I've been writing pretty regularly for about 20 years, and writing casually before that, always with the intention of honing my craft.
Unfortunately for me, I found writing only gets harder the more I do it... mostly because as I get better, I have less tolerance for my own bad writing. For example, this blog post is now two and a half sentences long and I've spent about 15 minutes on it, deleting and re-writing and re-wording it.
And even still, I'm not happy with it, so we're just going to have to move on.
I'm embarking on a 30 day challenge, initiated by my professional network, "Indie Business Network," in which we must blog daily for 30 days. Furthermore, these posts must not be promotional in nature.
I've put out requests for topics on Facebook and in our newsletter, and so far I've got quite a lot of fantastic topics to cover:
Nici Gi: Do you use Lye? I think an article about Lye that ties in Fight Club would be hilarious...Cindy Emch: Scents - best /worst / most surprising - what has the weird world of scents brought you
Jennifer Smith: Where to find rubber chicken graphics online.
James Bong: Your process for developing new scents.
Roxanne Graham: I have a hard time naming pets. How do you come up with product and subscription box names?
Also, what about products that you decide to stop making
Lori Stein: i like to read about what people do when they have creative blocks. and.....i like to read about the things that make people unique.....like the interesting things you like or don't like (bananas)
Meredith SK: How has your relationship with beauty products changed since you started making soap? What's the messiest failure you've had? What are your tools of the trade?
Roxanne Graham: costumes. (are you still going the webcam?)
moving to the 'burbs.
the third outlaw, Roxie.
Tazz Richards: Proper soap usage in the shower and sink. Does each body part need a different bar? How do you know when to stop lathering?
Muse Williams: how certain soaps = archetypes of people
Yceer Pontiff: A "Fight Club" soap entry please.
Elliot Worman: What's the best reaction you've received from someone who wasn't "One of Us"?
Jade Hoffman: Worst soap fuckups/the learning process. I think it would be super valuable for people to read about the process of building the skills and the company. I mean, that's probably at least two posts.
Dani Behonick: A tongue-in-cheek scent/astrology-type post (scentstrology?) in the vein of "What your favorite soap scent says about you" or "If [x] is your favorite soap then you're probably [y]." Where all of the things your favorite scent says about you are hilarious/nonsequitors/both.
Jade Hoffman: An entire post about how Roxy sniff-tests the soaps and lotions, with pictures of her various faces.
Kara Irrsinn: I think I'd like to read about stuff that's not soap-related but still interesting. What places did you live before? Where did you travel and did you like it? What are the best/worst/scariest animals. What was you first time at burning man like and what year was it? What hair colors did you have? Maybe you want to write something about the spoons? (If not I totally understand) What are YOUR favourite websites? What about your 5 favourite books? Also, if he'd like that too, I'd like Russ to also give his opinion on things. Oh and you could show us or tell us about all the countries and cities you have customers in. So I think you probably have enough ideas by now ^^
Beth Marquez: A blog post in which the part of Tyler Durden is played by Roxy.
Joule Aguila: The most fun you have had getting dirty. (Meaning the kind of dirt that soap is made for; G-rated) Another topic: your love of the naked mole rat. Unless the first story has to do with naked mole rats, too.
Gretchen Kappel: How to wash a dog with outlaw soap, a tutorial
How everything just keeps working out if you trudge on! a timeline/ interactive piece
How and what soap for the fastest cleanest getaway during drought
Guided tour of the soap factory
Outlaw Soaps: the musical
Rick Hindman: Without picking yourself apart like a biology class frog, I would be fascinated to hear about your take on your own creative process. Your marketing and product ideas just blow me out of the water.
Cathy Farrar: Given that you and Russ "do everything" required for Outlaw Soaps - how do you manage your time and priorities? How do you sustain enthusiasm and productivity?
Alena LaBella: The sensual side of soap, scent and bathing.
Mood altering abilities of soaps and "therapeutic" capacity of your soaps.... of having a scent linger on the body.
Twisted Cat:
- Positive chaos (when you throw out the rules, who are you, really?)
- What's your favorite thing to ask strangers/new people?
- What one to three things would you impart to every sixteen year old if you could?
- What's your favorite thing about your new home?
- Your first time camping
- The common thread that runs through the people you care about
- Aliens land. Remarkably, they understand English, sort of. Explain your favorite food. Or soap. Or cowboy boots.
- If you found yourself in (a state that doesn't share your value system), would you culture jam and how?
- What or who is your spirit animal and why?
Susan K. Schwarz: How do you know when to go to bed at night when operating your own, handcrafted business? The Husband? The Dog? A smartphone alarm?
(and there are many more, both on Facebook and in my inbox)
With those thought starters, I'm pretty excited to get started.
And with that, let's begin #IBN30
