Well, friends! It’s October 1st, which means it’s time for the annual 31 Days writing challenge! Every October, more than a thousand writers choose a unique topic and write about it for 31 days straight. Yes, this is a crazy challenge. Most definitely NOT for the faint of heart. But we do it anyway. Because we love writing. We’re passionate. We have something to say, something to share. We’re inviting you into ALL the love, ALL the crazy, ALL the wild and free fun and tears. We want our writing to inspire you, change you, move you, entertain you, and bring delight to your days.
I participated in the 31 Days writing challenge for the first time in 2013. My series was titled Letters to the Unthanked. I absolutely LOVED the series and still do. Basically, I went back through my life, put together a list of people I hadn’t thanked properly, and wrote heartfelt thank you letters to each one. The series was enjoyable and surprisingly therapeutic to write. Readers responded incredibly well to the letters. In fact, many of the letters continue to rank among the most read posts on my site. I’d do the series again in a heartbeat. LOVE.
In 2014, I participated in 31 Days with a series titled 31 Dreams from the Street. I approached and briefly interviewed strangers on the street, asking them one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?” The series was fascinating, and there was definitely something for me to learn on the journey. But to be honest, it was incredibly challenging to continually put myself out there in the faces of strangers. I experienced plenty of rejection. It required a lot of hard leg work. When all was said and done, I didn’t end up loving the series and was pretty sure I WASN’T going to participate in 31 Days in 2015.
But you talked me out of that idea.
In my 2014 reader survey at the end of November 2014, all but ONE of you indicated YES, you thought I should write another 31 Days series in 2015.
I let that sink in a bit. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to do this 31 Days thing again!
Then ONE idea came bursting forth! It was honestly the ONLY idea I had, the ONE and ONLY way I was going to write a 31 Days series this year.
You see, we’ve been planning a family vacation to Disney World for 18 months now. Our trip is THIS MONTH…in October…during the 31 Days writing challenge! And if you know us well, you know we’re huge Disney fans.
So that was it!
31 Days of Disney!
So here we are, friends. About to embark on a month-long exploration of all things Disney.
For not wanting to write a 31 Days series this year, 31 Days of Disney is an enormous undertaking. As you all know, Disney is gigantic. Massive. Highly commercial. Highly successful. Known by pretty much everyone. So I feel the weight of this series. In many ways, writing this series is like writing a book. But I also feel the excitement! This is a fun topic. It’s highly relevant to many. And I have an opportunity to share with you my love, OUR love for Disney.
I’m going to approach this every which way, all month long. My #1 goal for this series is to provide relevant, useful and inspiring content for you.
So let’s get a move on! 31 Days of Disney it will be!
I’ve divided the month into three sections.
The first nine posts of the series will serve as an ice breaker! Let’s talk about all the reasons to bring your family to Disney. Let’s talk about our favorite Disney memories. Let’s review the six Disney trips our family has taken and lessons we learned along the way!
Top 10 Reasons to Bring Your Family to Disney
Disney World 1999: Lessons Learned from Honeymooners
Disney World 2005: Lessons Learned from a Pregnant Lady
Disney World 2007: Lessons Learned from First Time Parents
Disney World 2010: Lessons Learned from First Family of 4 Trip
Disney World 2011: Lessons Learned from Disney Two Years in a Row
Disneyland 2013: Lessons Learned from Disneyland Newbies
Our Favorite Disney Memories (And Yours!)
The middle nine posts of this series will be written LIVE, in real time, immediately before and during our family’s trip to Disney World! This is going to be a challenge, friends! I’m going to have some very late nights and early mornings. But I’ve blogged live during week-long trips twice before, in Haiti and the Dominican, so I’m certain I can pull this off. I love the experience of writing in the heart of the moment. In the first two posts of this set, we’ll review packing for and traveling to Disney World. Once we’re on the trip, it’s hard to say how I’ll be inspired! This section of the series is least planned, which excites me to all ends. I love the magic of Disney, and can’t wait to share the inspirational stories that are bound to happen while we’re there.
Animal Kingdom is Awesome (Despite the Crabs that Snuck In)
Mini Magical Moments at Hollywood Studios
The Secret to Enjoying Disney World and All of Life
A Simple, Lovely, Loving Last Day at Disney
The last 13 posts of the series will be loaded with Disney goodness! I’m going to share ALL of my favorite Disney tips, tricks and favorites with you. I’m super excited for this part of the series because it’s so content rich and has enormous potential to help a whole host of readers navigate Disney. Fasten your seat belts, friends. This is good stuff! If you plan to take a Disney vacation, this part of the series will be an incredible resource. (Just send me some more late night and early morning prayers, please. This is a lot of writing and content to wade through in a short period of time!)
10 Tips for Visiting Disney World (From a 10 Year Old)
12 Tips for Visiting Disney World (From a 12 Year Old)
Tips for Doing Disney World with a Preschooler
Tips for Feeding Your Preschooler at Disney World
Photographing Your Disney Vacation
Best Places to Rest at Disney World
Secrets to Making Magical Moments on Your Disney Vacation
Tips for Meeting Characters at Disney World
Best Restaurants for Families at Disney World
Taking a Break to Chat About Our Favorite Disney Songs
Reasons to Stay on Disney Property
Our Family’s Experience of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Disney Pin Trading Secrets for Families
So there it is, friends! There you have it.
31 Days of Disney!
Join me on the journey, will you? It’s certain to be magical.
This post serves as the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series will be linked within the body of this post. It’s simple! Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!
I placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back here where all 31 posts will be listed and linked.
You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson. You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson, and I might even do a few scopes live from Disney World, so follow me on Periscope at @AmyBPederson to see if I get brave!
So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.
I love that you’re doing this as your 31 day topic. I am now completely feeling “homesick” for the happiest place on earth and researching the possibility for a spring break trip…
I bet you are super excited about your trip! I live not far from Walt Disney World and incorporate the magic of Disney into our homeschool–and help others do the same at Magical Mouse Schoolhouse. I’m looking forward to following you along your 31 Disney day journey! Have a magical trip °o°
I’m so excite to follow along with your 31 days challenge. We are hoping to go to Disney next year, so this is my cup of tea! 🙂
Awesome, Heather! This series is perfect for you, then! Happy you stopped by. Welcome, and I will hope you have a marvelous Disney trip next year!
Visiting from the #Write31Days link up! I look forward to reading your posts about Disney! I live in Florida and it’s been about 4 years since our last trip so another trip is due. My kids are big though so we do things a little differently than families with little kids. I’ll share with my brother’s family since they have little kids.
Awesome, thanks Sheila! How fun that you live in Florida and are closer to Disney World. Have a blast when you return. Our kids are 3 1/2, 10 and almost 13 this trip, so it will be an interesting mix of ages! I can totally imagine that the Disney experience changes as children get older and develop different interests. Have a great trip next time you go! And thanks for stopping by!
We live in Southern California so we go to Disneyland pretty regularly – so fun!
Have a wonderful trip! Looking forward to your series. 🙂
How fun, Kelly!! It would be amazing to live near Disneyland or Disney World. I’m pretty sure we’d have a season pass. Thanks much for stopping by!
Awesome! I’m excited! I’ve been to DisneyWorld once and Hong Kong Disneyland once–I’d love to visit the other Disney parks someday, and in the meantime, I really enjoy hearing about other people’s trips. It’s fun to spy sights that I remember so fondly in other people’s photographs! It sounds like you have a really organized plan for the month!
Thanks, Rachel! It would be amazing to go to Hong Kong Disneyland someday. What an awesome experience! I agree, it is fun to hear about other peoples’ trips and perspectives. I’m excited for the ride!