know I personally would not have done these pieces otherwise!

As an honorable mention, I loved your Day in the Life post. Really well-written and descriptive of your SAHM experience. It made me really understand your daily routine, and also who you are as a person: energetic, fun and fabulous. I can’t wait to meet you!!
Jjiraffe recently posted..Faces of Adoption/Loss/Infertility: The Den MotherMy Profile

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4 marwil August 1, 2012 at 3:37 am

Well done for writing something every day, it’s a great challenge. I have enjoyed your posts even if not commenting. Thanks for these links, you are in good company. Have fun at the conference!
marwil recently posted..Challenging TimesMy Profile

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5 Peter Combs August 4, 2012 at 10:13 pm

Thank you for sharing these. I’ve enjoyed your NaPoBloMo posts this month!
Peter Combs recently posted..What I Learned from the OlympicsMy Profile

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