The fun of a challenge
I signed up to participate in the Seventy Days of Sweat writing challenge. I've signed up for writing challenges before--NaNoWriMo and a BIAW--but never really did well in them. I'm not the type of person who works well under a deadline. I tend to put things off until the last minute, and then rush to get everything done at once. I actually surprised myself by writing on Sunday, when the challenge started. Sundays are usually my days off, but part of the challenge is to write every single day. Not a ton of pages, but six per day. For me, that's a very manageable number and probably the reason I've met my goals for the past three days.
For me, the fun in the challenge doesn't come from the competition, at least not competition with other authors. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get from actually having a page total every single day. I never write for seventy days straight. I usually write for a few weeks to a month, and then take another few weeks off to recharge, so I expect about halfway through the challenge I'm going to be feeling the pressure. ;)
Who else is doing the challenge? When it comes to writing, what challenges you? Beating personal goals? A little friendly competition? Something else?
For me, the fun in the challenge doesn't come from the competition, at least not competition with other authors. I like the feeling of accomplishment I get from actually having a page total every single day. I never write for seventy days straight. I usually write for a few weeks to a month, and then take another few weeks off to recharge, so I expect about halfway through the challenge I'm going to be feeling the pressure. ;)
Who else is doing the challenge? When it comes to writing, what challenges you? Beating personal goals? A little friendly competition? Something else?
posted by Elisa at 10:00 AM
3Comments:
When it comes to writing, what challenges you?
Uh...everything? Seriously, everything about writing challenges me, and the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know, which only continues to challenge.
I'm not a pages per day kind of person -- that actually stumps my flow. I have to do a lot of research both before and during my novel before I write, so some days are spent tracking down an important detail or brainstorming plot events.
To me, challenge is fun either when I've received the payoff or the challenge is less strenuous and I can actually enjoy the process.
I'm such a whimp. :-)
Good for you. The whole Seventy Days of Sweat thing scares the bejeebers out of me. Call it performance anxiety. Instead I jumped on board with a group doing something called 100 Words for 100 Days. We all pledged to write at least 100 words a day for 100 days straight. When I can find a million excuses not to write, I remember my pledge and I get to work. So far most days I'm over 500 words, and the lowest count has been 177. I've missed two days in the past month, but I got right back to work after each.
J~ I find the more I learn, the more I get frustrated with the vast amount I still don't know. LOL That's the reason I don't read a lot of craft books, especially if I'm in the middle of a wip. It sort of stalls my creativity and I lose my motivation.
And you're not a wimp. LOL We all have different things that get us going, and keep us going. :)
B.E.~ Good for you. :) It sounds like you've found something to get you motivated, and IMO that's the most important thing about any of the challenges. Getting the words down on paper is excellent. Good luck with your challenge!
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