BritMums Live Check List

I am going to BritMums Live, as are lots of other bloggers. This is the first blogging event I have attended and am feeling the pressure to be organised, efficient and productive to make the most of this brilliant opportunity.
In preparation I have written myself a check list of things to do. I keep thinking of more things to add to it but as it stands today I thought it would be helpful to other bloggers who are attending.

*insert tongue in cheek*

So here is my/your BritMums Live check list.

1. Write blog post about BritMums Live preparation. (Always got to write something on a to-do list you can tick off immediately).
2. Decide what to wear and blog about retail therapy highs. *basks in self congratulation*
3. Book train tickets.
4. Book hotel.
5. Hair cut and colour. Or buy a hat. Would it look odd to wear a hat at a conference? Possibly not at a Hat Conference. Research Hat Conferences.
6. Nails. Grow some and then adorn with varnish.
7. Tan. From a bottle, sadly. Damn British weather.
8. Lose 7lbs. Through diet. Or amputation.
9. Choose which workshops to attend between cake binges where 7lbs will be put back on, not through limb reattachment. Or clone self
10. List of 'Must meet' bloggers. The shortlist is very long. I'm thinking speed-dating for bloggers.
11. Charge camera battery. Remind myself of this 12 hours prior to departure. 
12. Remember to remove battery from charger and insert into camera.
13. Clear memory card. Yeah right. Buy new memory card.
14. Purchase new notebook and pen. Any excuse to feed my stationery habit.
15. Business cards. *checks date* Plan B: scribble my blog name onto each sheet of a jotters notebook, tear off and distribute as needed. Although I do have a business card case.
16. Kick nerves into touch. (i.e. purchase 4 pack of Gin in a Tin for the train).
17. Buy a ticket for BritMums Live. Now wouldn't that have been a joke if I'd forgotten to do that! Hah!
18. Check location of venue and hotel and routes from station, via hotel to venue.
19. Pack.
20. Arrange to meet a friend to go in with. Open to offers ;-)

So far I can tick off 1, 2, 9, 10, 14 and 17 fortunately.

How are your preparations going?

NaBloPoMo - The Conclusion

I definitely made the right decision when I chose NaBloPoMo rather than NaNoWriMo.

Could I have written 1500 words a day that could be considered literature?
Would my family have moved out in the search for food?
Would my fingers be reduced to bleeding stumps?
Would my eyes be bloodshot and out on stalks?

In answer to the above, no, yes, yes, yes.
And would I have a novel that I was proud of? A categorical NO.

Instead I joined in with Britmums NaBloPoMo (or Write a blog post every single day through November whilst trying to gain new readers whilst hanging on to the ones you've got). This required on average 321 words per day taking about 40 minutes to write, 1 awesomely edited photo a day *cough* requiring 30 minutes on Picnik, and add to that time to read other blogs and comment.

The writing was easy (thanks to a couple of timely memes to fill in a couple of gaping holes in my otherwise fun packed blogging calendar) but the hard part for me was giving enough time to other people's posts and giving them the comment love that I wanted to give. My comments became more meagre and uninspiring as the month went on but I did comment whenever I could. I know for those of you who are stat-aholics, a comment is a comment and counts for your rankings, but I am not as sensitive to my stats. Don't get me wrong, I look at my page views, I am disappointed if I don't get any comments, I worry if no one visits my blog and I plug my posts all over twitter and facebook. I write for pleasure, but I also write for recognition and for appreciation. I am a blogger but I am also a person *wibble*, which is why I like to give something back in my comments if I can, it is just an extension of my writing after all.

I could have spent more time on the writing, at times it was just pushed out rather than considered, there wasn't much time to actually do anything to write about either, which has led me to the conclusion that I shouldn't try to write a post a day from now on. Keep it natural and when the writing inspiration hits, I am poised and ready at the keyboard (life permitting, those little people may get in the way on occasion).

You will glad to hear that I am not going to be force feeding you through December, there will be enough of that in the form of mince pies and chocolate (I hope), but what I do feed you will be high quality, refined and heartfelt. At least I'll try ;)

Thank you for sticking with me. Normal service will soon be resumed. By normal I refer you to the last sentence of the previous paragraph. Any other interpretation of the word 'normal' is unintentional.

NaBloPoMo, I bid you goodnight.

*dashes off to think about tomorrow's post*
*hah, I don't need to now, do I?*
*but I may want to, it being December and the run up to Christmas, and all*
*oh poppycock (heavy emphasis on last syllable) where did I hide the advent calendars*
*rummages in cupboard* *drags out sorry looking supermarket advent calendars* *calculates time available to hand craft something more blog worthy*

*head desk*

Lazybloggeritis

I think I may be suffering from a contagious lurgy. Symptoms include brain ache, sloppy writing, lack of inspiration, seeing blog badges before my eyes, and a strong sense of deja vu. I think I may be a lazy blogger.

You see doctor, there are just so many great linkys, blog hops and memes out there that I could sometimes post more than once a day just joining in with everyone elses's great ideas. And in a month where so many of us are partaking in NaBloPoMo this is clearly very helpful and frankly much needed. (Brain ache!)

But (there is always a but isn't there, and this is where I get to the point, I think, hopefully) am I a lazy blogger if I join in with too many blog hops? And, important this bit, how many is too many? Granted, many of them are blog hops where you link in your own original post, as long as it ties in with the theme, so there is the prerequisite that you have written something in the first place. So that isn't lazy is it? Or does using a prompt from someone else class you as lazy too? Oh hell!

I guess there are echoes in this post of the balance between reviews and interesting unique writing from the author. I know that debate has been aired recently and I am firmly in the camp of, if the review is relevant to me I will read it, if not I will click away, hopefully not stumbling upon another blog reviewing the exact same thing in the process.

At this point in the proceedings, I should add that this post comes only 2 days after I started my own blog hop. (Hypocrite!). It's called Snap Slappers and all you have to do is... SORRY!

So what's a blogger to do?

On reflection, having given it considerable consideration, I've thought long and hard and I have reached a decision. I have to be true to my heart. Oh, Dermot this is really difficult.

I am going to continue with the linkys and blog hops that I do.
I will join in if I have a relevant post to link with.
I will ensure that I am giving good blog through original and thought provoking posts (That'll be a first).
I will continue to waste many hours to photo editing ;) to ensure that I have beautiful/hilarious/witty images to accompany my words of wisdom.

As for the stats, well that's another whole conversation.

Blog on my friends. Blog on!

By the way, if you have a meme and you would like to send it my way. Please do! I have some serious gaps in my blogging calendar for the rest of NaBloPoMo! Just don't call me lazy!