Day 1: My 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge

Here goes... I'm officially crazy enough to take the 30 hubs in 30 days challenge. Phew! It's a relief to have that off my chest!

So, here we go: hub #1 on day #1. I'm starting my challenge on March 5th, 2012.

Practice Run

However, I had a few things that I wanted to share before I really got started. This is sort-of my practice/introductory hub so in my book it doesn't really count. If everything goes according to plan, I actually plan on writing 31 hubs. My challenge will end at midnight on April 5th, 2012.

The Plan

I don't think that I could pull off a challenge like this without some sort of a plan. So, I've been carrying a notebook around with me for the past week. Whenever I get an idea, I jot it down regardless of how ridiculous or silly it might be. I re-read my notes earlier tonight and circled the best ones. My goal was to have at least 15 reasonably good ideas brainstormed before I took the plunge. This way I have at least a 50% chance of succeeding. (chuckle)

So, really, the challenge to take those scribbled ideas and transform them into full length, entertaining hubs. Sounds easy, right? (That's what I keep telling myself, anyway).

The Ideas

As my followers I already aware, I'm a hodgepodge. I don't really have a specialty. When I write, I choose to simply follow the inspiration. As a result, I've written about a variety of topics and in a variety of genres over the years.

My hub challenge ideas continue to follow this pattern. I intend to write a few serious pieces, a few informative ones, a product review ("as seen on TV!"), and a girl power articles. I also intend to expand upon my "Cat House" series which chronicles my humorous adventures as a certifiable "crazy cat lady."

So, stay tuned. The upcoming hubs are sure to be entertaining.

My Goals

Obviously, my mail goal is to complete the challenge of writing a minimum of 30 hubs in 30 days. However, I hope to gain a lot more from the experience. As every writer knows, it's all about practice. I'm confident that the more hubs I write the better my writing will get it.

In addition, I hope that this challenge will help draw some more attention to my writing and hopefully encourage more people to choose to "follow" my hubs in the future.

On a technical level, I hope that the challenge will help me to work on refining my writing "voice" and my editing skills. I'm notoriously impatient by nature. As a result, I'm always in such a hurry to just publish my writing and get it out there for the world to see that I don't spend enough time editing and refining it.

I also hope that this challenge will help me to work on my dedication to the craft of writing. I've always got ideas but I usually lack the self-discipline to sit down and write every day. More often then not my ideas never become more than scribbled notes in a notebook collecting dust on my bookshelf. The ideas aren't worth anything if I never write them out and turn them into something worth sharing.

Wish me Luck!

So, there you have it: my official acceptance of the challenge, a preview of the hubs to come, and my goals for this project. Stay tuned. This is bound to be one interesting journey!