A few weeks ago I ranted that unlike other blogging communities, there does not seem to exist for wine bloggers a regular unifying event in which to participate. For example, the photo blogs have a weekly challenge, as do some of the writing blogs. I have been particulary impressed with some of these challenges, which allow the participants to exhibit their creativity and expand their own abilities.
That might sound like a bunch of crap, but I really believe it (I also believe in “responsible government”, the golden rule, and the tooth fairy).
Now I know that there have been attempts in the past to have weekly or even monthly “events” for wine bloggers and for whatever reason(s) those seemed to fizzle out. Perhaps this effort will as well. Perhaps I will be the only one participating, but as I used to tell my basketball teams: “100% of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in.”
[I consider that to be one of my two original quotes, the other being: “If it doesn’t sparkle, it doesn’t matter” (more complete genius). I repeat both phrases all the time to make me sound profound, even introspective.]
I also used to make my basketball team run wind sprints until somebody puked.
So take that for what it’s worth.
Regardless, I am pretty close to being sincere here (much more sincere than the “smile” I gave my new boss on her first day). I really think that there are some talented wine bloggers out there and I am here to urge them to tap into that creativity.
[By the way, saying that a wine has “fleshy red stone fruit notes with whispers of eucalyptus root” is not “creative” it’s just pretentious and stupid.]
Here is my proposal (if it helps to imagine that I am down on one knee, go with it):
1. Let me say right off the bat that this is a work in progress. Any (or all) of the “rules” below can be amended or even changed.
2. Write a post (or an “article” if that is the way you roll) based on the month’s theme. It is up to you to determine how literal you take the theme, but there needs to be some connection.
3. The post should be between 500-1000 words. More than that, people get bored to tears or are demented in some way (unless it is your mom, significant other, or insurance salesperson, who only claims to read it).
4. The post has to include a connection to wine (Duh?).
5. Send me a link to your post (or include it as a comment here), and I will include it on my blog (not that it means any additional traffic to your blog at all–I have three readers: my sister, my wife–just to make sure that I don’t mention my father-in-law, and a degenerate that lives on a bench at the bus depot in San Rafael, CA).
6. This one is open for debate: there will be a vote on the “best post” of the month. Vote for the top three (can’t vote for yourself–I mean really). The “winner” will “host” the next month’s challenge.
7. This month’s theme is “transportation”. That’s it. You can interpret it any way you like. The deadline for submission is the first week in July.
So there it is. Certainly let me know what you think.
the drunken cyclist 
You also have a reader in me. I read all of your posts.
Count me in!
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Great! Thanks so much!
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Jeff, I’m trying to figure out which one of your three readers is me, and while I never being to San Rafael, it seems that it might be the only suitable role…
Interestingly enough, your transportation theme was something I really wanted to cover in my gadgets series, so I just have to rearrange the order of my posts. Count me in!
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Well, I did not want to alarm you by saying that the bench was actually in CT! glad to hear that the theme fits in with an idea you already were tossing about and that you will be participating!
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Challenge accepted, post is out:
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Great! And a great post as usual!
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Thank you!
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Wine and Transportation, sounds like a challenge that will be fun. Not that I am much of a story teller, but I am game.
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“Not much of a story teller”
Good one 😉
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I’m game too! I mean, I blog about jewelry and life in the Bay Area, but I like a challenge. And wine. I like wine too.
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Great to have you along for the ride (pun sort of intended).
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Great idea!
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Thanks!
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Cool project. What I like best is your elegant and almost literal quotation of Alessandro Manzoni in #5 (if memory serves me, he referred to his “25 readers”): coincidence or impressive erudition? 🙂
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I will leave that up to you to decide (while I look up “erudition”)….
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You really are a smooth operator! 😉 Excellent reply: I love your style, Jeff!
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Great idea. German wine bloggers have a monthly event, called Wine Rallye, which is currently on its issue number sixty something. Blogs volunteer a topic and “hosting” for a month, and on the last Friday of the month, all bloggers that participate publish an article related to the topic and send the link to the host, who publishes the link collection with a short introduction to each article. I always thought that was a super neat idea, and am glad that you threw this out there. We’ll see what I can hammer together…:)
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I just thought that there is a) a great community of (wine) bloggers and b) they all love to write.
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You probably not mistaken about these two premises…
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Great idea! I find the wine “community” to be very closed knit. Good luck 🙂
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Well put….
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Hmmm . . . transportation. I’m thinking . . . Salud! 😃
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Hope you will join us!
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Ok, my post on transportation just went live. A bit earlier than I thought, but the heck.
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Wow, I’m impressed. so did mine : )
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Love this idea! It has already drawn me to other wine blogs that I haven’t looked at before… What number writing challenge are you on now? And can I still join in the fun!?
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Thanks! It is too late for this month (deadline was yesterday for #3), but there will be another (#4) next month!
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