Recently, I partook in a One Week Writer's Challenge. The rules were simple.
7 days. Choose a prompt for each day. Write a short story or poem using that prompt. No more than 1500 words per story and 25 lines per poem. 24 hours to complete.
I even opened the challenge up to others, through my Facebook and Instagram platforms, who wanted to try their hand at it. All they had to do was email their creative work(s) to yours truly, and they'd be featured on my Public Forum. Now, while I received very few submissions from others, I still learned plenty from my own participation.
Here's what I learned from the One Week Writer's Challenge:
It takes DISCIPLINE
Within the first day, I discovered that I needed to establish a routine if I was ever going to find the time to write. In other words, I needed to make time to write. And I needed to stick to that time. I decided that the best opportunity for me to sit down and write uninterrupted was before dawn after I'd just gotten up with my infant daughter. Not only was my mind fresh and unburdened with the muddle of thoughts that accumulate throughout the day, but the house was quiet and relaxing. The atmosphere was perfect for writing.
It takes CREATIVITY
I'm gonna be honest...coming up with one story/poem idea every day may sound like an easy task (and it might be for some), but for me, it was a pain. When I would sit down to write, my mind, which is usually so imaginative and full of creative ideas and plot points, would suddenly go blank. And the prompts? Yeah. One would think that prompts would provide much-needed inspiration; but they only made things harder because they gave me parameters that I had to stay within. I had to find the balance between writing what I was supposed to write and what interested me personally.
It takes HARD WORK
Did I enjoy doing the challenge? Yes, I did. I managed to spend more time writing in one week than I have in many, many months. Through doing this challenge, I discovered that -- as life's gotten busier -- instead of just making more time to write, I've let writing fall by the wayside. This challenge showed me that it's possible to write more than once a week. It just takes hard work. But, I've got to admit that, while I enjoyed the challenge most of the time, I didn't always. Sometimes I wanted to just throw my hands up in the air and quit. But I didn't.
It takes COMMITMENT
I'll admit. When all was said and done, I didn't complete the challenge. I didn't write anything for the seventh and final prompt. Some might say I failed, but I think I just exhibited how difficult it can be to commit to writing when you have things to do. Next time I do this challenge (yes, there will be a next time), I will try even more to find the discipline, show the creativity, do the hard work, and make the commitment necessary to complete it.
Stay tuned for our next One Week Writer's Challenge...taking place in March!
Find this blog post also shared on my freelance writing website here!