Last week, we had the option of doing two different challenges. Some of you completed the second one immediately, much to my delight and surprise. Let’s review.
Challenge 1 was to write a minimum of 350 words every day. Challenge 2 was to share something you wrote, either from the photography challenge or another piece you were working on. Several people were brave enough to either share links or post their work in last week’s thread – I highly recommend you check them out.
Personal confession time: I wrote five days out of seven this time around, most nights far exceeding the goal count. This seems to be about what I can handle. I’d really love to work up to daily writing but this 5/7 seems to be what is working in my life right now. I’m not gonna slam it. It’s a hella lot better than not writing at all.
Leave your updates in the comments below. I look forward to passing out many gold stars!
This week: This is a bountiful week for us challengers. There is a choice of three options below, of which you can do one, two, or all three.
1. We’re going to bump our daily count up just a smidge to 400 words per day.
2. Fabulous artist Camilla Engman is running a contest on her own site. Tell the story behind these illustrations. The winner gets a free item of choice from her studio! The contest is open until March 5th. Even if you don’t win, I’ll have some bonus points for you here.
3. Our own amazing Linotte Melodieuse issued a Lentian-NaNo challenge; 40 days of writing with a 50,000 word goal. That’s a daily goal of 1250 words. I know there are some overachievers among you who can take that on.
That’s it! You have until 10 p.m. next Sunday to check in and tell us how you did.
New friends and old friends, don’t forget that our writers group is open 24/7 for commiseration and support, as well as helpful links, contest submission information, and tips.
Need a little inspiration? Try this writing exercise:
Imagine a person with an idiosyncratic way of seeing the world (for instance, an occasional drug dealer, who, because of his amateur status, is more than usually prone to seeing danger where there is none; an entomologist who tends to categorize the world dryly, as if seen through a microscope; a world-class athlete whose clarity of vision is almost hallucinogenic). Have this character witness a traumatic event that does not directly involve him or her. Narrate the event from a first-person point of view, making sure that the perspective is carefully built around the idiosyncrasies of this personality. Also, as a hidden aspect of this character, imagine him or her as some kind of unusual animal. 600 words. (via mysite.du.edu)
23 replies on “Sunday Writing Challenge”
I did it! Well, mostly. The only day I didn’t write at least 350 words was Friday, as it was a busy day at work, then a friend’s birthday dinner, then reviewing a late show. But yeah, I did a freelance piece and worked on a short story which I probably won’t show to many people (if any) because it’s, um, private. It was fun to write, though!
I’m going to be abroad next week so I’m not going to participate in the next couple of challenges, but good luck and happy writing to all!
Yay! I am so excited everyone is happy about this Lenten Nano! Chocolate and Jelly Bellies for all at the end for just participating!
WAIT A MINUTE. We could do one OR THE OTHER last week?! Eff…. well, that works because I dropped the ball on three days of the 350 words (but wrote over the other days?)…
I need to really get writing, a bit of misjudgement on how long one project would take (hence my absence this last week) has set me a bit behind in the others… a long weekend of writing me thinks.
The second one (sharing what you wrote) was sort of a bonus add on, as opposed to an either or situation. This week so many things came up it seemed options were the best approach — I didn’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed.
But go you! Thanks for tackling both!
*flails* I like this Lent NaNo, I really do! Especially because it is not during the killing stretch of semester, like the original one (doing its best to ruin my grades since 2007). I guess I now have to get over the writer’s block with the sequel to my last NaNo.
Who else is going to try it?
I signed up for it too, plus Linotte and now it looks like Liza too. You can check in on the Sunday night posts, but if you need more immediate commiseration, the NaNo group linked above is open 24/7.
Erm .. let me see. I think I made it in skips and jumps, but maybe just yet. At least this week I remembered to send myself my most recent copy of something. And I still want to do last week’s exercise.
Okay, I’m going to start participating. I don’t know how I’m going to do it since I only managed to write about 1500 words last week and I have no idea what I’ll write about but I’ll give it a shot.
Fantastic! Welcome aboard. If you’re having trouble coming up with something to write about, I’ve posted different writing exercises every Sunday. Maybe they’ll help shake something loose for you.
One of these weeks I’m actually going to do this.
OOOOH, IDEA!
Maybe I’ll take the Lent challenge but use it to edit my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel. Try and fashion it into something that doesn’t completely blow.
High-five! Fantastic idea.
I’ve also been doing 750words and have done it every night. Unfortunately, it’s almost all me angsting about how fail my life is because I couldn’t think of anything else. Played a little with style techniques though. Oh! I did live blog glee with my grandma one night? I also posted my story last week.
I’m doing 750 again this week.
I don’t know how I feel about that picture challenge. I’m just. . . not that inspired by that style. I’ll try, though, if only because I love me some bonus points.
Ah ha ha no on the lent challenge for me. 750/day is like tearing out teeth at this point unless I have an idea already. 1200+ would kill me.
If you do the regular NaNo, it’s close to 1700 per day. Sometimes it feels impossible, but other times you blow right past it.
I gave up on doing nano a couple of years ago- I just can’t write enough per day! well, enough on one topic per day. Maybe this year or next, seeing how well the whole doing lots of writing challenges thing goes.
I’ve been stalwart supporter of Nano-ites for the last couple of years, but myself. . . meh. I can’t do plot well, I seem to be only any good at short stories.
There’s nothing wrong with being good at short stories. I love them, personally. However I do encourage you to try your hand at longer forms — plotting may be a weakness, but it won’t improve unless you hit it with a hammer.
Maybe after I get my word count capabilities up. . .
I wrote nothing all week and this weekend I wrote a massive amount on a particular character. This week, my goal is to start posting at my blog again; I slipped this week due to unusually bad migraines but I want to keep going so I’m forcing myself this week (and will hopefully thus hit 400 words a day).
Ugh. Hope you’re feeling better!
To clarify, it can be a novel you have been working on, too. Â I have two novels I have been trying to work on and hopefully will finish at least one of them.
Since the post about 750words.com I have been writing at least 750 words a day. About half of those days have been relevant to my novel, so that’s pretty effing great. And now I’m a flamingo which is like ten days in a row!
That’s awesome, dellbot! You’ve been amazing at these challenges.
Thanks! And that’s also because if I don’t do my page count I will never finish my novel and then my life will be forever meaningless. Okay, it’s not that bad, but you catch my drift.