Tag: Challenges

5 Benefits of Writing Challenges

5 Benefits of Writing Challenges

Originally published Sep. 17, 2019; adapted and republished Mar. 4, 2025

While many of us may have developed a habit of preparing for NaNoWriMo in the fall and have now migrated to various alternatives, there is still something to be said for participating in designated writing challenges. Maybe you’re a veteran author who’s done NaNoWriMo or other writing challenges before, maybe you’re a veteran author who’s never been sold on short-term challenges working for you, or maybe you’re new to the community and you’re wondering what “writing challenges” I’m even talking about. Wherever you stand, here are five benefits I’ve found of participating in writing challenges.

First of all, a quick explanation of NaNoWriMo and writing challenges for anyone who’s new to the idea: NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month; it refers to an event that spans the month of November, in which authors are challenged to write 50,000 words in a month. This is the average length of a novel, and the idea is that the month results in a completed first draft of a novel you haven’t started yet. That’s not always the case, since some novels are longer, or some authors (myself included) choose to work on an already-started draft, but that’s the basic idea.

The organization behind NaNoWriMo has unfortunately taken a nosedive in the past five years, but there are still similar challenges to be found online–including my personal favorite, Christine Smith’s FicFrenzy challenge, one installment of which is coming up March 15-April 15!

What these writing challenges have in common is a designated time frame in which to collaborate and compete with other authors to accomplish a particular writing goal–whether that goal is designated in the challenge itself or decided by the individual participating author.

Now, on to the benefits of participating in such things! Continue reading “5 Benefits of Writing Challenges”

The Liebster Award #6 and Sunshine Blogger Award #3

The Liebster Award #6 and Sunshine Blogger Award #3

I’ve once again been tagged for the Liebster Award and the Sunshine Blogger Award. Noah, who nominated me for these, actually did three tags over on his blog (two Liebster Awards and a Sunshine Award), so go check those out. He’s pretty cool, and he has great taste in Captain America gifs. Thank you, Noah, for the nomination. :)

Rules:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you.
  • Display your award.
  • Answer the questions you were asked.
  • Nominate 5 bloggers.
  • Ask 6 new questions.
  • Let your nominees know they were nominated.

Questions:

1. Who are you, and why did you start your blog?

Continue reading “The Liebster Award #6 and Sunshine Blogger Award #3”

Preptober Prompts Announcement!

Preptober Prompts Announcement!

Last year, I started an event called Preptober Prompts to get people excited and thinking about their NaNoWriMo novels for the month of October (also known, in writer circles, as Preptober). Well, I’m bringing it back this year! I’ve made a few adjustments and worked out kinks from last year, and I’m hoping that this year will be even more fun.

Here’s how the event works. The prompts are centered around a theme (“music,” this year), and each week features a different category of prompts: worldbuilding prompts, character prompts, plot prompts, and flash fiction prompts. In addition, each week is hosted by a different blogger. I’m super happy to announce Continue reading “Preptober Prompts Announcement!”

5 Tips for Keeping a Writing Habit

5 Tips for Keeping a Writing Habit

Last Monday the Go Teen Writers 100-for-100 Challenge began, which is a challenge to write 100 words each day for 100 days. So far it’s been a huge boost for me and it’s gotten me actually putting my butt in the chair and my fingers to the keyboard for the past nine days (with one exception). Not only is it helping me boost the word count of my current project, but it’s also helping me to do something that almost every writing blog will tell you to do: build a writing habit. This is something I’ve always struggled with, but I’ve discovered a couple of tips that have helped me maintain my habit over the past week. Continue reading “5 Tips for Keeping a Writing Habit”