The Pre-Writing Challenge: Conscious Me Updates

Skip to the updates: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3
Read the highlighted parts in all week sections to see what’s changed since the last update.

I have taken on a challenge – a pre-writing challenge.  In keeping with the purpose of the Conscious Me blog, I am making it public so you can follow along with my progress, struggles, and successes.  Hopefully you’ll learn from it or be inspired.

There’s something special about this challenge though – I’m not alone.  An incredible roster of bloggers (see below) have joined me in the challenge of writing 2 extra weeks worth of content in the span of 1 month – all while maintaining our regular blog posting schedules.

The challenge will begin at 12:01am on Friday, February 19th in whichever time zone each participant is in and will run for 31 days. to 11:50pm on Sunday March 21.  We have a few more details to iron out and want to promote it for a few more days before we go live.

If you might want to sign up, go to the About The Pre-Writing Challenge Page for full details of what would be expected of you and what the benefits are. On Thursday I’ll be putting up the main page for The Pre-Writing Challenge with full details as well as updates on the event and everyone’s progress.  In the meantime, you’re welcome to visit our forum where we are discussing, setting up and socializing about the challenge.

There are a lot of benefits to pre-writing.  I wrote a two part series on the subject over at Website In A Weekend recently and a discussion began in the comments that got this whole shindig started.  You can find the posts at Pre-Writing Is Your Friend – With Benefits (Part 1) and Part 2.

But this challenge isn’t just about building up a helpful stash of blog drafts.  It’s about building writing skills, building relationships, building traffic and taking our blogs to the next level.  It’s about providing you, the reader, with the best of ourselves.

Week 1

It’s been a week, and here’s what I have to show for it.  3 published posts, 1 draft of a post to submit as a guest post, and 2 drafts to go in the queue for polishing and prep for publishing.  Not a bad start, in fact, it’s right on the money.

1. Synchrony (Or Lack There-Of) As A Gauge For A Relationship’s Health

Status: Published on February 23rd, 2010

Teaser: Some people in our lives have the most terrible timing. They call when you’re in the middle of an intense discussion or even an argument. They want to spend time together when it’s just not possible, or you’re exhausted beyond belief. How is it that some people just seem to consistently have the worst timing?

The question popped into my head, “What if this out-of-sync dance we do with certain people is a symptom of a larger issue?” Let’s explore this idea a little further. I’d like to know what you think.

2. The Wu-Tang Plan, Part 6. C.R.E.A.M: Carlos Really Expects Abundance to Manifest

Status: Published on February 25th, 2010

Teaser: Dreams and desires are nothing without defined goals. The previous posts have led up to this point, where I start laying down exactly what I intend to do and the results I expect from monetizing my blog. After laying out several methods of making an income with a blog, we’re moving forward into setting down specific goals and deadlines.

3. Conscious Me vs. TheInfoPreneur: The $10 Prize

Status: Published on February 25th, 2010

Teaser: James at TheInfoPreneur.net is a really ballsy guy and I love that about him. He was talking big about how TheInfoPreneur is going to replace his $4000 a month income this year with an internet-based income so he can blog full time. I wrote a comment, being a guy who likes a good challenge, daring him to a race to see who can quit their job first.

The challenge of quitting our jobs, though, was not immediate enough for my liking, so I challenged him to the first step of that race. Both of us were planning on waiting until April or so to start monetizing our sites, but we agreed to a friendly contest to see who could make their first $10 of internet income in March.

* Singing In The Shower Can Help You Put A Fresh Voice (Your’s) On Recycled Blog Content

Status: ^{Feb 19} The first draft is almost complete. I have been thinking about this one, and writing it in my head, for over a month. What has come out is surprisingly different. I might end up using this for a guest post though, which won’t count for the challenge.

Teaser: To come.

4. I Dare To Sleep

Status: ^{Feb 26} Completed Draft. Needs to be edited and have metadata, links, etc added.

^{March 10} Revised Draft. Wrote Teaser. Entered links, photo, and metadata, etc. Scheduled to publish.

^{March 12} Published!

Teaser: Sleep is the blogger’s best friend and worst enemy.  It’s required in order to be healthy and happy, to produce quality work. It’s a nuisance because it takes time away from blogging or just living life when you have one of those “real” jobs too.

Lately, I’ve been making an enemy of it and it’s time to remedy that and make a commitment that will help me in my intention to blog full time this year.

5. An Inside View Of The Pre-Writing Challenge

Status: This is a partially written draft. I expect that by the time it’s done it might be 2 posts long. Maybe.

Teaser: To come.

Week 2

Oy vey, I felt like I was massively behind all this week.  I’ve been staying up late and sleeping through my writing time in the morning.  I failed to put out my February Newsletter on time (I’m still working on it).  I thought I had dropped the ball a bit on this challenge too.

I just spent a couple of hours restructuring this page though, and adding in the drafts I have in WriteRoom and suddenly I realize I’ve been a writing badass these past two weeks.

I am ending week 2 with 5 published posts since the start of the challenge (all written during the challenge), 3 drafts completed or mostly completed, and 2 drafts for guest posts.  A few hours time should wrap those all up, and I’ll be right where I need to be, plus 2 guest posts to submit to other blogs.

6. The Law of Attraction Trinity: Creation

Status: Published on March 2, 2010

Teaser: There is a trinity of power that creates the world and our experience of it. God and humans, and the connection between them – the Law of Attraction. This is the first of a three part series in which we will discuss the three aspects of the trinity.

This post is about Creation. Find out how God, humans, and the Law of Attraction are connected in creation and enhance your understanding and ability to use the Law of Attraction.

7. The Law Of Attraction Trinity: Action

Status: Published on March 5th, 2010

Teaser: The Law of Attraction Trinity series explores the relationship between God, Man, & the Law of Attraction.

In this post we will discuss the second aspect of power, Action, and how our behaviors shape the prayers/intentions we send out to God. We’ll gain a better understanding of the message that the Law of Attraction is receiving and the return that inevitably comes our way.

* The 1-10 Scale Of Our Potential: Operating At A 9…Million

Status: Partially written draft. I plan to submit this as a guest post to TheInfoPreneur, so it won’t count towards my pre-writing count…bummer.

Teaser: To come.

8. Shyness Is A Learned Behavior, Not A Personality Trait

Status: ^{March 1} Almost completed draft. I am really excited about this one…it was a lot of fun to write and I really poured myself into it.

^{March 10-11} Went through and edited a lot. Ended up splitting this into two pieces. Part 2 is called “I Choose To Be Socially Successful.” Added metadata and links, and scheduled to publish on March 16th.

Teaser: I have learned to be shy. It’s not just the way I am. It’s not an unchangeable trait, which is good, because the kind of success I am working towards requires a person with courage and the ability to connect with people.
I want to walk you through how I became the shy person I’ve been for many years, and how I’m now becoming an outgoing, enthusiastic people person and having the best time of my life.

Week 3

I finally started to get my act together this week. My wife went to Vegas on Friday and I have put in mass amounts of hours on different blog related projects since she’s been away. One of the biggest projects has been getting organized.

I built this spreadsheet on Google Documents, after being inspired by Aaron Pogue’s at Unstressed Syllables use of a spreadsheet to track his pre-writing work.  What a difference it makes!  Between totally restructuring this page last Friday into the week by week format you see now, and laying out posts and schedule dates on the spreadsheet, I have a much better idea of what I’m doing now.

I have more filling in to do on the Google doc, but just the little that’s in there so far has really helped me to see exactly where I’m at and what the plan is.  I have to add metadata, categories, and tags to “I Choose To Be Socially Successful” and then I will have posts scheduled through next week besides the Week 3 Challenge Update.

I feel like I have a lot to do to finish the challenge, and that’s a little true, but I’m actually doing better than that. I have posts scheduled for a week right now, and I only need 1 more draft to meet my goal. The extra drafts still need to be revised and readied for publication, which will be my biggest task this week, more-so than writing new content.

I’ve highlighted everything I worked on this week in blue.  I worked on drafts from weeks 1 & 2, above, and also came up with some new ideas listed below the week 3 update.  Here’s all the posts I wrote or began in week 3:

* If I Wasn’t All In, I’d Be Backing Out

Status: Published March 8th. This is a teaser for a post I wrote exclusively for Newsletter Subscribers. I wrote the full post during week 3 as well, but as I will not link to it from my blog, I will stick this teaser post in its place. Neither one applies, however, to my challenge, so I’ve starred it instead of numbering it.

Teaser: Burnout is a possibility. Even when you’re doing something you love. In fact, it’s naive to think you’ll always have a burning passion for your passion. Sometimes, passion isn’t enough. I’m putting my fiercest effort into Conscious Me and I’m discovering the heights I’m capable of achieving. It’s doing wonders for me and my business, but this alone won’t sustain me. It won’t prevent burnout.

Let’s talk about why, and take a first look at how to deal with it. I have some things in mind, but am more than open to your suggestions and feedback. This is exciting new territory for me.

9. The Law Of Attraction Trinity: Connection

Status: Published on March 10th

Teaser: There are trinities of power in God, in Man, and in the Law of Attraction. This post discusses the third aspect of power for all three trinities – Connection. Learn about the power that connects God and Man, and the catalyst required for the Law of Attraction to manifest our intentions. Learn what consistently causes people to fail in producing results with the Law of Attraction and begin a journey of change and creation.

10. I Choose To Be Socially Successful

Status: ^{March 10th} Wrote rough draft in WriteRoom and let it sit while I polished and scheduled its sister post “Shyness Is A Learned Behavior, NOT A Personality Trait.”

^{March 11th} Copied into WordPress and revised it, added in links.

^{March 12th} Added metadata and tags, wrote teaser, and scheduled for March 19th…woo hoo!

Teaser: In recent years I have begun to change my tendency to be shy and insecure, especially in the past few months. Conscious Me is all about being transparent and letting you see the progress I am making as it is happening, not after I’ve become a rich and famous success story. So let’s talk about the small, and seemingly inconsequential choices to be socially successful that I’ve made. They have required great effort from me and resulted in amazing new friends, experiences, and opportunities.

11. * How To Feel It: Creating Positive Emotions For The Law of Attraction When You’re Feeling Negative

Status: I wrote a 1500 word draft on this by accident when I was writing “The Law Of Attraction Trinity: Connection.” This draft is not complete and is a total mess. It may end up becoming 2 or 3 posts. It also spawned a couple ideas for more posts on the Law of Attraction which I will list below. The title is tentative because it’s a bit wordy.

Teaser: To come.

Other Ideas For Posts – Titles Only

That Carlos Is Dead, This Carlos Is Living Large

Your Soul Is No Fool, It’s Unimpressed By Half-Hearted Commitments

Self Esteem & Intuition: Making Powerful Choices

Why I Freaked Out Writing About The Power Of Feelings In The Law Of Attraction

I Can’t Change The World, I Can’t Even Change My Wife.  I CAN Change Myself

Blogging Is A Party: Grab A Drink & Let’s Dance

The Salesman’s Dilemma: Deciding To Ask For The Sale

The Voice Of God:  Sometimes Nice, Sometimes Mean

Starting A Business Can Cause All Kinds Of Problems

I Told My Girlfriend I’d Marry Her: A Story About Faith

Law Of Attraction Quick Tip 1: Say It In Bold

Law Of Attraction Quick Tip 2: Say It 3 Ways

A Post-Challenge Bonus

After the challenge I’ll publish a round of guest posts by a few of the particpants about their Pre-Writing Challenge experience.  You’ll see some unique perspectives as they talk about the difficulties they faced, the inspirations they had, the operations of the challenge, and the growth they experienced.  Expect to find some new blogs to subscribe to – this roster has a lot of talent.

The Participants So Far

I will feature a short bio, goal, and challenge updates for each author on the Pre-Writing Challege Main Page, coming soon, but for now go check out their sites and see what you have to look forward to. David Doolin from Website In A Weekend will also be joining us for this crazy party. The sign up period will be ending soon, so join us now in the Pre-Writing Challenge!

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Conscious Me is now on Facebook.
Visit the new page and add me as your friend!

Thanks,
Carlos

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Related posts:

1. Pre-Writing Challenge Updates: Week 2 + Darren Rowse Message To Challenge Participants
2. About The Pre-Writing Challenge: This Will Greatly Benefit You Bloggers
3. Pre-Writing Challenge Updates: Week 3 + E-Book And Future Event
4. Aaron Pogue (Guest Post): My Experience with the Conscious Me Pre-Writing Challenge
5. Bert Padilla (Guest Post): Advantages Of The Pre-Writing Challenge