My blog is about to turn 5 years old soon, next month in fact.  And frankly, it’s never been at a lower point, content and update-wise.  It’s sad, because I like my blog, and I like blogging about hockey, but I’ve fallen out of the habit of posting, and don’t write as much as I should.  I’ve groused a little publicly about not having, and needing to start, a daily writing habit, and I can’t think of a better time to do it than the Stanley Cup Finals.

And since misery loves company, I’m going to turn it into a challenge.

If you have a blog that’s been languishing, and you really, REALLY want to start it again, the time is now.  It’s time to get these blogs back in shape, and put some content out there.  It’s time to get back into the habit of blogging, just in time for the off-season (good timing, eh? You can’t control when the itch hits you).

I challenge you, dear reader/ blogger, to blog every day.  Write one post, short, long, crazy, on or off topic, put up a photo, or whatever, though June 15th, or what would be game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  It doesn’t have to be epic writing, it doesn’t have to be perfect.  It doesn’t have to be about the Stanley Cup Finals, even.  All it has to be is there.  Starting with game 1 on June 1st, post one blog post per day.  Or, take it further, and post one blog post a day until free agency day on July 1st, which is what I’m going to be doing.  That’s just over 30 posts, which seems daunting when you haven’t been keeping up your blog like you feel you should.  But really, when you are in the zone, when you are doing it every day, it isn’t that much.

Because here’s the thing.  If you get in the habit of writing, you don’t have to worry about inspiration, or motivation, or creativity, because all of that comes from doing.  The more you write, the more you will want to write.  And the more time you will set aside to write, no matter how busy you perceive you are.

If you want, tweet your posts with the hashtag #SCFblog.  That hashtag doesn’t seem to be taken, and it will let other people doing the challenge find your work, and you to find theirs.  And we could all use a little more support.  And if you feel like helping them out, leave a comment on their blog.  You know how comments on your work make you feel, so spread the good stuff around.  Post a link to this post on your site, if you want, and invite others along for the ride.  The more the merrier.

What do you get if you complete the challenge?  Well, you get more writing than you had before, and that’s awesome.  But hey, how about something else.  Tell you what, with every post I put on my site for the challenge, I will link to some blogging, writing, or inspiring post, blog, video, or something to help you on your challenge.  Some will be short, some will be longer, but you will have a few more resources at your disposal when it’s all over.

So what do you say?  Are you with me?  If even one or two people take up the challenge, then we will have more writing than we had before.

I’ll leave you with this quote from Twyla Tharp, a very accomplished choreographer you may have heard of, from her book, The Creative Habit (via Merlin Mann’s site, 43 Folders):

After so many years, I’ve learned that being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns. That’s why writers, for example, like to establish routines for themselves. The most productive ones get started early in the morning, when the world is quiet, the phones aren’t ringing, and their minds are rested, alert, and not yet polluted by other people’s words. They might set a goal for themselves — write fifteen hundred words, or stay at their desk until noon — but the real secret is that they do this every day. In other words, they are disciplined. Over time, as the daily routines become second nature, discipline morphs into habit.

So, see you on June 1st.  Let’s do this.