Great Blogging Events – Part 1: Weekly Events

When I started blogging last year I quickly realised that there are various events that can tickle ones creativity, gain readers, find new blogs, build a blogging habit… Many of my readers found me through such events, and I found many of the blogs I read through events.

I often find myself recommending events to other bloggers. Below I have compiled a small  huge list of events that I can recommend you join. I initially wanted to do a post including weekly, monthly and yearly events, but by the look of it I am going to split this post into at least two parts.

If you are a blogger this list might be interesting if you are looking for linkups, prompts, new readers, new blogs to read, developing a blogging habit, motivation …

If you are only a reader, you might find some great posts to read, and some new blogs to follow. Why only read my blog?

If we were having coffee – #weekendcoffeeshare

Every weekend Diana of Part-Time Monster hosts the event If we were having coffee, participants share their week in a chatty post, just as if they were having coffee with their blog visitors. It is a great way of sharing things of one’s life, especially if this does not fit into typical blogposts. Dates to post are Saturday and Sunday (it does happen that some bloggers celebrate the weekend early), sometime on Saturday Diana puts up her own post including the linky (a blue button with a frog on it), which is there so that participants can easily link their posts. It is an amazing community with many great blogs participating. It comes with it’s own hashtag #weekendcoffee share, and participants and readers are encouraged to share the posts using the hashtag.

I love this event for various reasons, it is great for rambling, sharing your week, being a bit more personal and asking questions, for example you have an idea for your blog, or want to start a guest series, here is a great moment for feedback.

#WeeklySmile

The #WeeklySmile is an event recently created by Trent P. McDonald, participants are asked to share a thing or some things that made them smile during the week. It was started in the beginning of January 2016, thus the community is still small, but if you join it will grow! If you are in need for a heartwarming moment, then check out the #WeeklySmile posts. Days to post are all week from Wednesday to Wednesday, a new linky (a blue button with a frog on it) goes up every Wednesday. As for If we were having coffee, participants and readers of the #WeeklySmile are encouraged to share on twitter using the hashtag.

I really enjoy this new event as it incites everyone to share a smile, and maybe make someone else smile. Smiles are like yawns, just better…

#BlogBattle

#BlogBattle is an event hosted by Rachael Ritchey. Anyone can join, even if you do not have a blog of your own! Participants are provided with a theme that is meant to be used in a story fiction or non-fiction, the maximum word count allowed is 1000 words. Day to post is Tuesday until 11:59 pm PST (23:59 PST), that means for someone living in the CET time zone like myself (continental Europe excluding Portugal) you have until 9 am on Wednesday. Then the fun begins! Once all posts have been submitted, everyone is asked to read all stories and vote for their 3 favourite stories. You can vote even if you have not participated with your own piece. Voting goes from Wednesday until Sunday, the winner is announced on Monday. #BlogBattle is a great event, with a very live community, as people have to read every post before they vote it means you will definitely get some visits. As a reader this event can be a lot of fun as you can see how different imagination can be! The only downside I see is that participants should read all stories, which can at times be very time consuming. This event does not have a linky, so you will have to link back with a pingback (include a link to the #blogbattle page)

This event it definitely great if you want a writing boost, overcome the writers block. If you are competitive or not it is still fun. It is great for discovering or improving your writing skills, finding inspiration, working with a deadline, developing a story, working with a word limit.

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes

Friday Fiction with Donovan Writes is a weekly fiction writing event hosted by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Every Friday Ronovan provides a prompt, at times he will also provide guidelines and advice of how to become a better writer. Days to post are Friday to Wednesday 23:59 EST (again that’s 6am on Thursday for someone living in the CET time zone). On Friday Ronovan publishes a post including links to the stories of all participants, with some writing statistics such as the use of passive voice. If you want to you can sign a consent form and your stories might be published in a free anthology in the future, cool eh? This event does not have a linky, so you will have to link back with a pingback (include a link to the prompt post).

Like with #blogbattle this event is great for giving your writing a boost, finding inspiration, developing a story etc.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers hosted by Priceless Joy is an event that asks participants to write a piece of flash fiction of 100 – 150 words (+ – 25 words). As a prompt a photo is provided every Tuesday. Posting of flash fiction pieces happens from Tuesday until Monday. Participants are asked to join the linky (blue button with the frog on it)

This one great for discovering or improving your writing skills, finding inspiration, writing with few words, working the imagery of your writing.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge

Hugh’s Weekly photo Challenge is as the name suggests a photography challenge hosted by Hugh Roberts of Hugh’s Views & News. Every week, Hugh provides a little prompt, participants are asked to pingback (link to to the prompt post). Generally posting is from Tuesday to Monday, as the prompt gets published on Tuesdays, but there have been exceptions to this rule, as some challenges have lasted a bit longer over time.

I have joined twice so far, and it has been fun each time. As one goes out to discover fun things. It also tickles the shy photographer inside me 🙂

Other Weekly Events

The list above is just a sampling of all the great linkups, prompts and inspirational events that exist on a weekly basis. Sometimes I also find myself enjoying the contributions of bloggers to the following events:

Thursday Doors (photo challenge featuring doors) hosted by Norm Frampton of Norm 2.0

99 words – write a piece of flash fiction in 99 words, a prompt is provided by Charli Mills of Carrot Ranch Communications

Friday Fictioneers – a prompt is provided by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields on her blog Addicted to Purple

Of course there are many more events that I enjoy, but as things are they are not on the top of my head right now.

And now before I let you go, I hope you will be back for the monthly/yearly events post soon. Here is a link to a very useful post regarding pingbacks.

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© Solveig Werner 2016. All rights reserved.