Writing Challenge Posts | My Writing Notebook

Writing Challenge Posts

I am a writer, serious about becoming a better one. In an attempt to become a better writer, I challenged myself to learn something new about writing each day for a year, and blog about it to teach others. This website was created on 30 April 2011 and the very next day ‘My Writing Challenge’ was launched and I posted each day from 1st May 2011 until 30 April 2012. The challenge is now complete and links to each of the posts are below, which include progress updates, challenge achievements and blog awards.

If you can’t find what you are looking for, please use the search box above. Thank you.

Full list of posts in My Writing Challenge

My Writing Challenge launches 1st May 2011

Note 1 – Where should I put the conclusion?

Note 2 – Rules for the word ‘however’

Note 3 – The use of ‘brackets’ and ‘bracketing commas’

Note 4 – The apostrophe

Note 5 – Rules about ‘lists’ in a sentence

Note 6 – Is it a question or not?

Note 7 – Numbers in writing

Note 8 – A little bit about semicolons

Note 9 – Is it ‘I’ or ‘me’?

Note 10 – Should you write ‘ie’ or ‘ei’?

Note 11 – Affect and Effect (Part 1)

Note 12 – Affect and Effect (Part 2)

Note 13 – Inverted commas (Part 1)

Note 14 – Is it ‘Maybe’ or ‘May be’?

Note 15 – Reflexive pronouns like ‘myself’

Note 16 – Inverted commas (Part 2)

Note 17 – Into and in, Onto and On

Note 18 – Passed and Past

Note 19 – ‘Dashes’ in writing (Part 1)

Note 20 – ‘Dashes’ in writing (Part 2)

Note 21 – Concrete and abstract nouns

Note 22 – Program and Programme

Note 23 – Is it practice or practise?

Note 24 – The infinitive of verbs

Note 25 – Split infinitives

Note 26 – Is it licence or license?

Note 27 – When to use italics

Note 28 – Using Capital Letters

Note 29 – Sentence order

Note 30 – Interrupting subject and verb

Note 31 – ‘Because of’ and ‘Due to’

Note 32 – Preposition words and phrases

Note 33 – Parallel form (lists)

Note 34 – Parallel form (expressions)

Note 35 – ‘The time’ in writing

Note 37 – The use of ‘ever’ and ‘-ever’

Note 38 – ‘To lay’ and ‘to lie’

Note 39 – Biennial and Biannual

Note 40 – The words ‘less’ and ‘fewer’

Note 41 – ‘Re’ with or without a hyphen

Note 42 – Paragraph layout

Note 43 – Conjunctions

Note 44 – e.g. and i.e.

Note 45 – either…or (coordinating conjunctions)

Note 46 – neither…nor (coordinating conjunctions)

Note 47 – Take your time when writing

Note 48 – Using ‘lead sentences’

Note 49 – Singular v Plural verb with coordinating conjunctions

Note 50 – Subject and verb (agreement in number) Part 1

Note 51 – Subject and verb (agreement in number) Part 2

Note 52 – Take care when quoting direct speech

Note 53 – Punctuation with quotation marks (British v American English)

Note 54 – Disinterested v Uninterested

Note 55 – Cut your work

Note 56 – Active and passive voices

Note 57 – Regular and irregular verbs

Note 58 – Past participles

Note 59 – Present participles

Note 60 – Do you end words with ‘-ise’ or ‘-ize’?

Note 61 – Verbs and their forms

Note 62 – Precede and Proceed

Note 63 – Forever and for ever

Note 64 – Ambiguity with adjectives and commas

Note 65 – The use of square brackets [ ]

Note 66 – The present perfect tense

Note 67 – The past perfect tense

Note 68 – Relative adverbs

Note 69 – Synonyms and Antonyms

Note 70 – How Google can help you find synonyms

Note 71 – The word ‘but’

Note 72 – The difference between a phrase and a clause

Note 73 – Using the words ‘like’ and ‘as’

Note 74 – The subtle difference between ‘like’ and ‘such as’

Note 75 – Acronyms

Note 76 – Remembering words (Pronunciation)

Note 77 – Non-fiction writing: How to succeed

Note 78 – Dependent or Dependant

Note 79 – Be sensitive when referring to genders

Note 80 – Some notes on ‘etc.’

Note 81 – The difference between stationery and stationary

Note 82 – Comparing ton and tonne

Note 83 – Abbreviations v Acronyms

Note 84 – To peddle and to pedal

Note 85 – Linking verbs

Note 86 – The word ‘just’

Note 87 – A test on plurals

Note 88 – Lead, led and leaded

Note 89 – Is it learnt or learned?

Note 90 – What is a gerund?

Note 91 – Lengthy and lengthily

Note 92 – What is a dummy subject?

Note 93 – Comparative and superlative adjectives

Note 94 – Deficient and defective

Note 95 – The word circa

Note 96 – The sin of circumlocution in writing

Note 97 – The indicative mood (verbs)

Note 98 – The imperative mood (verbs)

Note 99 – The subjunctive mood (verbs)

Note 100 – Finding the time and space to write

Note 101 – Clean up your clichés

Note 102 – Do you need a comma before which?

Note 103 – What does ‘hopefully’ actually mean?

Note 104 – Spaces before punctuation marks

Note 105 – Punctuation with bullet points and lists

Note 106 – First, second and third person

Note 107 – The ‘Oxford comma’

Note 108 – ‘Cannot’ and ‘can not’

Note 109 – ‘Can’ v ‘May’

Note 110 – Is ‘supersede’ spelt correctly?

Note 111 – What is an idiom?

Note 112 – Discreet and discrete

Note 113 – The use of ‘will’ and ‘shall’ in writing

Note 114 – Do you use ‘enquire’ or ‘inquire’?

Note 115 – What is tautology?

Note 116 – Etymology: the study of word origins

Note 117 – The difference between ‘who’ and ‘whom’

Note 118 – The difference between ‘further’ and ‘farther’

Note 119 – Examples of euphemisms

Note 120 – Double negatives

Note 121 – Starting sentences with ‘and’

Note 122 – Prepositions: of, with and by

Note 123 – Organising your web content

Note 124 – Content words v structure words

Note 125 – Prepositions v conjunctions

Note 126 – The meaning of eponymous

Note 127 – Using the words ‘may’ and ‘might’

Note 128 – Hyphenating adjectives correctly

Note 129 – The difference between distinct and distinctive

Note 130 – Using fractions and percentages in writing

Note 131 – The words ‘onym’ and ‘onymous’

Note 132 – Warming up before the real writing

Note 133 – What is a colloquialsm?

Note 134 – Writing: Don’t fear the negative comments

Note 135 – What is morphology (in writing)?

Note 136 – Difference between former and latter

Note 137 – The use of the word ‘presently’

Note 138 – The expression ‘faux pas’

Note 139 – Do you use ‘between’ and ‘among’ correctly?

Note 140 – Writing ‘among’ and ‘amongst’

I’m posting every day in 2011!

Note 141 – The difference between ‘anyone’ and ‘anybody’

Note 142 – Indefinite pronouns

Note 143 – Writing dimensions and measurements correctly

Note 144 – How SEO can help you as a writer

Note 145 – What are homographs?

Note 146 – What are homophones?

Note 147 – What are heterophones?

Note 148 – Plurals of words ending in ‘-us’

Note 149 – Principal and principle

Note 150 – Comparing ‘avenge’ and ‘revenge’

Note 151 – Comparing weather, whether and wether

Note 152 – Comparing ‘a lot’, ‘alot’ and ‘allot’

Note 153 – Tips on rewriting your CV (curriculum vitae)

Note 154 – Creating a writing plan that works

Note 155 – Putting the writing plan to the test

Note 156 – Comparing ‘efficiency’ and ‘effectiveness’

Note 157 – Multiple question marks and exclamation marks

Note 158 – Have you heard of the ‘interrobang’ punctuation mark?

Note 159 – Speech lasting more than one paragraph

Note 160 – Should you put a comma after ‘bracketing commas’?

Note 161 – Your web presence as a freelance writer

Note 162 – Language = Vocabulary + Grammar rules

Note 163 – Grammatical building blocks

Note 164 – Should you put quotation marks around thoughts?

Note 165 – ‘between you and me’ v ‘between you and I’

Note 166 – Trust your writing and don’t deprive the reader

Note 167 – How to write for Technorati

Note 168 – Writing the old-fashioned way – with pen and paper

Note 169 – When are you qualified to say ‘I am a writer’?

Note 170 – Blog posts: sharing and commenting

Note 171 – Is the spelling focussed or focused?

Note 172 – Is the spelling installment or instalment?

Note 173 – A few presentation and paragraph tips

Note 174 – How writers can earn money using Google AdSense

Note 175 – Is it okay to not feel like writing some days?

Note 176 – Writing in the comfort of your own bed

Note 177 – Before you read on – is it brocolli or broccoli?

Note 178 – Deciding on your writing niche(s)

Note 179 – Trying to multi-task as a writer

Note 180 – The Latin word ‘viz’

Note 181 – The French phrase ‘vis à vis’

Note 182a – Psychology of Writing (before clutter clearing)

Note 182b – Psychology of Writing (after clutter clearing)

Note 183 – Well organised blog content

I’m half way through My Writing Challenge

Note 184 – Five things I’ve learnt about blog category management

Note 185 – Writing about subjects you are passionate about

Note 186 – Preparing for writer’s block

Note 187 – How writers can get more Twitter followers

Note 188 – How people-watching can help a non-fiction writer too…

Note 189 – Using the word ‘arrhae’

Note 190 – Autohagiography and other unusual words

Note 191 – Have you tried using talking dictionaries?

Note 192 – ‘In doing so’ v ‘in so doing’

Note 193 – Twitter isn’t a race – 6 rules and best practices for following

Note 194 – Adding a free Flickr image to your blog post

Note 195 – Creating useful lists in Twitter which may help you as a writer

Note 196 – Writing (or thinking about writing) whilst you are cooking!

Note 197 – How SEO tool ‘Website Grader’ can help you improve your website

Note 198 – Five reasons why LinkedIn can be great for writers

Note 199 – Get your website or blog discovered with StumbleUpon

Note 200 – Things you didn’t know about The Free Dictionary

Note 201 – How the Digg social media tool can drive traffic to your site

Note 202 – Ever wondered what your Twitter account grade is?

Note 203 – The use of similes in writing

Note 204 – How metaphors are different to similes

Note 205 – Writing = Structure + Style + Readability + Grammar

Note 206 – Your writing style: be yourself and be unique

Note 207 – The use of the word frisson

Note 208 – The Latin expression ‘per se’

Note 209 – The Latin term ‘status quo’

Note 210 – You can’t put a price on a writer’s notebook

Note 211 – How do you set up ‘no follow’ attributes within WordPress comments?

Note 212 – Comparing speciality and specialty

Note 213 – The latin term bona fide

Note 214 – How the YouTube tool can help writers

Note 215 – A little bit of history about British and American English

Note 216 – How to create a custom link for your LinkedIn profile in 5 easy steps

Note 217 – Is it spelt descendent or descendant?

Note 218 – How the Merriam-Webster Company was formed

Note 219 – The meaning of the word secular

Note 220 – Reasons why I love to write

Note 221 – Write great blog content and it could go viral

Note 222 – Eight things to consider before creating a writing portfolio

Note 223 – Don’t feel guilty about not writing

Note 224 – How using hashtags in Twitter can benefit writers

Note 225 – Copying a post in WordPress

Note 226 – Writing on the train has many advantages

Note 227 – Ever wondered how people communicated before writing?

Note 228 – How an autobiography is different to a memoir

Note 229 – The difference between SEO and social media

Note 230 – The 3 keys to getting SEO right

Note 231 – Research tools and keyword phrases

Note 232 – Direct readers to relevant content via links in your bylines

Note 233 – The meaning of the phrase ‘keep schtum’

Note 234 – Have you converted your WordPress blog to your own domain?

Note 235 – I mapped my WordPress blog to a new domain in just a few minutes!

Note 236 – Writing Better Twitter Headlines

Note 237 – Do you lay or lie on the settee?

Note 238 – You’ll make it as a writer if you just have hope

Note 239 – The word ‘Humbug’ and the term ‘Bah Humbug’

Note 240 – The spelling of yuletide and its definition

Note 241 – Origami: The Art of Folding Paper

Note 242 – Definition and Use of the Latin Word [Sic]

Note 243 – Authority = Great Content + Shared Links + Google Ranking

Note 244 – Making income from your authoritative website

Note 245 – The Pressure of New Year’s Resolutions; Choose to be Different…

Note 246 – What does your blog or website give others?

Note 247 – Definition and Origin of ‘Beck and Call’

Note 248 – How writers can end up with posture problems

Note 249 – Researching how to create ebooks from your blog content

Note 250 – The Kreativ Blogger Award

Note 251 – The prefix ‘omni’ and related words

Note 252 – The use of Prefixes and Suffixes

Note 253 – Four types of third-person point of view (POV) in writing

Note 254 – How many words or pages should an ebook have?

Note 255 – Writing commitments as a busy parent

Note 256 – Balancing Writing and Family

Note 257 – Little Writing Steps v Writing Burnout

Note 258 – Using a kaizen approach to your writing

Note 259 – Adding images using the WordPress media gallery

Note 260 – Adding incredible Flickr images to your blogs

Note 261 – A few commonly misspelled words

Note 262 – Spelling commitments: Committing yourself to spelling correctly

Note 263 – How reading can help improve spelling

Note 264 – Word confusions: Do you confuse lose with loose?

Note 265 – Word confusions: proof, prove and proving

Note 266 – Measuring writing progress in 8 different ways

Note 267 – The benefits of writing ‘how to’ articles

Note 268 – Epistemology: the study of knowledge

Note 269 – The acronym a.k.a.

Note 270 – Tips on hiding your writing from prying eyes

Note 271 – Ten tips for preparing blogs and articles in advance

Note 272 – My Writing Challenge: 2011 in review

Note 273 – What’s the longest word in the English Language?

Note 274 – How being a ’30 minute’ writer works for me

Note 275 – Dos-à-dos, dosado and do-si-do

Note 276 – Mnemonics for the word necessary

Note 277 – The occasional misspelling of occasionally

Note 278 – Confusion with the words sat, seated and sitting

Note 279 – Comparing centre and center

Note 280 – The word exigencies

Note 281 – Do you say vicious circle or vicious cycle?

Note 282 – The word synonymous

Note 283 – There’s no such word as layed

Note 284 – Have you got a secret blog editor?

Note 285 – How would you write the words ‘shock horror’?

Note 286 – How writers can benefit from stressful situations

Note 287 – Comparing complement and compliment

Note 288 – Do you get writing ideas from watching films?

Note 289 – My Writing Challenge Progress

Note 290 – The word therein

Note 291 – Words Meaning Love (includes quiz)

Note 292 – The word exponential

Note 293 – The Double Meaning of Utopia

Note 294 – Rewriting is the essence of writing

Note 295 – The Word Congruent

Note 296 – The words bifurcate, trifurcate and quadfurcate

Note 297 – Everyone’s talking about ‘writing time’

Note 298 – The Trapezius Muscle

Note 299 – The occipital bone

Note 300 – Most popular posts since My Writing Challenge began

Note 301 – Can changing titles make posts more popular?

Note 302 – Take care of your spine through good posture

Note 303 – What does a writer carry with them?

Note 304 – Laptop stands can help with posture issues

Note 305 – Lo and behold v Low and behold

Note 306 – Take frequent micro-breaks from sitting

Note 307 – The words harry and harried

Note 308 – The phrase ‘chip on your shoulder’

Note 309 – The word verdigris

Note 310 – Comparing sulphate and sulfate

Note 311 – Travelling v traveling

Note 312 – The Erector Spinae (group of muscles)

Note 313 – Upper cross syndrome

Note 314 – Where and how do you sit with your laptop?

Note 315 – The difference between disc and disk

Note 316 – Fifty days to go…what’s kept me going

Note 317 – I AM a writer, so let’s move on a step…

Note 318 – The Versatile Blogger Award

Note 319 – Reciprocal Reading

Note 320 – The phrase okey dokey

Note 321 – Learning and then teaching via your blog

Note 322 – McKenzie D lumber roll to help you sit correctly

Note 323 – Eight writing books as a source of information

Note 324 – Eight online sources of information + useful tips

Note 325 – Eight other sources of information for writing tips

Note 326 – The use of the word gubbins

Note 327 – Are you a fiction or non-fiction writer?

Note 328 – Is the floor inside and the ground outside?

Note 329 – The controversy about the word irregardless

Note 330 – Do you write snuck or sneaked?

Note 331 – Cringing at the use of they’re, there and their…

Note 332 – The possessive pronoun “theirs” has no apostrophe

Note 333 – The use of sited, cited and sighted

Note 334 – The word insatiable

Note 335 – The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Note 336 – The 7 advantages and 7 disadvantages of daily blogging

Note 337 – Comparing lesson and lessen

Note 338 – My blog is my frog…

Note 339 – What is a copywriter?

Note 340 – 10,000 hits, some ‘book’ news and lots of patience…

Note 341 – Copywriting v copyrighting

Note 342 – Can writing promote everyday happiness?

Note 343 – Expressing gratitude through writing

Note 344 – The word capricious

Note 345 – Every writer deserves some time off

Note 346 – Reviewing writing challenges and goals

Note 347 – A writer’s decision to change direction

Note 348 – Accidentally overwriting blog posts

Note 349 – Is it spelt accidentally or accidently?

Note 350 – Time flies when you are having fun

Note 351 – Writing or social media obsessions

Note 352 – The phrase ‘for all intents and purposes’

Note 353 – Is it ‘formally’ or ‘formerly’?

Note 354 – Converting time and words into money

Note 355 – Is earnt or earned the correct spelling?

Note 356 – Have I met my writing challenge? 10 days to go…

Note 357 – The approach to taking time off from your daily blog

Note 358 – Comparing morale and moral

Note 359 – The word loquacious

Note 360 – About the Versatile Blogger Award

Note 361 – Writing challenge horizon in sight (5 days to go…)

Note 362 – Seeing human errors as learning opportunities

Note 363 – What’s your label: Blogger, Writer or Author?

Note 364 – Communicating changes to your readers

Note 365 – Thanking blog readers and supporters (1 day to go…)

Note 366 – Happy 1st Blogiversary…Writing challenge complete!

Discussion

9 thoughts on “Writing Challenge Posts”

Sandra,
The link to your other blog is wrong. It tells people that the site cannot be found. The correct link should be
http://sandramadeira.wordpress.com/
There is no “WWW” with the wordpress blogs.

Posted by MercXue | May 31, 2011, 9:33 pm

Reply to this comment
- Thank you for pointing that out
  Sandra
  
  Posted by Sandra Madeira | May 31, 2011, 10:01 pm
  
  Reply to this comment

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

Pingback: I’m posting every day in 2011! « My writing challenge - September 17, 2011
Pingback: Note 200 – Things you didn’t know about The Free Dictionary « My writing challenge - November 16, 2011
Pingback: Note 249 – Researching how to create ebooks from your blog content « My writing challenge - January 4, 2012
Pingback: Note 254 – How many words or pages should an ebook have? « My writing challenge - January 9, 2012
Pingback: Note 255 – Writing commitments as a busy parent « My writing challenge - January 10, 2012
Pingback: Note 265 – Word confusions: proof, prove and proving « My writing challenge - January 20, 2012
Pingback: Note 289 – My Writing Challenge Progress « My writing challenge - February 13, 2012

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