Oct 28, 2015 / General Advice & Pro Tips

Making it Through NaBloPoMo

Thirty straight days of blogging?! You can do it — with a few post ideas, a couple of tips, and the support of thousands of other bloggers.

It’s almost November, the biggest month of the year for daily writing and blogging challenges — you know, the ones with names that sound like chemical formulas. There’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), National Non-Fiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo), National Playwriting Month (NaPlWriMo), a month-long drawing challenge, (NaNoDrawMo), and their blogging counterpart, National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo.

nablopomo_heroNaBloPoMo challenges you to publish a blog post every single day in November. There’s a huge community of participating bloggers, and the event’s organizers, BlogHer, maintain a blogroll and offer support, motivation, and prizes. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers, create a blogging habit, and try new things…

… but we know it’s daunting, and the excitement of Day One seems to wane a bit by Day Seventeen. That’s what we’re here for! The post ideas, resources, and tips below will have your fingers flying over the keyboard on Day Thirty and beyond.

When you need a boost for the day

  • Do a bit of advance planning — make yourself a prompt box, a box (or a jar, or a hat) filled with slips of paper on which you’ve written post ideas, words, and quotes. When you need a jolt, pull out a slip and see where it takes you.
  • Try something new — use a new post format, insert a new kind of media, or write in a different style. Normally write non-fiction? Try a poem or a short story. Use Instagram? Embed some of your shots into a post. Take the opportunity to push yourself, and you’ll learn things that will help you blog more and better in the longer run.
  • Plagiarize yourself! Revisit comments you’ve made on other blogs — you can find them right in your Reader. Something about the post you read inspired you to say something, so build on that.
  • Find creative ways to use drafts you’ve abandoned. Finish a post you started months ago and forgot about. Create poetry with phrases pulled from drafts. Give old ideas new life.

When the well of inspiration is dry as a bone

Writing in response to a prompt doesn’t have to feel formulaic, or like homework. Make every writing prompt personal! Learn to bend writing prompts to your will.

  • BlogHer has a wealth of post ideas — they’ll offer a set for November as NaBloPoMo begins, but also have a huge archive of prompts from past challenges.
  • We’ve got our own daily prompt here, and you can browse all our past prompts as well. And no one says a post needs to have words! Photo posts are totally fine — let our library of past Weekly Photo Challenges inspire you.
  • Our Community Event Listings collect blogger-run events on every subject imaginable. Even if you don’t join in the events themselves, you’ll find tons of post ideas.

When you think you can’t do this any more

  • Melisa from Suburban Scrawl, a NaBloPoMo regular, has a great list of tips for making it through 30 days of posting that will help any blogger post more consistently, challenge or not.
  • To get the most out of your month-long effort, go right to the source — BlogHer tells you how to have a NaBloPoMo that’s personally fulfilling and helps grow your blog.
  • Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. Take a tip from marathon runners and use schedules, community support, and built-in breaks to keep you going.
  • Finding time to blog can be a huge part of the stress of NaBloPoMo — BlogHer has tips on how to keep writing when you think you don’t have time, and so do we.
  • Stop judging yourself! Often, writer’s block is our own overzealous internal editor — personally, I think you (almost) never have nothing to write about.

Do you have tips for getting through longer blogging challenges? Share ’em!

If you’re ready to commit to NaBloPoMo, you can add yourself to the official blogroll here.

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    1. I’m definitely doing this. Already have the badge up. Blogging every day during the beginning of the holiday season and just starting a home renovation project……am I crazy or what? Scary but exciting!!

      Liked by 6 people

      3. I agree with “I on food drink and life” that the home reno could provide a great amount of material for your blog, and by blogging about it might help with the challenges, and you can post pictures throughout the process to see the before and after changes!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. What I have to say about this is that bloggers first have to set up their blog on things that they have interest in and can talk about all day even in their dreams!!! Blogging challenges do come but have you ever tried lifting an old post on facebook into your blog, that works 10% of the time. If that doesn’t work then read your past blog posts and comments, you will laugh and find yourself more motivated than ever. So simply look back at the past to gain momentum for the future.

    Liked by 5 people

      1. I am chronicling mental health treatment and awareness, as the major focus currently, mixing in some prose writing mostly about everyday things, from literature to tv to science to holistic lifestyle to childbirth and Midwifery to whatever catches my attention. 🙂

        Like

  10. Hello, my name is Samina and I just started blogging last week! I have some content and I would love it if you could and check me out and like my page! I’m a 23 year old young adult living with spina bifida and my blog is about the things I go through daily living with this defect. My life is a crazy roller coaster ride and I would like to take you guys along with me on this ride in hopes that maybe someone somewhere can gain some motivation and positivity. I would like to teach my readers not to give any type of pain or problem the power to become an obstacle also, that you have the power to do anything you want to do if you just put your mind into it. Thanks for your time!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I’m definitely trying this! I’ve found a couple “30 Day Blog Challenge[s]” that I think I’ll combine. That way I should be able to make a list of 30 topics that I can write about and make interesting. I’m completely new to blogging so I hope this will bring me some followers and get me into the habit. If any of you seasoned bloggers are willing, please check my blog out and leave any constructive criticism you can come up with! Click the follow button while you’re there! 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Gosh, IF I decide to, I hope I can keep up the quality of my blogs! I don’t want to simply end up posting frivolous blogs, just for the sake of getting through the challenge! Need to find where to register quick before I change my mind! 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    3. Just keep posting what you believe in and what truly interest you. Don’t let the challenge keep you away from your original goal when you started blogging. I find that if people stay true to themselves there will be no problem with maintaining quality.

      Liked by 3 people

  19. As someone who tried and did this in March. It is possible – what your word counts, use the schedule feature and plan anywhere between a week to the full month in advance. It did take more additional time, but it was worth it to test how much I could actually do.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. I blog everyday already so, it is not so much a challenge for me. NaNo, that’s another thing. I registered but have yet to start a sentence and I’m not even sure if I am up to it with my busy schedule this coming months. I have been meaning to do it since I started blogging last year but though the idea is already fully formed in my head, putting it on paper seems a real challenge.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. what if i cannot post for every day of the month? it’ll be a rather busy time for me, but i’m totally interested. 🙂

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  27. Sounds like an amazing challenge that I am totally excited for! Just concerned about the everyday part, I mean, I couldn’t commit to the 30 day ab challenge and so don’t want this to be the case. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Hey! Welcome and congratulations on getting your blog off the ground 🙂 I find the Daily Prompts very helpful on days when I don’t really know what I want to write about. Good luck, and hope we can share success stories on day-30 😀

        Liked by 1 person