[Note from the Proprietor: In case you're wondering what it's all about, well, we're smack in the middle of BLOGAPALOOZA! Hey, you're welcome to join in the fun if you like! All ya gotta do is click that cute little link and read all about it!]
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Guest post by Joanna Young who writes over at Confident Writing
To Wilf: Verb (intr.): look back on things that have happened and capture the learning; turn the learning into a sentence, an article or a story that will entertain, educate, move, amuse or baffle; keep up with the uber-editor’s insane publishing schedule and choice of topics; reveal the more personal side of ‘you’ on your blog; share your writing with a group of like-minded people; publish the results on the internet for the whole world to read
Taking part in the What I Learned From projects has become so much a part of my writing and blogging life that I now think of it as a verb: to wilf. (That’s my definition above: what would yours be?)
Some of the most significant things I wrote last year were my wilf entries, so I’ve based my learning from 2008 on them.
First off was a post I’d forgotten about till I came to write this: last year’s lookback published here, on what I learned from blog comments in 2007. It reminded me that I do like to bend (or break) the rules, took me back to a lot of good things that had happened in 2007 (which had faded from view), and reinforced my strongly held belief that blogging really ‘happens’ in the comment box.
February I kept things really short with a one word post on what I learned from people. The lesson being a) brevity works b) I do have a competitive streak, and wanted to beat the previous two word wilfing best.
The topic for March (what I learned from the law) had me completely stumped. But I wanted to keep up my monthly wilf practice so I do what I encourage others to do when they’re stuck for words. Write what you’re resisting. So I wrote about what I’d learned from not writing about what I learned from the law. (This probably also wins the prize for my most convoluted headline of 2008.)
What I learned from working in a sweet shop was a good reminder that you’ve learned things even when (at first glance) you can’t think of any lessons. And also how easy it is to work out the wider application of those lessons, once you’ve worked out what they are.
May took me to Chicago and SobCon, including the chance to meet Robert and some other regular Middle Zone readers and contributors. It seemed fitting that I was able to celebrate this in what I learned from the gifts I received at SobCon. (Re-reading this post was a lovely way to remember some of the gifts big and small that people had given me.)
What I learned from my cat about the writing life is possibly my favourite WILF piece of the year. I enjoyed writing it (and re-reading it) - I think it’s something to do with the way the creative limits of the topic, plus my blog theme, and my life experience come together into one post. Plus it gave me the chance to write about my cat.
July found me reflecting on the way ferry boats helped me to write while August had me wondering if life was a bagel (with cream cheese). Which just goes to show you never know where wilf is going to take you.
I grabbed the chance in September to say ‘thank you’ through my wilf entry on what I learned about writing from my friends online.
October’s WILF was ‘on topic’ for me: I looked back at time when I’d been writing under a lot of stress, and remembering how the adrenaline had helped me to write.
What I learned from the writing on the wall was all about the Scottish Parliament building. I got some good feedback, questions and comments about the building, reminding me how much we all enjoy learning about other parts of the world. Also that we take our local things for granted - forgetting they’ll be interesting and maybe even exotic to people who live elsewhere.
My last WILF of the year was generosity in 2 syllables or less. It was a reflection on a significant moment in my life, and also (another) reminder that I enjoy these projects as a way of blending personal and professional, of working in the topic of WILF with the themes I’m exploring on my own blog (in this case simplicity, hard on the heels of experimentation).
Wilfing this year has given me the chance to explore my own themes in a different way; to experiment, play and stretch; to go a little bit off-topic; and to share a bit more of myself on my blog. I think it’s a valuable addition or complement to the other things I’m blogging during the month.
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If you’ve been wilfing this year, what did you learn from it? If you’re thinking about wilfing in 2009, what can we do to encourage, push or cajole you to jump in and share your learning with us?
Joanna Young is a regular WILF contributor who blogs at Confident Writing. She writes to a monthly theme, with tips and suggestions about ways to write with greater confidence. It’s a site not just for writers but anyone who wants or needs to write.
Photo Credit: Fletch, by zach_manchester on flickr (found by searching for ‘wilf’… amazing what turns up!)
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[Further note from the Proprietor: Hey, if you're interested in having your own "best of 2008" posts highlighted right here at the Middle Zone, then by all means, click on this link: (BLOGAPALOOZA: What I Learned From 2008) and read all about it! BLOGAPALOOZA will be open for entries from now until Sunday, January 25.]
You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!
Howdy y’all! Hey, in case you didn’t know, BLOGAPALOOZA is currently under way! That means from now thru Sunday, January 25, folks can have their very own What I Learned From 2008 list post published right here at the Middle Zone!
(By the way, you’ll be able to keep track of our progress towards the goal by checkin’ out that handy-dandy Palooza-Meter over there on the right. I’ll update it periodically to show everyone where we stand on reachin’ - or passin’ the goal.)
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
