Confession: I kinda forgot about the 100-for-100 this year.
Like most of you, my world got drop-kicked by Covid-19 in March, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to do all the things while all the people are home all the time.
At first, I thought 100-for-100 would be a ball I dropped this summer. And that maybe nobody would notice. Then I got more and more emails asking about when sign-ups would open, and I realized this chaotic time is the perfect season for a 100-word writing challenge.
What is the 100-for-100? The challenge is to write (at least) 100 words a day, every day, for 100 days.
100 words is about a paragraph. You can likely do it in 10 minutes or less. While it might seem like just a drop in the bucket, all those drops add up to 10,000 words in your manuscript by the end of the 100 days. And that’s if you do the bare minimum! Not bad, right?
This writing challenge is open to writers of all ages! Here’s how the challenge works:
1. You sign up on the form at the end of this post. You must be signed up by noon central time on Monday, June 1st if you want to play along. If you live in a place where June 1st in the U.S. is your June 2nd, do whatever feels easiest for you. Either start on June 1st in your time zone or in ours.
2. Beginning on Monday, June 1st you write 100 words on the project of your choice. You must pick one project to work on for the 100-for-100 challenge. Only words for that that project count toward your daily words. Here are the exceptions:
- If you finish your project. Hooray for finishing projects! If this happens, just pick something else to work on.
- If you and your project part ways. This happened to me one year. The 100-for-100 coincided with a writers conference, and I pitched my 100-for-100 book to an editor at the conference. She told me they already had a book in the pipeline that was basically the same concept. And that was probably the last time I ever opened that manuscript file…
3. You write 100 words a day everyday until Tuesday, September 8th, and you keep track of it. At the end of the challenge, you’ll send me your tracking sheet. Here’s a link to one we’ve made, but you don’t have to use this one. (This link will give you access to view it but not make changes. You can print it out, download it, or save a copy to your own Google Drive. If you’re having trouble with it, let me know.) Somehow, though, you need to keep track of how many words you’ve written so that I can see. A few notes about your words:
- You are allowed one “grace day” per week (sometimes life happens, plus many people take a day off a week for religious reasons and we want to respect that), and one “grace week” per contest. So if one week you only write 300 words, you just count up what you have, and press on.
- You can write more than 100 words each day if you like. Most people find they do. But you can’t write 700 words on Monday and nothing the rest of the week and still participate in the challenge. The idea is to develop a writing discipline. So some days you might write 1,000 words and others you might barely get in your 100.
- Yes, you can write by hand. Just add the words up as best you can. With my handwriting, I usually have 10 words per line so I just go with that. We all have way more important things to do than count individual words.
4. When the challenge is over, you send me your form. Then three things happen:
- You get my admiration and respect. I have actually never made it all the way to the end. Maybe this is my year??? (I’ve been saying that for years now…)
- You get entered for prizes! Books, gift cards, critiques, and all sorts of fun writerly things that you’ll like.
- We post your name on a list on the website as someone who totally rocks.
Some helpful tips:
Lydia Howe is a published author and community member who faithfully did the challenge for at least 6 years. YES, SIX YEARS. Maybe even more. I’ll have to ask her. She wrote a post for us several years ago with tips for writing everyday that’s totally worth checking out!
If you’re looking for a community to do this with, the Go Teen Writers Community Facebook group is a fabulous place. We’re very careful about who has access to the group, so if you want to join, go ahead and apply, and then expedite your approval by emailing us: GoTeenWritersCommunity(at)gmail.com. If you don’t email us, it might be weeks before we get around to approving you, so definitely do that.
We will be using the hashtag #GTW100for100 on social media. Jill, Shan, and I are most active on Instagram, and you can follow the Go Teen Writers account here.
That is a great chance to rack up words and make friends this summer! We hope you’ll join us!
Does writing words for outlining or worldbuilding count, or just words that go in the actual draft?
Thanks!
Yes, those words count too!
Awesome! I’ll definitely be doing it then!
Hurrah! I’m not quite ready to write yet, but a goal for prepping will be super helpful =)
When will another contest start?
Oh good, I’m glad planning counts! I’m plotting right now, hoping to be done by Monday but you never know! So excited!
I’ve never been around for a 100-for-100 before! So excited!
I do have one question. I’m almost to the end of my WIP draft, and I was planning to take a step back before editing it. Does it still count for the challenge if I finish the draft, then move to plotting, world building, etc. for another story? I technically won’t have finished the first book, just the draft.
If that doesn’t make sense, tell me and I’ll reiterate.
Yes, that would be fine!
Awesome! Thank you!
Yay!! I always came too late to sign up for 100-for-100, so I’m glad I made the deadline this year!! I have a MASSIVE project that I’ve worked on the past 3 years or so, but I’ve gotten to the part in the book where I went, “shoot, now I actually have to figure out what the heck is happening,” and have been having a bad case of writers block. I’m hoping that it’ll take away some pressure to know that if nothing else, I just have to write 100 words each day, and that I don’t have to push for several thousand each day like I did for NanoWrimo
Hope you have fun! Last year was my first 100-for-100 and I loved it. Good luck on the new story!
Yay!! I’m so exited for this! Ever since I heard about the 100-for-100 I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time! It’s amazing that outlining and world building counts because currently my WIP has a basic story and I’m working on the details now! So exited!! ?
I’m so glad you’re going to join us!
Thanks so much! I’m so excited! I’m going to be on vacation in the mountains for a few weeks this summer and I’m so excited to get up early, read my Bible, and write!
Yay!
I did this last year, and it was what kickstarted my current WIP, so you betcha I’m doing it again! Maybe I’ll even finish it, who knows? 😀
I can’t thank you enough for 100-for-100 though. It set in motion a lot of great writing habits and the re-discovery of my love for writing.
Same! I wrote my first draft of said story last summer during this and now I’m taking a step back to re plot and do more world building and add character depth to it. Then re write book 1 and (hopefully) book 2 this summer.
Thank you for doing this! I’m so excited!
I’m so excited! This will be my third year participating, and it really helps me stay motivated over the summer. 🙂
This’ll be the first time I’ve done it! Hopefully I’ll able to keep up. Exciting!!!
What if you wanna participate, but you don’t want to be entered for prizes? Is that a choice?
Yep!
That would be me! 🙂
Thank you ?.
This is my first 100-for-100! I’ve been very excited ever since I first heard of it, and I’m so happy that I get the chance to participate!
I did this last year and loved it! I had a tone of fun, made a ton of progress, grew closer to my manuscript, and developed some great writing skills.
I don’t think I’m going to be doing it this year, because I’m almost done with my manuscript, and then I want to take it easy for a while before I edit. However, I wish everyone else all the luck! You guys got this!
I’m looking forward to joining it this year! I couldn’t have possibly done this last year, but since then, I’ve made writing more of a habit, so I think I might be able to get in 100 words every day this year 🙂
Can I use an Excel spreadsheet for tracking my writing?
Yes! I’ll also send you one that you can use.
Awesome, thanks!
I have never done this before. I can’t wait to start!
Do writing exercises for your WIP like character journals, character interviews, etc. count toward your word count?
Yes, they do!
Yay! I was just going to ask about this. I will be entering.
I have done this for the past two or three years, and I look forward to it every year. I love the fact that I feel motivated to write at least 100 words every day. I wish I could feel this motivated during the rest of the year.
I love hearing that, Debra!
I’m doing it! What if I want to join the community but I don’t have instagram or facebook?
You’ll just have to make the most of the community here on the website!
I don’t have social media either. Only this. But last year, we kept up with each other through comments. It is really fun.
Eeep! This is my first time. I’m excited!
Welcome!
This sounds amazing, can’t wait to get started
So glad you’ll be joining us!
I worked on my novel last year for the challenge. Writing every day gave me the chance to learn a lot about myself as a writer. It also made me better at writing without inspiration or ideas.
This year, I chose to do prayer journaling. I’m so excited! 😀
Just signed up! My first 100-for-100 here we go!!
I couldn’t help but sign up; the past two years were so fun! I know I won’t be able to complete it (September 8th is way too far into the school year for me to juggle writing and college at the same time), but I’ve loved keeping track of my words. And I know I won’t run out of projects. 🙂
CutePolarBear
I will probably skip out on the last week because I will be juggling this, work, community college, and homeschooling from my parents. But we have a “grace week” so we can write whatever we can, and move on.
This will keep me busy. I’m currently working on a Snow White retelling I’ll be finishing. After that, I’m going to work on my Midsummer retelling (read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in school this year!), and then I have a fantasy series I want to work on, so I have a lot to do!
Yay! Signing up for my first 100-for-100! Hopefully I’ll make it!
How do we submit tracking sheets to you?
At the end you’ll email the sheet or a picture of it.
My daughter and I have done this together the last few years and while neither of us are teenagers (well, she will be for the next three days!) we love the commitment and accountability of this challenge. Thanks for doing this again this summer. We needed it!
Happy early birthday to her!
Can I start counting all words that I write instead of just from one project? I’ve been having trouble staying on this specific project.