My Slow and Steady 30 Day Writing Challenge
Where I try to keep consistency high during a crazy busy schedule and emphasize writing from the heart.
July was intense. I failed to complete the 30 Articles to 30 Publications in 30 Days Challenge. While it kept me busy and gave me a creative outlet, I fell short by 8 publications and 8 submissions.
August promises to be my busiest month this year. My husband and I will be moving by the 28th into my mother’s house (to help with medical conditions). That includes organizing her house, packing his stuff, and a whole lot of decluttering. Plus it’s time to start getting ready for our second reception in October (we didn’t have a big one last year due to COVID). So that leads to whole days of crafting once a week.
I needed a challenge that would keep me consistently writing and on track. That’s what the last two months have provided for me.
So, I came up with a challenge that may not be as involved as the original but would work for me. I’ve also borrowed some of the ideas I’ve seen other writers committing to here, thank you for inspiring me.
Of course, the original challenge can be found here:
Here’s the Lowdown on My Challenge:
Write one shortform article per day.
I will be using these to share articles I find inspirational, to promote some of my past longer-form, and to write about creative ideas. Within the past two months, I have loved writing about things like how family cooking is a good bonding agent, my bullet journal’s memory page, and my new set of vision cards.
Write at Least 3 Poems a Week
One of the things I’m learning more as I practice intentional self-care is how much I’ve missed the flow of writing poetry. It was what I did before I started to write for money on Medium. While I will be submitting to a few publications on Medium, it is more about the practice of writing than it is about making money.
Write 8 Longer Pieces
I am not setting a number on publications this time in any category. When I was working on my July challenge I found a few communities that I wanted to be a part of. I would imagine most of my work would end up here. However, I’m not closing any doors or setting a limit.
Reading
One thing I’ve really missed during the last two challenges was meaningfully reading and engaging. Each week I’d like to choose two publications- one for morning and one for the evening to read at least four stories from.
Comment
I’ve limited my reading of other’s work lately. I want to get back into and comment on at least 4 posts on Medium per day.
Wrap Up
Writing: 31 short forms, 8 articles, and 12 poems.
Reading: 8 total stories per day minimum- 4 from each publication
Commenting: Supporting at least 4 other writers per day.
What I’d Like to Get Out of the Challenge
I’m not measuring money, followers or comments this time around. So, what will I measure?
Knowing the Right Amount: I don’t want a writing routine that feels draining, overwhelming, or that burns me out. I think that this program will be sustainable. I want to see if it needs to be tweaked or if this is the schedule I’ll be keeping moving forward.
Investing in Communities: Did I actually show up to support others in the publications that I identified as my core? Did I write for them?
Final Words
I know that this might look slim compared to my last challenge. It’s actually more posts but shorter ones. I’m interested in seeing where this one goes.
