October Challenge - Write Every Day!

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Magnus

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This is a thread open to anyone who wants to start, maintain, or reinforce a writing habit. (It can also be about revision, editing, research -- all writing habits welcome!)

The basic idea is that repeating something daily, even if only for a short time, will build a habit that becomes stronger over time.

It's entirely up to you how much and in what way you participate. Post your goals, if you like, or just check in when you can!

Here are some tips:



  • Set achievable goals – I can't stress enough how important this is. To build a habit, doing something is more important than quantity or quality.
  • Keep up the habit as many days in the week as possible – even if it's just a few sentences or a bit of editing. It reinforces the habit and makes it easier to get started.
  • Mix it up – Try different types of goals, different times of the day, different tricks to reward or motivate yourself. A good habit is what works for you, not someone else.
  • Be patient – It takes a long time to build a strong habit and you'll always be facing new challenges. Get used to constantly adapting and you'll be better prepared for whatever problem comes up next.
  • Don't give up because you didn't hit your goal – When you fail to hit your target, your job is figuring out why it happened. That way, you can find ways to get around your roadblocks (and don't be scared of lowering the bar - doing something is better than doing nothing). If you share your stumbles in the thread, others might be able to help out with tips, tricks, and support! And sometimes, it's okay to just take a break for a day or two, or have scheduled days "off". Whatever works for you!


Good luck, and see you on October 1st!
 

Layla Nahar

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I'm in. I want to be able to write *and* keep dealing with Life because in the past when Life got heavy, writing went out the window. Three is the magic #; to that end, as usual my 3 items per day (and one optional skip day per week):

WIP - add words to my WIP
Responsibility/Self-care - one action in this category
$$ - one action that will lead to having more income streams and a greater ratio of money to time working

And thank you to Magnus for coming up with this challenge and keeping it going.
 

Danica

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Magnus, Layla, I'm in too. I want to try writing every day.

Magnus, I've read a part of your story on Patreon, about introverts and extroverts. It's really good!
 

Pterofan

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Sure, why not? I've got the "write every day" part down, no problem. It's dealing with procrastination and increasing productivity that I need to work harder at. I came up with a new plan this morning, so we'll see how it works for October.

Goals for October: I want to write a series for a romance publisher, and finish Book 1 by the end of the month. To that end, I'll be aiming for 1000 words (minimum) per day. I figure 1000 words x 31 days = 31,000 words by October 31, which is a decent length for a romance ebook. I already have some backup stories I can jump over to if the book gets stuck, so I'll be able to make progress on something. Always have a Plan B. And a Plan C, D, and E, in case the procrastination gets really bad.
 

Magnus

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Magnus, Layla, I'm in too. I want to try writing every day.

Magnus, I've read a part of your story on Patreon, about introverts and extroverts. It's really good!

Thanks! :hooray:I'm working on a rewrite now as I'm turning into a serial. The new first part will be up in a week or two.
 

Magnus

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Right, I'm going to get back in here because it's nice to hang out with everyone here.

I'm going to turn the challenge around on itself, though (always trying new things, I am). I'll just report in what I've done in regards to reading and writing every day. No goals, just a matter of keeping a record, and also dropping by to say hi.

Layla -- Nice to see you're getting good use out of this! I'm pretty sure you're one of the top posters in these threads by now :)
 

WGough

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Thanks for starting the thread, Magnus.

October Goals
Now that the first/exploratory drafts of Books I - IV are done, I've got some serious revising to do. The learning curve is steep seeing as this is my first swing at novels, so we'll see how it goes.

From the top, revise Book I. Experiment: 1) revise from a printed copy, 2) run revisions through an editing app, 3) only cry on days with a "u" in them, 4) keep whining on this thread to a minimum

Good luck, folks. Happy October!
 
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Deadeyemouse

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I'm new here and all, but I'm in. it is this sort of pressure and sense of accountability that makes me work. I get to move on the 1st (tomorrow), but after it is back to the book with only two days off to have taken care of the move.

October Goals
-Keep up on the weekly goal of 8k words per week (started at 1600 per day, but some off days kind of threw that as I also have other projects outside of writing interfering, but 8k a week is reasonable as I hit that this last month with interest)
-Actually remember to check in on this thread at least 5 times a week with updates.
-Don't cry.
-If I do cry, edit the crying until its at least funny.

Good luck, everyone!
 

JJMac

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Well, I need to sit in my chair and write. I need accountability and support. Two things I don't have in my life. I'm starting small with 2 goals.

Goal 1. To write a minimum of 50 words a day.

Goal 2. To read a minimum of one page a day.

Hopefully, by keeping it small and not setting an unrealistic goal for myself, I can keep the anxiety monster from sneaking up on me.

And already, I have that snarky voice in my head telling me I can't do this.

Just breathe! :eek:

Good luck to everyone else!
 

DanielSTJ

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Thank you again Magnus for keeping this going. It's SO helpful for me to work as a team in this-- it makes me feel like a part of something. :)

I'm getting better at writing each day. My overall word count was low last month so I want to bring it back up. No goals, as someone else mentioned, but I want to try again at writing every day.

This means, for someone like me, not partying at all and-- if I do drink, to keep it to 3/4's of a bottle of wine when I do imbibe or less. I want to do this.

STILL working on quitting smoking, but I'm doing it slowly.

Good luck everyone! This month will be good for us I think.

P.S. Isn't it great that, while I change towns in April/May, I still have all of you around? :D
 

KayMitch

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As always I'm in. My goal will still be set low. Just 500 words a day, but we shall see if I'm capable.
 

kmarcks

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I'm gonna start small with a goal of 100 words/day.
 

Kithica

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I'm in! My primary goal is to write every single day. I've also been doing well with setting word count goals for the month, so in October, my goal is to have a net gain of at least 15K words. I'm hoping this is realistic around what is looking to be a nutty work schedule.
 

Taylor Harbin

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My goals are thus:

1) Write every day, even if it doesn’t go anywhere, even if it’s only in my journal. Between stories I will use prompts to spark something, no matter if they peeter out or result in a new story. Stretch those muscles, keep the words flowing.

2) Edit a story I finished last week. Final pass on Story #2.

3) Begin research for my next novel, but at a relaxing, deliberate pace so I can take notes and absorb what I’m reading. This will take a while so why rush it? Good study nownwill make the writing easier and help me flesh out ideas.

4) Keep submitting, painful as it is.
 

KitKate

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I really want to stick to a writing routine. Mon to Wed - 500 on current WiP, day off on Thursdays because that's my long day at work. Fridays will be editing day. 1000 Saturdays and Sundays.

Day one: 500 words - check.
 

Jason

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Alright - it's Monday, it's the 1st of the month, I'll have a bit of a pressure relief valve starting next week, so that means only 4 days where I'm gonna hafta either wake up early or stay up late.

Word count goal = 500/day
 

April Swanson

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Hello oldies, newbies, and thanks again Magnus for starting this thread :) As usual, I have no goal, no plan (in life or in this thread). I just like to hang out here :hi:

I did hee-haw over the weekend (but that was September so it MATTERS NOT) and today got off to a real rocky start, but then, by some manner of witchcraft, I wrote 5k. AND I don't think all of it is complete dreck. Hurray! Well done, October, you're off to a good start.

(Seriously though, how is it October?)

Day 1: Flying Unicorns!; 6 miles; RSI be damned
 

Pterofan

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Hey there, everybody! Welcome back! Or just plain welcome, if this is your first time.

Day 1 - 160 words (so far)

Not an auspicious beginning, I know. Beating deeply-ingrained procrastination habits doesn't happen overnight. On the upside, those words went toward that pesky scene I was dealing with most of last month. Maybe my goal for the month should be "seriously rethink my choice to write explicit romance." (Sure, I could write "sweet" romance, but everybody wants to read the hot parts.) :e2brows:

I'll be devoting the evening to writing another 900 words. Dunno what it'll be yet.

WGough - I like that idea of only crying on days with a u in them. At the rate I'm going today, Tuesday's gonna be a weepfest.
 

Magnus

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Day 1
Went to the café and worked on my main project, which is giving me some trouble but needs wrangling this week as I've promised to post the first part to my Patreon in the next few weeks. I also wrote a bunch of stuff for some RPG prep, which is nice because it's low pressure (it doesn't really get shown to anyone, but still involves a creative process).

I'll finish Provenance by Ann Leckie today before bed, and I'm nearly finished with The Art of Creative Thinking by Rod Jenkins. I'm making my way through a re-read of The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K LeGuin, and though I loved it the first time around, I can better appreciate the stories now as I feel much more able to interpret the deeper meanings I think LeGuin intended to give them. I'm also re-reading Lisa Cron's Wired For Story, which I recommend for any writer, ever.
--
Welcome Deadeyemouse and all other challengers, new and old! JJMac, starting small is a wise choice. You can do it!

We can all do it!
 
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Taylor Harbin

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Day 1: did a page of a writing prompt but lost interest; couldn’t get the books I need from the library, so o rented a documentary instead and took some notes
 

JJMac

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Day 1: I didn't think I'd manage it today. I've procrastinated lots and deliberately avoided thinking about accomplishing my goals. It took a lot of effort. In a way, I'm amazed and disgusted with myself for it taking so much to talk myself into sitting in the chair and writing 50 words. And I counted every single word and once I hit 50 I stopped.

Now going to read one page of a book.

So disappointed in myself. Not giving up though.

I hope everyone else is reaching their goals.

Good luck for tomorrow.

And Magnus, thank you for the encouragement.
 
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WGough

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Day 1
Finished fiddling with Book IV, 364 words. Revising Book I on paper. Reviewed, made notes ~3K words. Oh, the work this thing needs!

April: Well, your October is off to a fantastic start. 5K words! Good gad!

Pterofan: Ugh, I worked on a love scene today, too. Started out thinking it was going to be super-explicit. Got tired.

Magnus: Nice progress. Way to read.

Taylor: Way to research.

JJMac: Hey, you made your goals! Nice work.

Welcome to all the new folks. Let's do this.
 

Jason

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Hey, I made it to 500 for day 1! It's ugly, but it's done...lol
 

Layla Nahar

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Kit - congrats on those words and hitting your goal

April - whoa. Wait - what? 5K dang gurrl! You've been smoking from Gough's pipe, I see ;)

Nice work Ptero :)

Magnus - congrats on that cafe wrangling & all the other productivity

Taylor, sounds good - the blank page lost and you won

JJ - that's fantastic. Congrats on BIC-ing, congrats on getting those words on the page!

Gough - way to keep the pace - finish IV, start editing I. Excellent!

All right Jason. That's off to a great start

Day 1

WIP - 1/4 page
R/SC - earning service
$$ - some research on the indy project
 
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