Once a month, during an event called Blogapalooz-Hour, ChicagoNow challenges its bloggers to write a post in one hour on a topic that's unknown to them until the hour begins. This challenge is intended to sharpen our writing skills, prove that it doesn't necessarily take a long time to write a good post, spur the entire ChicagoNow community to write on one topic, and provide incentive for any blogger who might be in an idea funk.
Below you'll find links to my Blogapalooz-Hour posts.
March, 2017: “Write about what, why and how you procrastinate.”
I Can't Help Wasting Time Before Writing
May, 2015: “Write about your tomorrow. Not figuratively, literally write about anything that you hope, fear, believe, expect -- anything -- that you may experience tomorrow.”
Tomorrow May Surprise Me
April, 2015: "Write about a time you made a mistake or were wrong about something"
Sometimes We're Absolutely Wrong
March, 2015: Blogapalooz-Hour took a one-month hiatus.
February, 2015: "Pick any point of time in the future and write about what you hope/think/fear/expect your life will be like then"
My Life at 100 Years Old
January, 2015: "Write about a time you experienced a remarkable coincidence or witnessed something unexplainable"
The Time I Saw a UFO
December, 2014: "Write about a favorite memory from your childhood"
That Time my Parents Thought I Was Kidnapped
November, 2014: "Create a new holiday, or holidays, that you believe should exist."
Zenithichron, A New Holiday to Celebrate Summer
October, 2014: "Write what your perfect day would be like, either in reality or fantasy"
Somewhere Among Millions of Options, Perfection
September, 2014: "Write about something in your life you’ve given up but that you wish you still did"
The Years I Played Baseball
August, 2014: "Write a letter to someone or some entity with whom you have had a disagreement"
Dear Guns,
July, 2014: "Write about a person, place or thing that you miss"
What I Miss the Most
June, 2014 (written in June, 2015): "Write a love letter, but it can't be to a person"
My Love Letter to a Knife
May, 2014 (written in June, 2015): "Write about a person, or persons, you never met whose death had an impact on you."
A Grandma I Never Met, and Her Impact on My Life
April, 2014 (written in June 2015): "Write about a favorite or memorable place you have lived for any time at all, whether a country, state, city, childhood home, fraternity/sorority, hostel, hotel or even bedroom."
The Most Memorable Place I've Ever Lived
March, 2014 (written in June, 2015): "Write a post passionately defending your guilty pleasure(s)."
Defending My Real Housewives Fandom
February, 2014 (this was before I joined ChicagoNow, so I wrote it June, 2015): "Write about fear, or lack thereof, and the role it has played in any aspect of your life."
Fear Can Be Useful When Parenting