FEATURES

First anniversary blog

Today is my one year anniversary with H2Open. To celebrate 12 months of blogging, I’m writing a blog about writing blogs. All 15 my blogs can be divided into one of four categories. Below is the writing process for each type.

Type I – Success

  1. Register for a swim challenge.
  2. Train correctly.
  3. Set a reasonable goal.
  4. Successfully complete the event.
  5. Jump up and down like an excited dog.
  6. Write a blog about my personal triumph.
  7. Proof read the blog at least 10 times, creating about five versions.
  8. Email the blog to the editors of H2Open, Simon and Jonathan.
  9. Email Simon and Jonathan again ten minutes later with an emergency change.
  10. Email Simon and Jonathan again promising that next month I’ll only send them one version of the blog.
  11. Wait anxiously for the editors’ response to ensure that I haven’t finally gone over the edge and written total nonsense.
  12. Receive a response from Simon or Jonathan (or both) making a comment about either my swimming ability or the overly dramatic nature of my life (usually the latter).
  13. Wait for the blog to be published on-line.
  14. Once the blog is posted, immediately share it in every swimming-related Facebook group I know.
  15. Refresh the blog page twice daily for at least a week to see how many times it’s shared.
  16. Send the blog to my father and wait for him to comment on the spelling and grammar.
  17. Repeat steps 1 – 16.

Likelihood I will cry while writing the blog: Low
Popularity of these blogs: Low

Type II – Failure (aka The Learning Experience)

  1. Register for a swim challenge.
  2. Train incorrectly due to lack of time, underestimation of the difficulty of the event, or apathy.
  3. Stick to my original, now unrealistic, goal.
  4. Drop out part way through the event.
  5. Mope for several days.
  6. Decide to share my failure as a learning experience.
  7. Write a blog.
  8. Repeat steps 7 – 17 from type I.

Likelihood I will cry while writing the blog: High
Popularity of these blogs: High

Type III – Random Epiphany

  1. Go about my day-to-day life.
  2. Have something dramatic happen (break-up, work failure, etc.).
  3. Mope for several days.
  4. Have an epiphany about how the above non-swimming related event relates to swimming.
  5. Write a blog.
  6. Repeat steps 7 – 17 from type I.

Likelihood I will cry while writing the blog: Medium
Popularity of these blogs: Variable

Type IV – Race Director

  1. Decide to organise a swim event.
  2. Realise I am in completely over my head.
  3. Swear at inanimate objects and decide I’m going to quit.
  4. Write a blog explaining why I’m frustrated.
  5. Calm down (this step is optional).
  6. Continue organising the race.
  7. Repeat steps 7 – 17 from type I.

Likelihood I will cry while writing the blog: Medium
Popularity of these blogs: High

If you’ve missed my last 365 days of blogging fun, check out my most popular blogs. In order, they are:
The Straw the Broke the Camel’s Back (type IV)
A Handful of Clouds (type II)
Why I Should Date Swimmers (type III)

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