Afrobloggers Winter Challenge 2021

After the development of the Valentine Writes blog in May 2020, I had a discussion with AmaHappenings about when and how to launch it. Specifically, I was advised to join the Afrobloggers Winter Challenge (2020) as it would be a great way to join the community of bloggers from across the continent.

I didn’t join as a writer. My excuse (justification?) was that I was not ready to produce content that consistently. I had more learning; more reading; more preparation to do. So, my participation in the Afrobloggers Challenge in 2020 was that of a reader. A vouyer to the wonderful words, perspectives and tales that African Writers had to share. At least 90 bloggers from across the continent shared unique narratives.

As it were, my blog got dysfunctional later in the year. Between domain and hosting logistics, paid site themes, financial constraints, and a global pandemic… At some point Valentine Writes became defunct.

But, this little missive has a positive twist. A redemption arc! Through the generous support of AmaHappenings, I am happy to have Valentine Writes exist as an online journal again. We have made a few tweaks in the design and layout, living in a constant state of Beta.

As it were, the Afrobloggers Winter Challenge is back again. It is an annual blogging challenge, nominally done in June to encourage consistent blogging under the same prompts. This year, there are 5 themes and 22 Days to blog as outlined on their website here and the themes here

A few weeks ago, J Cole dropped his album: The Off-Season. There is a short documentary Applying Pressure, where he outlines his creative process in respect of the album. About how the pen (writing of any kind) could be likened to sport. And one needs time, practice, focus and all those hours to get to tip top form. That mindset resonates with me, and I felt inspired by his approach.

This is my commitment to participate in the Afrobloggers Challenge 2021.  With a mix of new content, old classics and draft posts seeing the light of the internet for the first time… I hope to provide a comprehensive insight into Valentine Writes.

Cheers.