Sunday 1 November 2009

The loneliness of the long-distance blogger

So, with Mr. Telford not submitting an entry to this blog yesterday, I am now the last remaining "runner" in the blogathon. With yesterday's entry, I managed a full month of daily blog posts. Now seems like a good time to take a look back at what the blogathon has been like so far.

In all honesty, most days I didn't have an idea of what to write about until time began running out and I had to produce something to stay in the race. That said, some of the entries produced from this possibly foolish method of blogging I have been quite proud of. I would certainly say that at least a third of my entries in October have been worthwhile. Some may disagree, giving a higher or lower fraction, but that of course is a personal choice; if you have no interest in whatever I blogged about on any given day, then you're unlikely to be keen to read an entry written about it. I can feel this getting somewhat unfocused, so I shall move on.

Telf stated that daily blogging "certainly became more of a chore than a creative exercise for [him] towards the end". I've certainly felt that way at a couple of points over the last month, but not to the extent that I've wanted to give up the challenge. In a way, being the last person left in the blogathon is reinvigorating and a little bit liberating: I want to continue on to see how far I can go, but I also won't feel quite so crestfallen if there is a day where I would struggle to write something and choose to end my run of daily entries.

Lastly, my reflections on the blogathon as a whole. Has it been a worthwhile exercise? I would say definitely yes. Even if for most of its duration it had only two participants, it has certainly done its job in galvanising the writers here to become a little more active than they have been in recent months. There's been a definite increase in material here from those not attempting the daily post challenge, which is brilliant to see. This place feels a lot more alive than it has done for quite some time, and I for one have found it hugely satisfying to read everything that's been written here over the last few weeks. I too hope that the activity continues here even when the blogathon has lost its final participant.

But for now, I'm going to continue looking back over the seventy-eight entries that made October 2009 the busiest month in this blog's history, and see if I can think of something worthwhile to write about here tomorrow.

8 comments:

TheTelf said...

I will agree that the blogathon has helped to produce some good posts, but I feel that a good number of mine (probably even a majority) were very minor ideas stretched out with waffle into longer entries.

I suspect it is more a slight on my writing ability than on the blogathon itself that this produced so much prose I'm unhappy with, and I commend all the entrants (especially those not actually competing) for their efforts. I shall be continuing the post-every-day effort (in a fashion), without the restrictions on post length.

Because sometimes I just want to post a link, dammit, and not have to dress it up with a lot of pretty words.

Well done Bambi, may your achievement live long in the memory :)

Hanspan said...

Don't you have to do a forfeit now? Like being his eternal slave?

TheTelf said...

As does everyone else who failed. Luckily, as I failed the least badly, I'm head slave. The rest of you are screwed.

Hanspan said...

I maintain that as I didn't try to take part, I didn't fail to complete it. Whereas Andy and James actually did...

TheTelf said...

And I maintain that failing to even try is the worst kind of failure. It's like that time you failed to get into medical school. Or that time you failed to cure cancer.

Basically we're all very disappointed with you, Hannah...

Hanspan said...

Since without even trying I out-posted Andy and Martin and Joe and was only two posts behind James at the close of play, I think I can happily say to you: swivel.

I notice attempting to take part and losing hasn't led to you getting into medical school or curing cancer. so please dismount from your high horse before I unseat you myself :P

TheTelf said...

Don't try to make this about me. It's about you and that bitter taste in your mouth. You know the one I mean. ;o)

Hanspan said...

I don't I'm afraid... my mouth tastes just fine thanks.