Writing – A Retrospective for my Blogging Anniversary

It’s almost 1 whole year since I started blogging weekly. And it was interesting to go back to the article I published on Medium that led to my regular weekly blogging.

The article came about because I had started attending a military networking group and the organiser sent out a link to an article he had been sent – he thought the members of the group would find it useful. It was a cautionary tale about how the coaching biz was full of hacks and don’t get sucked in.

Well, I was a coach. So not only did the article itself pain me to read, it was also written quite poorly and clearly by someone who had a grudge. It was subjective and lacked a balanced argument. (I was completing my degree at the time and understood the value of this for my essays).

Equally, I was pissed at the organiser of our varied group for being so irresponsible in reposting an article of this sort.

So, I wrote to him and explained my discomfort and disappointment in this seemingly generous act.

Poised for a backlash… I got a response…

Abigail.

Thank you for your detailed reaction and for giving the issue so much thought. I am in Devon at the moment but will be back in harness over the week end. My initial gut reaction is: Would you like to produce an article on the Coaching biz which can be posted on the Steam Room at forcesbusinessnet.com

Best regards, Mike

Oh boy, did I set myself up for that one!

So I did and it still resides over here.

After that I was discussing this with my coach at the time and he asked if I enjoyed writing it, to which I replied, “Yeah, yeah I really did.” He then got me onto Medium and from then on I have published a blog every week.

I moved over to my own blog site as it was better for scheduling postings. I also prefer to work when in flow, so I will write loads in one hit.

Now I have a page called Blog Ideas in Notes and have a WIP draft post on the site. Every few weeks I get in there to write and ship.

Most have been really exciting to write and other times I am not so enamoured – I post anyway. It’s all practice and development.

I have learned that less is more with a blog and to write in the third person. Some of my early stuff was all me, me, me… Now it’s you, you, you – to allow the reader to relate. And at the end I like to include some thoughtful questions and calls to action. More recently I have learned to begin with a little bit of “me” as well. It allows for connection and resonance.

All learned by doing, reading and gaining confidence. I have now begun writing a novel in The Creatives Workshop – Akimbo and received some wonderful feedback and confirmation that particular feelings I was aiming for have been evoked in the reader.

I was a glorious amateur and loved that posture. Now I am starting to feel like a professional and I want more. And I am excited to think about what next years retrospection will look like.

What do you want more of? What do you love, and sometimes hate because it challenges you to show up everyday? How might you make the leap from glorious amateur to committed professional? What’s stopping you?

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Coaching