Join us in the Slice of Life story challenge. Every day for the month of March, bloggers all over the globe are writing their slices and sharing them on the Two Writing Teachers blog.
I signed up to participate in a 7-day Blog Like a Pro challenge with Jeff Goins.
I am already 2 days behind because I was late coming across it and because I am stymied by the first challenge.
First blogging challenge: Write your manifesto.
Sounds simple. I have strong beliefs. I know the messages I want to send. I can define myself. But can I define my blog? I think I need to do this before I can really figure out my manifesto.
Who am I? Reader. Teacher. Positive Thinker. Writer.
I have MS, but this is not something that defines me most days. I am working to get healthier all the time. I am a bit obsessed with barre classes and I have been eating almost no grains and a lot less cheese and sugar than I used to eat. I started using doTerra essential oils and I know I will be promoting those also.
What is my message? Do I have a message? What purpose does this blog serve? Eek! I don’t know. I started out wanting to share more of my book choices with my students. This really is not the purpose of this blog any longer. I have built connections with other educators and this is a big part of this blog now.
There are two things I write about most often. My classroom and my reading. But I also sometimes write personal things. The link-ups on Monday and Saturday help me to be consistent on the blog. I definitely share my reading once a week. I definitely share glimpses of the good things I am doing in my classroom once a week. I sometimes share other things. During the month of March, I usually share a slice of my life each day. I sometimes do Teachers Write assignments on my blog in the summertime. I think I want my blog to be about teaching literacy most of the time. But do I have anything new or worthwhile to say? That I think is what stands in my way.
I have a hodge-podge blog which is more of a personal blog. I want to have a blog that is more widely shared and that gives people pause with inspirational content. I am working to build the time into my day to write. I have been keeping a better list of ideas for blogging. I am trying to build it.
However, everything I read about making the blog a successful enterprise says that I need a purpose. That makes sense. But how do I choose? Do I narrow the choices down and define it? Signs would point to yes being the answer to that question. I better get thinking. Stay tuned for my manifesto…
I want to write a manifesto. What an excellent idea. Outside of any writing challenges, I believe that is something teachers should do. I appreciate you sharing this today.
Thank you for this comment. I have a teaching philosophy posted on my class website and that might be a great place to start. I had not even thought of that.
The purpose of my blog has changed numerous times since 2007. I find it is very reflective of my current life. I used to write only about crafting and reading and teaching. Now I never blog about things I do, except during March. I’ve used it for many purposes. I suppose I’m not trying to make it into anything though. I just want somewhere to put my thoughts out into the universe.
I think you hit the nail on the head with one word…”connections.”
Yes, that does seem to be a consistent theme for me. Thanks!
This post speaks to me. I often wonder what is the purpose of my blog and who is the intended audience. I am all over and self-centered. I figured this s what I need in my life right now. Curious to see how your process of writing manifesto turns out.