July’s Monthly Membership challenge was a little different- most notably because it was split into two parts.
Running alongside Camp NaNoWriMo, the aim of this month’s challenges was to push you to be productive and achieve your goals. Whether you were participating in Camp Nano or not, everyone picked a goal at the start of the month and worked toward achieving that particular goal by July 31st. Some people had word count goals, some were working towards a certain number of pages, while others were editing and chose an hourly goal to strive to. The point being that you CAN achieve your goals, and even when you struggle with them, you are not alone in doing so.
So, what were the challenges?
Challenge #1- Screenshot Challenge:
I really liked the screenshot challenge for the comradery. Just like everything else, writing will ebb and flow, and some days you’ll do well and others you won’t. The screenshot challenge was a great reminder of this. Every three days we would post a screenshot of our progress to the screenshot thread on the Write with Intention Facebook page, and encourage each other- celebrating the wins and supporting each other through the falls.
I’ll admit, I went a little overboard in keeping track of my word count goals for July. I wrote down how many words I did that day in my diary (where I would only look at that one day at a time), along with writing how many words I did every day on a monthly calendar (where I could clearly see all my word counts in one go and compare them). I also kept track of my overall word count on a customisable colouring-in style tracker created by Samantha Davidson, along with sticky notes on my desk and computer screen- all on top of my Camp Nano graph!
But the screenshot challenge did exactly what I needed it to- it reminded me that I was not alone. On the days that my diary said 0 words, and the weeks where I watched my word counts struggle, it was nice to share whatever progress I did manage and have support and encouragement from others. Not to mention, it always helps to know that you’re not the only one struggling sometimes.
Challenge #2- Pinterest Challenge:
Before each live write-in Kaila would post a writing prompt from Pinterest for us to get our writing juices flowing. It was a random little post to give you something to write about if you’re struggling, or you could try and take the prompt and see if you could work it into your WIP somehow if you were looking for a challenge.
Note: if you want to try this yourself, do not try to find a writing prompt from Pinterest each time. This runs the risk of you getting sucked into Pinterest and never coming out- and not writing anything. Instead, find a bunch of writing prompts that you like at the start of the month, put them all in a folder together, and then just pick one at random when you sit down to write.
Now, I will admit, I didn’t partake in the Pinterest challenge. Because I was reworking my old stuff in my WIP, I didn’t want to distract myself from what I was working on. But I have done something similar in the past and definitely encourage you to try it- especially if you feel stuck or lost.
A few years back I wanted to get back into writing but didn’t know where to start, so I joined a writing group through my local community house. We would meet once a week, and at the end of every meeting we would be given a random topic to interpret however we liked and write on it- some of the topics included Repercussions, How to Tame a…, Fair Trade, The Gift and Sirens. The following week we would read out our work and give our feedback. This was great because it stopped me asking “what should I write about” and just got me writing about SOMETHING. After a few weeks I found myself thinking about old book ideas I had and how I could add to them. It was just what I needed to get me thinking out of the box and get back into writing.
Alternatives to this would be to look around you and pick something in your own environment to write about- what would life be like if that CD case could sing, what about a trickster hourglass that keeps turning over, so the sand never reaches the end and the owner doesn’t know how long it’s been going for? Or take inspiration from conversations, stories you read in magazines or breaking news. The idea is to write something completely random, taking your mind out of the everyday, and challenging you to think outside the box.
If you’re interested in trying any of these type of challenges, head over to Kaila’s website and join the Monthly Membership. While you’re at it, make sure to check out her Write With Intention Facebook group, where you’ll find heaps of support and encouragement for your writing journey, including threads for beta readers, critique partners, accountability partners, goal setting and more!
If anyone is interested in reading some of the pieces I wrote in the writing group all those years ago, or even just a list of some of the writing prompts we used, leave a comment below and I will include them as some of my future blog posts.