Today we are so fortunate to have community member Lydia Howe as our guest! Tomorrow, details for the 100-for-100 writing challenge and the sign up form will be posted. (Official writing doesn’t begin until Thursday, May 24th.)
Nobody has taken on the 100-for-100 writing challenge quite like Lydia has, and I think you’ll find her experience very motivating. A disclaimer from Lydia herself, doing the challenge for over two thousand days isn’t for everyone, and she wouldn’t necessarily recommend following in her footsteps to that extreme.
Lydia Howe is a twenty-something adventurer who grew up traversing the globe, first through the pages of books, and then in reality. Nowadays she’s living the clichéd life of working at a coffee shop and writing. When she’s not surrounding herself with words you can find her riding through the fields on Chadwin, her trusty lawnmower. She enjoys blogging and recently joined the worlds of Booktube and Bookstagram.
September 12, 2012 was two thousand and seventy-two days ago, and also the kick-off for the first ever 100-for-100 challenge hosted by Go Teen Writers. It was also when I committed to writing at least 100 words on my story every day, and I haven’t missed a single one yet.
So, from the perspective of someone who’s written at least a 100 words on her WIP (work in progress) every day for over a fourth of her life, I thought I’d share some thoughts and tips with y’all as you get ready to embark on your 100-day adventure.
If you have a phone, set an alarm. Mine goes off at 10:17 every night so if I haven’t had time to sit down and write that day, then I’m reminded to do so.
If you’re feeling stuck in your book, take a break from the actual manuscript and write a scene, journal entry, or letter from the perspective of a different character. This will help you see the story from a new light and hopefully provide inspiration.
On days when you’re not able to follow your normal writing routine carry around a notebook/phone/scrap of paper so you can write when you have a moment here or there. I’ve written on planes, trains, in cars, in waiting rooms, at stores, restaurants, and the list goes on.
Decide to commit, and then stick to it. Having the mindset that you will write every day until the end of the challenge will really help you stay consistent.
1. I get to know my characters better
2. I understand my writing style more
3. Even on the busiest of days, I always take a moment to stop, breath, and remember that I’m a writer
4. And of course, adding to my WIP
Adding to your story is the main purpose of doing the 100-for-100 challenge and is highly effective. Just think about it: A few minutes here and there each day and you add at least 10,000 words to your WIP. But, during the last two thousand days, I haven’t always been working on a new book. So, what then? Do I still write 100 words? Yes, but (shh!) I don’t always write quality words. In fact, during busy seasons of life, I sometimes don’t even keep the words I write.
Why write words I won’t keep? Well, just like I didn’t always keep my practice sheets in math as a kid, I don’t always need to keep my practice words as a writer. I’m a student to the craft of writing, and consistently practicing the craft helps me improve.
I hope y’all have a very successful 100-for-100 challenge and have as much fun with the GTW Community as I have over the years. Cheers!