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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  10. This is exactly what I need to keep up my blogging habit! I found it easy while on vacation, but now that I’m back to the daily grind I was worried things would slip. What great motivation and tips! I’m in!

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  11. I’ve signed up, this is my first actual challenge since I’ve been on this website. Terrifiying, but one way or another I’ll come out as a stronger writer! Good luck everyone!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I have just launched my new blog about all things travel (wheretonext2015.wordpress.com) so might have to give this a try! Goodluck to you all and I look forward to reading your blogs

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  14. I post everyday non-stop at a particular time but really find it difficult to connect it to the bloggers. I really want to make it available for all to read and get inspired…

    Like