Found: My Elephant. The Pre-Writing Challenge

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That’s how Give A Brick was born

Aside from the rather large elephant that needs eating right here on this site, I’ve found my own personal elephant:

Like the very best of challenges, this one came about as a result of a ‘thinking out loud’ sort of exchange in the comments section of a guest post by Carlos Velez on Dave Doolin’s Website In A Weekend. If you haven’t read part one of that guest post, it’s worth reading that first

The Pre-Writing Challenge had it’s official beginning last Friday, February 19th and ends on March 21st, three weeks from today. The goal is to write a fortnight’s worth of blog content (in addition to the usual post output) and given that we aim to post twice per day here at Give A Brick, that means writing an additional 28 posts (14 regular posts + 14 One Minute Motivator posts)

Am I mad? Is this even possible? I believe so (otherwise why would I even be bothering to try ) but I’m upping the stakes a little because not only do I want to complete the challenge, I want to finish first Fighting talk eh?

Want to know how I’m doing on the challenge? Follow me and I’ll keep you posted on my struggles, successes, and failures too!

Follow me:

Here are the other lovely folks I’ll be getting to know. If you’re not already familiar with their work, be sure to head over and say hello. Like me, they’re going to need lots of encouragement over the next 21 days

The Pre-Writing Challenge Roster:
Author: Carlos Velez

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Conscious Me | A Personal Development Journey

Bio: Carlos Velez is a writer with a full-time job on the side (for now!). He blogs about achieving goals and making change. Carlos’ blog, Conscious Me, allows readers to not only observe a journey to success in progress, but to participate and grow themselves.

Goal: “I normally posts 2 times a week, and many of my articles are 1500+ words, so I will count those as 1 and shorter posts as 1/2 a post. I will have 4-6 posts (depending on length) by the end of the challenge.

Update:

February 26th – Since the challenge started, I’ve almost completed 2 rough drafts of pre-writing posts, along with writing the 3 posts that published this past week, completing this coming Monday’s post, and most of the next post. I’ve also worked on 2 guest posts to submit to other sites. I’ve done a pretty good amount of writing this week on top of a lot of other work, so it’s been a very productive week. It still leaves me a bit behind on the Pre-Writing front, though.

Author: Justin Matthews

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Catharsis of the Bogue

Bio: Justin is a 35 year old stay at home dad. He started blogging in December 2009 to help himself practice writing. In January 2010 Justin decided to get serious and make his little blog something that will make him money. He has been learning and writing ever since. Justin has 3 kids with one due in July. He love fishing and working out with Kettlebells. He also loves to write, saying “It is one of the only things I have ever been really good at. I will have 10 posts by the end of the challenge!”

Goal: “I normally publishes 5 times per week and fiction on Saturday. I have Saturdays taken care of so my goal in the challenge will be 10 posts.”

Author: Bert Padilla

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Cite-Technologian

Bio: Bert Padilla is a 23 year old part-time blogger, blogging about technology, Internet, and social media. He has a full-time job at Teradyne, Philippines. He started blogging in late 2008, and finally put up his main blog in March 2009. He also writes articles for Cebu Bloggers Society, a local group in the Philippines geared toward a civic and social awareness.

Goal: “My average post per week is 5, normally 400-500 words, except for product reviews. I don’t spend much time on my computer during weekends, so my goal is to post 10-12 articles per week by the end of the challenge.”

Author: Megan Potter

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Limitless Living – Open Yourself to the Possibilities

Bio: Megan Potter is a Spiritual and Intuitive Coach and Speaker and strives to be a general, all around inspirer (is that a word?) of people – aka a Muse. And that doesn’t even include all her normal girl jobs! Her blog at Limitless Living is meant to inspire all the normal, everyday women, just like her, to believe that they are really Gorgeous, Brave women who can change the world and live a life with no limits. She’s all about Spirit and Passion and Living Your Purpose with Creativity and Joy; even if she is learning as she goes.

Goal: “My goal is to post three time a week (one of which is a Meme I’ve been running) so my goal would be six posts plus the ones I have to blog in the interim.”

Updates:
February 26 – I decided that I needed to look at this challenge as the entire 6 weeks of writing (18 posts) rather than just the 2 weeks of pre-writing (6 posts) otherwise I would be so focused on the 6 post topics I’d forget to think of things for the others. So this is where I stand on all of them.

I have, at least, an idea for something like 13-15 of the 18 posts. Three are now in draft format (fully written and linked, waiting for editing and finalizing), and three have either been posted or are already scheduled to post.

I’ve written at least two of the six around midnight when I should be in bed – or at least not working. I just can’t stop writing! Although, I imagine there’s a good chance I’ll crash and burn in about three days .

Yours,

Megan

Author: Amanda Farough

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Violetminded | Code & Creativity

Bio: Amanda Farough is a web rock-star, currently peddling her wares in web design and development; in a previous incarnation, she was a bad-ass software developer. Her blog is a smattering of various topics: design, development, literary debauchery, freelancing, tasty creative non-fiction about her life, love letters, and various other bits and bobs of geekery. On her off hours, she designs (and plays) video games, writes novels that may never be published, and dances in the rain.

Goal: “I’m completely erratic in my posting. This should force me to be a bit more disciplined. Most weeks, I’m anywhere from 1-3 times a week. I’ll shoot for 3 times a week during this challenge. Goal: 6 posts. Rock on. Let’s get this party started.”

Author: Deacon

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Bad Deacon Design | Fine Art Woodblock Printmaking

Bio: Deacon is an artist, a mechanical engineer, and is rather handsome and charming (or so he will tell you). Deacon’s Woodblock Printmaking Studio is in the heart of Downtown San Francisco, blocks from Union Square. He writes about the art he makes and sells, printmaking, and pursuing a career in Fine Art while maintaining a DayJob to pay the bills, and what all that stuff has to do with life.

Goal: “Well, I usually publish 2 to 3, but I’d like to publish 4 to 5. Since this is a challenge, we’ll make 9 posts my target.”

Author: Antti Kokkonen

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: The Blog of Antti Kokkonen | Tips, Guides, Reviews and Resources to Help You Unleash the Power of Online Media

Bio: Antti Kokkonen is an IT Specialist by profession, a blogger by heart, from Finland. Antti shares his expertise and enthusiasm for all things online by writing articles, blogging and helping others. Antti has a down-to-earth approach to both his personal and business life. In addition to helping the largest companies in the world to reach better results, he helps people and their businesses to become more effective and more profitable online by focusing on all aspects of online media, including blogging, social media and online marketing.

Goal: “I post 3-4 times a week, so for this challenge I set target at 8.”

Author: Dustin Evenson

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Professor Budget | Financial Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Wealth Building

Bio: Dustin Evenson considers himself a theologian and philosopher first, and a financial coach second. He knows about the theory and practice of budgeting money, and draws on his experience and knowledge of theology and philosophy to bring this to others.

He wishes to teach through his blog and inspire others. His blog provides practical information and opinions about budgeting money, debt reduction strategies, and wealth building. Most articles revolve around simple ideas and practical use. Dustin would eventually like to comment on budgeting spirituality and philosophy into one’s life through his blog.

Goal: “I normally post three times a week, but want to push towards publishing every weekday, so my goal is 10 posts.”

Author: Aaron Pogue

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: Unstressed Syllables | Writing advice for everyone

Bio: Aaron Pogue is a Technical Writer with the Federal Aviation Administration. He has a degree in Writing and has been working as a Technical Writer since 2002. He’s also a creative writer with nine novels, a dozen short stories, and countless essays and poems under his belt. Most recently, he’s a writing professor at Oklahoma Christian University where he teaches Technical Writing to a bunch of people who aren’t writers. That experience became the foundation of his website. While Aaron brings decades of training as a writer, he is more and more convinced that everyone can learn to write better, with less effort.

Goal: “I post two articles and two writing exercises every week, so my goal would be eight posts total.”

Author: Eleanor Edwards

Pre-Writing Challenge Page: GiveABrick.com | Give A Brick (i.e. just £1) then ask your friends to do the same.

Bio: Eleanor writes for UK registered charity, Give A Brick. Give A Brick think they are the first charity to ask all their friends to give just one brick (£1) and then ask them to ask their friends to do the same. Your £1 will buy bricks (and roof tiles, concrete and slabs) to provide a place for children to play, young people to hang out in safety and older people to meet. All deserve to feel valued and loved. That’s what Give A Brick is about and you make the difference.

At Give A Brick, Eleanor is building an online community of people helping each other out, listening and being listened to. That aspect of Give A Brick doesn’t cost a penny

Goal: “I normally post twice daily; one a short motivational piece designed to be actioned in about a minute and the other, a slightly longer piece around 500 words in length. Therefore, I’m aiming to pre-write 28 posts by the end of the challenge *gulp* This might be slightly insane but given that these are short posts compared to some, I believe this can be done ”

Updates:
March 1st – Learning from Megan’s update, I’ve started building a list of post titles for both the next three weeks and the 28 extras. I’m still missing a lot of the titles for the 1 minute motivators but have 12 of the 14 titles for the main posts. I’ll add them later.

March 2nd – I had a quiet day in school today so planning in advance, I had a pen and my little notebook with me. All 14 of the main blog posts now have titles (or working titles) and I’ve written outlines for all bar four. I hope to have titles for the 1 minute motivators by close of play tomorrow.

So listed below are the 14 titles. Teasers to follow:

• What do you do when your bottle threatens to pop?
• Have you got a division 3 mentality?
• Why I spent the last 23 minutes singing in the kitchen while my children quarelled outside.
• Five things your children need to hear.
• Your amazing, fantastic brain.
• All this to your wishlist: The Shack, a review.
• How a rock and a bottle of tomato ketchup could help you write your next blog post.
• Water for the body, refreshment for the soul. How to stay hydrated.
• Open, honest and unoffended. Could this unusual approach work for you?
• They laughed when I said, “Just Give A Brick”, but then we rebuilt a community.
• How a dizzy mum of three changed 17 lives today.
• A lazy girl’s guide to Summer fitness fun (works just as well for all you lazy boys!)
• Life, love and lollypops.
• Could ADHD be cured with love?

All I have so far of the 1 Minute Motivator list is as follows:

• A little seasoning goes a long way.
• A good ol’ belly laugh.
• Love covers a multitude of sin.
• Space, the final frontier.
• Instant hydration

March 4th – I now have 28 titles and 28 teasers for titles. Because of the quantities involved, it’s getting a bit longer and silly so I’ve moved the more detailed breakdown onto a new page. It’s called How the elephant break dances and it will show all the post titles and teasers. Thank

Updates

Check back for regular updates on each participant to see how they’re doing. Go check out their sites, and cheer them on! We’re all going to need it!

And finally …

Aaron Pogue is very kindly hosting a forum for folks to talk about the highs, lows and headaches of this challenge. Feel free to pop over and see what everyone is talking about.

P.S.
If you need some help finding your elephant, try this 1 minute motivator to get you started.