31 days: in which i ask for your opinion.

If you read the same blogs I happen to read, maybe you’ve heard of 31 days, a project started by a group of bloggers in which they write about the same subject every day for the entire month of October. The premise is challenging, especially if you’re like me, squeezing writing into the slow parts of your day, blogging when and where the wind blows. 

Turning Pages, I’m sure you now know, is not a style blog, not a mommy blog, not a fashion blog, not a photography blog, not a food blog, not a design blog. There is no rhyme or reason to what I write, and for that reason, I think, I struggle with diving into the “business” side of blogging. I don’t have sponsors because I’m afraid if I were even to offer, the response would be ridiculously minimal. I don’t host giveaways unless they’re of my own creation. I don’t have thousands of readers or link my blog to a Facebook page. I don’t have a blog schedule (except for my “inspired” posts on Thursdays) because — and here is what it really all boils down to — I’m very much a “write what you feel” kind of person. My most passionate and most lengthy posts are written as responses to perceived injustices, editorials on the life I’m leading, the books I read, and, admittedly, the church I attend (perhaps, more accurately, my faith as a whole). 

So when I began toying with the idea of 31 posts in 31 days, the doubts crept in. Could I even sustain a subject for that length of time? I am the girl who has dozens of unfinished journals lining my bookcases, the one whose desk at home is full of pages and pages of story ideas, all still unwritten. This blog and the papers I wrote in school are the only evidence that I can write without burning out, can still let the words flow even when nothing else quite does. 

I am a confident person. But I am not confident I can tackle the same topic, day after day, for the entire month of October. 

Which is why I’m doing it anyway. 

I want to prove to myself that I can write, that I can sustain the words and the subjects I love so much. 

For 31 days, I will blog in a way that I haven’t before, and I want your help. 

Long ago, I decided that this blog was for me. Translation? I wouldn’t let my little corner of the internet be dictated by what others were posting; I wouldn’t measure my success as a blogger or a writer by counting comments or tracking “followers.” Of course, that was back when I averaged zero comments per post, when my mother and a long-lost college acquaintance (turned kindred spirit) were my only readers. 

Now, things are a little different. A few more comments and followers, yes, but also, more importantly, a community. A group of people I’ve come to love and know through the avenue of this little blog. I cannot believe I am typing it, but it’s true. 

During the month of October, I want to blog about something I’m passionate about. Otherwise, I know: I will fail. At the same time, though, I want to blog about something that is of interest to you, the readers and the friends that brighten my days with your comments, emails, and words of encouragement. 

What would you like these 31 days to hold? I have my own ideas, yes. I am never at a loss for ideas. But I’m curious: What keeps you coming back to this tiny spot on the world wide web? Do I tackle any topics that you really love? What are they, and why? What topics won’t bore you (or me) for the 31 days that are to come? 

Please, even if you’ve never commented before, go ahead and come out of the woodwork now. I need all the help I can get if I want to be on track for October 1.

Let the brainstorming begin!