The MVE: a Blogging Experiment

Conveying a story in as few words as possible.

So let’s start off-model: I started this blog a few weeks ago with the intent to improve my writing skills by forcing myself into an aggressive writing schedule. I allotted a specific time of day to write(which is to say that my Google Calendar had a box titled “Blog” anywhere I found a spare 30 minutes). Shockingly, this made almost no progress for a month. Lacking any form of story format or content theme, I struggled to come up with fully-baked topics and cohesive narratives in the small amount of time I had devoted.

The freedom I had thought would make this process easier turned out to be it’s undoing. Caught between needing more time for creative freedom and needing more structure to cut down on time, I decided to start a new experiment.

The Minimum Valuable Experiment(MVE)

Problem:

Inexperienced blogger wants to deliver a valuable and entertaining story about themself on a daily basis. Inexperienced blogger also doesn’t have much time to devote into structuring or formatting aforementioned story.

Hypothesis:

Every story has key, discernable elements. By breaking these elements into a simple list, I can form the basis of a story. Lists, while gimmicky, are easily filled out and scanned easily by readers. Given the proper questions are addressed, a short list can provide a quick window into the daily life of the writer.

Solution:

The MVE

1. [Mission]What my main focus is on:
2. [The Quest]My goals today:
3. [The Opposition]Obstacles I face:
4. [The Journey]Where I’m traveling to accomplish those goals:
5. [Allies]Authors I’m reading and articles I recommend:
6. [Supporting Characters]What I’m watching Twitch & Youtube:
7. [World Development] Something overheard in the office:
8. [Character Development] A valuable lesson I learned or relearned today:
9. [Character Development] A word I keep thinking about today:
10. [Reader Added Context] A question submitted from the previous article:

Like all good experiments, this one needs feedback to be revised! What are your thoughts on the initial concept? I’m thinking about adding what I’m cooking every day as well. I’d love to hear your ideas on my Twitter: @ColtMamele or join my company’s Discord!

Thanks for reading! Leave a clap or buy me a coffee if you’re feeling up to it!

-CM