"There's no point in spending your life in the pursuit of something that's easy." - Alice Kuipers

Monday, April 30, 2012

The End of the April Platform Challenge

I've been putting off writing this blog post all day. Maybe, because I don't really want the April Platform Building Challenge to end. Or possibly because I had a very long and busy nine and a half hour work day and all I really want to do is sit on the couch and eat ice cream. (It's mostly the latter). But, I thought it was a good idea to take a moment and ruminate on the past thirty days and all I've learned.

It's been a busy month, but a really great one. Thanks to Erin Morgenstern and the Platform Building Challenge, I've gained several new followers to this blog, reached the triple digits in followers for my twitter account, and connected with a great community of aspiring writers. Some of the challenges were hard, they pushed me out of my comfort zone. I didn't enjoy signing up for LinkedIn or Google +, but I've really enjoyed setting up my new account on Goodreads. I never realized it could be such a great tool for keeping track of all the books I've read, and all the ones I want to read.

I've learned that it's important to break out of my shell and connect with other writers. I'm kind of a hermit, so it's good for me to try to socialize. This challenge has also taught me that it's important to take myself seriously as a writer and dedicate the time to it that it deserves. I have a full time job outside of writing and often times when I'm tired or stressed, it ends up on the back burner. This challenge has taught me a lot, and I'm so glad I gave it a try.

Did you complete the April Platform Building Challenge? What did you learn? What parts of your life deserve more of your time and attention? As always, I welcome all feedback in the comments section below. Please feel free to follow this blog (I do a happy dance every time I see a new follower - you are all very much appreciated!) and myself on twitter @MelanieKCole.

3 comments:

  1. Lovely post, Melanie. I think my best learnt lesson is that it's okay to self-promote. Before the platform challenge I never did that. I'm still slightly uncomfortable with it, but I know that it needs doing.

    ~ Misky at Misk Cooks

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  2. I could relate to so many things on in this post...being pushed outside my comfort zone (in a good way!), coming out of hiding to meet fellow writers, wanting to eat ice cream on the couch...

    The best thing of all was meeting all of you! :)

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    1. Aw! That's so sweet! Thank you so much! It's been a delight meeting you too!

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