A Post a Day in May #1: The Brief

It’s May 1st and, in my corner, that means it’s time for another round of A Post a Day in May. I take on this challenge because I want to be a writer and, to be a writer, a person has to write. Self-evident, of course, but without a plan of action, the want remains in the realm of fantasy. But I want it for real.

This will mark the third year that I’ve taken on this personal challenge of writing something every day in May and sending it out to readers via my blog. Last year, the stress of the daily deadline was outweighed by the satisfaction I felt from meeting my daily goal and the response I got from readers.

The 2020 Brief

Over the past few weeks, I have been catching up on episodes of The Great British Bake Off from which I have learned much about baking (that I likely will never use) and a great deal about friendly competition, personal fortitude in the face of steep expectations, and the importance of following instructions. Which brings me to, what in the show, they call ‘the brief’. 

Photo by Alexandra Gornago on Unsplash

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, the two judges, sometimes admonish the baker for being inventive but for straying too far from ‘the brief’, in other words, not actually delivering on the core requirement of the assignment. Sure, it’s nice to add an extra layer to the cake and decorate it with dancing maidens, but it would have been better if the cake itself had been the right flavour and had not been under-baked! In other words, follow the instructions and deliver on the expectations because no number of dancing maidens will win you "Star Baker" if they were not part of the brief. 

Which brings me to this blog and my commitment to this year’s A Post a Day in May pledge. Here’s the brief I have set myself:

• Post something every day that is worthy of being read
• Keep it short(ish)— there’s already too much to read out there for us all to keep up with 
• Write about what strikes my fancy, but also revisit some core themes over the course of the month; for example:  

• Lessons from the Arts
• COVID-19 Contemplations
• Writing as a Tool of Transformation  
• Leadership by the Letter 

• Include an image
• Bonus mark if I write one piece of fiction (not my comfort zone) that is worth posting

There. I’ve shared the brief. Set the expectations. Now all that’s left is for me to follow my own instructions. 

Dear Reader, I hope you’re interested and that you’ll come back tomorrow for Day Two. Fingers crossed there are no dancing maidens, but there is a post worthy of being read. 

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