This post was written back in June, but I wanted it to be part of the final 6 blog posts for the 31 Day Blog Post challenge. It is MOST IMPORTANT TO NOTE that I will probably not be bringing back the DFP in September like I mentioned in this post. It is on hiatus (for reals) due to the SAG Aftra/WGA strike, so it will come back but only when the actors and writers do as well.
It’s the 29th, and where the heck did the month of June go? I swear the months go by faster and faster. Is it me? Am I the problem? No, but the days blend when there’s not much difference to tell them apart. There will be a new month ahead of me, and it’s both the first month of the 2nd half of the year and the 3rd full month of my writing practice. Technically I am in the middle of the 3rd month right now, going by the dates, but July will be the 3rd complete month from beginning to end. As I did last month, here are a few things I’d like to change about my writing practice as I go into the next month. These are probably changes I mentioned last month; honestly, they will probably get repeated again next month. But I will keep repeating them until I get them working in my practice. In no particular priority order, here are the changes for July.
The time frame, I prioritize writing enough to get it done every day, but I don’t prioritize it to get it done earlier in the day
First, I want to fix the time frame I write in. I usually write in the later hours of the day, anytime between 5 pm and midnight (that was not a fun day when I did that). Unfortunately, I seem to get my butt in gear towards the nighttime hours rather than in the early evening. I still get the job done, but at the cost of my sleep. And believe you me, I feel it the next day. It would also cut down on stress. I’m not kidding about that previously mentioned day. I posted, I think, 3 minutes before midnight. I don’t want to go through that again, because I might not make it the next time. And then I would be screwed up. I don’t think anyone would fault me for it, but I would, and it would be unnecessary.
Doing profile shots again on the Saturdays when I play music and not a movie
Over the last few weeks, I’d changed how I film my videos. I zoom in now on the computer screen, so the tv shows and movies appear larger in the final video. But that did come at the cost of me no longer being in the video. Not that that’s a bad thing; my hands can still be seen in the videos, in every single one (it’s the reason I angle my videos as such. But I would like to try again, not on show days but on music days. I
Plan out the blog post topics in advance
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Maybe someday I’ll actually do it. But I want to start planning out the blog post topics in advance. I should try that for a month’s worth of content (4-12 blog posts at 1-3 times a week). September would be a good time. That’ll be when I restart the Disney Film Project blog post series. So that will be a good time, and I probably will make it 8 since I’ll still have the DFP posts to make up for it. It would be so nice to have blog posts that worked together rather than one-off pieces. Behind the scenes, it would definitely help. WordPress likes when I have an internal link to include in the post, so if my blog posts align better, I could crosslink them. Better to provide resources for my readers.
Batch outline posts
This is another one that, while I haven’t mentioned it before, it aligns up with the previous change I mentioned. Actually, I could probably combine both this and the blog post topics one, since they’re so similar. But I want to start outlining my posts. If I batch the blog post topics, I might have an easier time batching the outlines. I noticed over the last month, especially when I had started outlining my posts for these writing sessions, that I was struggling to come up with topics, I was struggling to come up with words, and struggling in general.
Start combining writing and editing, not for the video but for the session
I had started editing pieces so that I could get the posts edited and scheduled for posting in July. But now that it’s July, I want to work on expanding my writing practice session. Not with the video portion of it; that’ll be just the writing part. I’ve thought about filming me editing, but it’s not the same as when I’m writing. I don’t type much when editing so what would I show? I don’t know. Would I time it differently? Instead of doing it for a set time, like the 30 min/1 hr time blocks for writing, what if I did the length of the piece I edited? I could still have something playing, because I need the background entertainment. What would I play? A different tv show? Movies all the time?
The next month of my writing practice can now begin
I’m so happy I started writing when I did. At the time of this writing, I’m on day 73 (103 at the time of posting this), which blows my mind. I can’t believe it, and I haven’t missed a single day. Not one. I almost came close once, not that I had actually missed the day, but I posted just minutes before midnight. That was scary, it was like I was back in school, turning in my assignment right before the deadline. But I made it then, and that’s one that’s reasons for the changes this coming month. I want to keep practicing, improving, and welcoming growth.
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