What’s more fun than blogging? Blogging together with a common theme, then blog hopping to see each others' posts. Writers often seek writing prompts to stimulate their creativity, and anyone who’s participated in NaNoWriMo knows how productive writing in community can be. So here’s an October challenge that will get your creative juices flowing, increase traffic to your blog, and get you warmed up for NaNoWriMo – or any other creative project you’re engaged in.

Can you produce 25 blog posts in one month? Sure, if you have a theme to inspire you. So here’s the theme: write a memory or reflection for each of the first 25 years of life. It can be a personal memoir from your life, a reflection on turning a certain age, a recollection of someone else at that age, a poem or a photo, on the ages 1 to 25.

For example, on October 1st, you could write about something that happened the year you were born, or about the birth of your child. You could do a photo collage of your first year of life, or of babies. On October 2nd, write about something that happened at age two to you or someone else. If you write a poetry blog, compose a poem for each year of life up to 25. If you write a cooking blog, you could include recipes for healthy baby food, snacks for toddlers, etc. A gardener could reminisce about learning to love gardens at each age, or introducing the hobby to her children as they grow, or suggest gardening ideas for the various ages. Photographers can capture each year in photos. This will work with any type of blog, and you can experiment with different media or genres in your own posts. Br inventive - surprise us, delight us, inspire us, make us laugh, make us cry. Try something different every day or stick to one format and focus on content – anything goes as long as you blog about ages 1-25.

For those who write fiction, this is a good way to troll your past experiences for great story ideas. Or write your blog from the point of view of one of your characters (or a character from your favourite novel) recalling an experience from his or her past – great for fan fiction, character development or experimenting with backstory. If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, this will be a good warm-up as you hear your characters reminisce in their own voices.

Skip a day if you have to, but try not to skip an age – and please blog the ages in order – that way we can see what others did with the same age we’ve just posted about. If you don’t finish it’ll still be fun as far as you get, and if you have to skip a day or two now and then, that’s okay. There are 31 days to complete 25 posts.

If you can’t do this challenge this year, can you support us? Follow our challenge, tweet it, mention it on your blog and link back to this post. Any support is appreciated! The October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge sign up will open on Monday, September 24. Spread the word and start planning your blog posts!
 


Comments

09/17/2012 6:49pm

Sign me up :)

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09/17/2012 9:19pm

Jane Ann, I would love to do this! I'm trying to screw my courage to the sticking point. Will let you know what I decide.

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09/20/2012 2:15am

Gerry, you know how I love MacBeth references! Jane Ann, count me in. Between you, Khara and Gail, I'll have three books fleshed out by the end of October ...if I live through it!

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09/17/2012 11:10pm

Sounds like fun, how do we sign up? I tweeted and liked your page

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09/19/2012 3:32am

I would love to take part, but I will be in the middle of a deadline... however, please keep me in mind for a future blog challenge!!!

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09/19/2012 3:49am

This will be my first ever participation for something like this and it sounds like a great, inspiring idea. Not to mention, it sounds super fun. I'll be joining next Monday!

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09/19/2012 3:56am

This sounds like a great idea. I don't think I will have the energy to manage it this October, but if I do I will definitely sign up :)

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09/19/2012 6:05am

I think I can... yes, I think I can....yes, I think I will! Thank you for the inspiration and I look forward to the Blog Hop, too!

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09/19/2012 7:23am

I love the idea but haven't got the time this year. I'll use it some time next year if you don't mind. And I'll tell people about it.

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09/19/2012 8:36am

It's a wonderful idea, and I'll certainly try.

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09/19/2012 11:14am

Sign me up! Holler!

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09/19/2012 1:04pm

Thanks for the info. I've already committed myself to another writing challenge through the end of the year. Good luck!

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09/19/2012 1:13pm

Count me in! Ironically, I had just been considering using reflections of my past to inspire blog posts just for the heck of it. This will be more fun ... and I'm always up for a challenge! ;-)

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09/19/2012 1:22pm

What a neat idea! I turn 25 next month, so it's almost too perfect :)

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09/19/2012 2:32pm

Wow, that should come out interesting, lol

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09/19/2012 1:49pm

sounds awesome! count me in.

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09/19/2012 2:00pm

I like the sound of this one. I think I'll give it a try.

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09/19/2012 2:15pm

It sounds like an interesting challenge, but I'm worried if I did it, I'd get the same kind of low traffic and comments I've gotten when I've tried month-long blogging challenges before.

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09/19/2012 2:31pm

that might happen, Carrie-Anne, but at least the challenge will be fun and offers some nice writing challenge. :)

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09/19/2012 2:21pm

Great idea! That sounds like a lot of fun.

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09/19/2012 9:45pm

I would love to do this, I need to make regular post on my blog, would really like to have more members. I need content to keep them busy when they stop by, so this will help out. Please include me in!

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Peggy Urry
09/19/2012 10:41pm

Thanks so much for the invite. I have too much on my plate right now to commit to anything, but it sounds fun.

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09/20/2012 3:27am

I'm pleased to see so many people interested, and thanks to those who tweeted/FB'd this challenge, for helping to get the word out. Carrie-Anne, I hope the opposite will be true - that your traffic will increase, because we'll be checking out each others blogs to see how others handle this challenge. I've usually found my blog traffic increases when I do something like this. And there's no need to blog every day - 25 blogs over 31 days - and any creative effort works. Try varying with a humorous (or serious) photo-blog for one or more of the ages, or a video of a memory. A character's backstory memoir can read like flash-fiction, as can your reflection on a past experience - or it can be reflective. Creativity is the name of the game!

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09/20/2012 11:54am

This sounds so cool! This is such a great way to build a backstory for my MC. I will definitely be signing up on Monday!!

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09/20/2012 4:24pm

I'm in. This jives nicely with some other things that I've got going on. Thanks! Terrific idea.

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09/22/2012 2:11am

I would love to do this but I have too much going on at the moment - please keep me in mind for another challenge/hop. Thank you!

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09/23/2012 4:03am

Sounds pretty interesting and it would definitely be a challenge. I might have to try this on my kfjohnson.wordpress.com blog and join the challenge!

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09/24/2012 7:36pm

I'd love to do it too!

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09/24/2012 8:02pm

Sounds awesome!! Sign me up! Just reading the intro to it has got plenty of ideas flowing...and this is the day AFTER I finished writing my first ever novel!!

I'm in!!

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09/24/2012 8:49pm

This sounds like a lot of fun. Count me in! :)

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09/26/2012 10:48pm

Sign me up :D

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10/01/2012 11:46pm

Read the rules thru Jane Ann. Remembering my childhood on is a dangerous thing for me (War/communism/escape/deaths/loss...etc) I'm a pretty depresive person really. If I can skew this challenge to a more present time, say this past month plus this month coming, and reflections on, then I can def. do that. What do you say? I'm ok for you to say, "No, this isn't the spirit of the challenge. " and will completely understand and still love you all. :)

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10/02/2012 5:14pm

I can't speak for Jane Ann, but I say write from your heart. Last month is fine with me :) Or write about a fictional child, that would be fun too.

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Susan Hawthorne
10/03/2012 7:16pm

I have moved my Memoir and Backstory Blog to http://timefloats.wordpress.com/
It wasn't working as a page, I needed it to flow as a blog.
Can you change the link on my name in the list of participants?
Thanks :D

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Susan Hawthorne
10/03/2012 7:16pm

I have moved my Memoir and Backstory Blog to http://timefloats.wordpress.com/
It wasn't working as a page, I needed it to flow as a blog.
Can you change the link on my name in the list of participants?
Thanks :D

Reply
10/03/2012 7:16pm

I have moved my Memoir and Backstory Blog to http://timefloats.wordpress.com/
It wasn't working as a page, I needed it to flow as a blog.
Can you change the link on my name in the list of participants?
Thanks :D

Reply
10/03/2012 7:16pm

I have moved my Memoir and Backstory Blog to http://timefloats.wordpress.com/
It wasn't working as a page, I needed it to flow as a blog.
Can you change the link on my name in the list of participants?
Thanks :D

Reply
10/05/2012 12:12pm

What a wonderful idea :)

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04/09/2013 12:08am


Very good post. I definitely appreciate this site. Stick with it!

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