#BookBlogWriMo2014

In 2010, I participated and “won” NaNoWriMo or the National Novel Writing Month. It is held every November where people who sign up for the challenge have to write at least 50,000 words. And not just any random words; write your own novel. A handful of books we know and love today are fruits of this very activity. Two of my absolute favorites are Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. My entry was fan fiction. Yeah, whatever, I was so proud of it. It was in the Generation Kill genre and was very loosely based off Jane Eyre. Those two books, I read once every year so I’d like to think I know both of them inside and out. It was a very ambitious move on my part and in fairness, I did reach and pass 50,000 words. The thing is… three years later… it’s still not done. I got stuck literally after I reached 51,000 words. I was nearing the end of the story when I got a major case of Writer’s Block. Sigh. Sure, it’s a long-standing WIP but the main thing is, I conquered 50k and that was before November ended. I did attempt it another year, 2011 but I realized that my idea for that year would not reach the target word count. And I just did not have time to sit down and write at the end of a long day. I haven’t been writing fiction since. I’ve stuck with reading and this blogging thing… which is why this is a perfect idea! Let’s hear it from the creator herself, Brittany:

What is #BookBlogWriMo?

Basically, it’s a lax version of NaNoWriMo for book bloggers. I created prompts for each day, discussing different topics around books, blogging, and books + blogging. There’s no word count requirement, no daily writing requirement, very little requirements in general. Just post the posts on the day they should be posted! Your answers to the prompts can be as short or long as you like. I know that even though I came up with the topics, I know I’m not going to have a lot to say for some of them. Those posts will probably be a measly 250 words. Other days have topics I’m really passionate about, and those might end up being 1,000+ words. You can also write them whenever you want to. Hell, I’ve already started outlining some since I know November is going to be a busy month. You can write seven posts each Saturday. Hell, you can write all 30 posts tomorrow. As long as they’re posted on the right day, it’s all good.

Here’s the oh-so-fun schedule!

Visit BOOK BUMBLINGS to join the fun!

Just looking at this list makes me so excited! As you know, I love lists and surveys and memes. You can say they’re blog fillers but I don’t care. I blog faster than I can read and I’m not always inspired to write about something I either loved or hated. As much as I would love to participate in this year’s NaNoWriMo, it’s just impossible with my current schedule. Inspiration is not there at all; I’ll leave that to you, inspired ones. However, this challenge, I can do. I urge you to do the same. Let’s make a community out of it. I’m really thankful to those who read, like, and comment on my humble blog and I am curious to see your answers as well. Like that little button on the sidebar, I promise to comment if I have something to say. 🙂 What I’ll do is I’ll post the schedule in text after the jump. As I put up a post, I’ll update that list with links so you can keep up with the fun. I will also have a Category and Tag specifically for my entries, like with my Weeklies. If you decide to do this as well, please sign up at Book Bumblings and if you like, kindly leave a link to your blog here so I can keep up with you too. I’m looking forward to seeing your posts!

Week 1

11/1 – History of Your Blog – Tell us how you got started! When did you start your blog? Why? What have been some of your trials and tribulations? How many pigs did you have to sacrifice to get people to see your Facebook posts?
11/2 – How You Read – Paperback? Hardcover? Ereader? Smartphone? Bookmarks, note taking in the margins, or highlighting? Tell us some of your reading rituals!
11/3 – Where You Read – Pretty self-explanatory. Bonus for a picture!
11/4 – Why You Blog – Again, self-explanatory.
11/5 – Where You Blog – Bonus for a picture!
11/6 – #TBT – Favorite Childhood Books – What were some of your favorite books way back when? This could be a read from before you could read, or what you spent summers by the pool with in high school.
11/7 – #FlashbackFriday – Blog’s First Design – This one’s fun! Oh, how blogs evolve! Go to WayBackMachine.com, enter your blog’s URL, and take a screenshot of what you used to look like!

Week 2

11/8 – Your Blogging Toolkit – We could all blog smarter! Share some of the best tools in your blogging arsenal.
11/9 – Your Blogging Workflow – Lifters can take their #gymflow and shove it. Share your blogging process and rituals using the hashtag #blogflow.
11/10 – Memes You Meme – Do you #ThrowbackThursday or indulge in a little #ManCandyMonday? Share some of your favorite meme posts from your blog or social media pages.
11/11 – #Top10Tuesday – Most Popular Posts – Head on over to Google Analytics or wherever your stats are located and find the 10 most popular posts on your blog. Link to them, talk about them, tell us why we should love them.
11/12 – Advice for Newbie Bloggers – Be Yoda. Share your secrets. Do or do not, there is no try.
11/13 – Your Review Process – Do you write your review the second you finish the book? Months later? Take notes as you read?
11/14 – Your Ratings System – A lot of blogs have ratings policies or systems. Some don’t, but they really do. What makes you decide how many stars to give?

Week 3

11/15 – Favorite Book Blogging Things – Feel free to talk about the wonderful host of BookBlogWriMo and how much you love her.
11/16 – Least Favorite Book Blogging Things – Yeah, sometimes blogging is a pain in the ass. Tell us why.
11/17 – Favorite Book Tropes – Friends with benefits? Manic pixie dream girl? What cliche-type things do you never get sick of?
11/18 – Favorite Subgenres – Self-explanatory.
11/19 – #WaitingOnWednesday – TBR Books – Name some books on your TBR shelf and why you’re looking forward to reading them.
11/20 – #TBT – Best Books of 2014 – Do a top 10, top 20, or hell, top 100 list of books you’ve enjoyed this year.
11/21 – #FlashbackFriday – Your First Reviews – Link up to your some of your first reviews. Feel free to get reflective.

Week 4

11/22 – #ShowMeYourShelves – Take a picture of your bookshelves, whether they’re physical or Kindle folders. It’s always fun seeing how people organize their books!
11/23 – Book Boyfriend Criteria – What do you look for in a book boyfriend? Build your dream man. Book boyfriend examples and pictures of hot guys encouraged.
11/24 – Reading Cave Fantasies – You know those awesome reading nooks on BuzzFeed and Pinterest? Describe what yours would look like.
11/25 – How You Deal with Book Hangovers – Pig out? Take a nap? How do you deal?
11/26 – Cheating on Books: TV & Movies – What are your favorite ways to cheat on books?
11/27 – Authors You’re Thankful For – Who’s sitting at your dream Thanksgiving table?
11/28 – Book Pet Peeves – What plot lines or stereotypes make you cringe or DNF?

Week 5

11/29 – The Future of Your Blog – Where do you think you’re going? Get in touch with your inner Miss Cleo.
11/30 – #BookBlogWriMo Wrap Up – Tell us what you thought of this “challenge!” It will be helpful in future planning. It’s also another chance to give your BookBlogWriMo posts some extra inbound links, and show some love to posts from other participants.