Three Writing Challenges: Your Choice
August 15, 2024 by Harvey
In today’s Journal
* Three Writing Challenges: Your Choice
* My First Challenge to You
* My Second Challenge to You
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Three Writing Challenges: Your Choice
Kris Rusch is at it again. She’s challenging other writers to match or exceed her daily word count from August 15 through September 14, albeit for a hefty (it seems to me) fee.
If you’re interested, you can read about her challenge in Of Interest.
But as a way to say thanks to my paid subscribers, I’ve decided to offer two different challenges as well.
Note that these are available only to paid subscribers.
If you aren’t yet a paid subscriber, you’ll have to subscribe before September 1, 2024. A subscription to TNDJ is only $5 per month or $60 per year.
Sorry, comped subscriptions do not count for this challenge. Comped subscribers will have to click Donate Here and set up a recurring donation of $5 per month OR make a one-time [annual] donation of $60 via PayPal.
If you aren’t sure whether you’re a paid or comped subscriber, email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.
There are significant differences between Kris’ challenge and the two challenges I’m offering:
♠ The up-front cost to enroll in Kris’ challenge is $300.
♥ My challenges to you (see below) cost nothing if you’re already a paid subscriber. If you aren’t, subscribe on or before September 1.
♠ Kris’ challenge begins today (August 15) and runs through September 30.
♥ My challenges begin September 1 and run through September 30.
♠ In Kris’ challenge, “Every night she talks about her day writing or not writing as the case may be in an email to everyone signed up.”
♥ Okay, I do that pretty much every day in TNDJ. So that’s covered.
♠ In Kris’ challenge, “if you … can’t match her word count, you get the $300 in Teachable credit. If you can beat her word count, you get double the credit.”
♥ I gotta admit, that’s a pretty good deal…
IF you want some of their online workshops and IF you have the money up front to join Kris’ challenge.
But I can match that with something that’s just as (or more) beneficial for you. Also, there is no filler or fluff in my nonfiction books or my other offerings. Read on.
My First Challenge to You
is for you to write at least 1000 words per day of publishable fiction every day during the month of September.
It’s only an hour a day. If you WITD, this is almost easy. If you don’t, this is an excellent time for you to try WITD.
The Rules (please read carefully)
There’s no cost to you beyond your paid subscription.
Email me on or before September 1 to tell me you’re joining the challenge. I’ll add you to the list so I don’t forget.
Email me once a week during the challenge, specifically on September 9, 16, 23, and 30 (every Tuesday) with your word count for the week. Now, I understand life happens, so…
If you’ve made at least 7,000 words that week (despite what you accomplished each day), you can still claim one free nonfiction book. (Be sure to tell me in your weekly email which ebook you want.)
And best of all, on September 30, if you’ve made 30,000 words on the month (despite what you accomplished every day or every week), you get at least one free audio course:
You may choose either Course 1 or Course 6, OR
You may choose any two from among Courses 2, 3, 4, and 5.
So that’s 30 days, at least 30,000 words of publishable fiction.
Imagine how that will help your self-confidence going forward. Not to mention how much IP you will have added to your inventory.
All to do what you, as a fiction writer, should be doing anyway. (grin)
Of course, you can write more than that if you want. But the minimum is 1000 words of publishable fiction per day.
And I hope you’ll keep it going after the challenge ends on September 30.
My Second Challenge to You
My personal challenge for myself during the same time is to write at least 3000 words per day of publishable fiction every day during the month of September (so 90,000 words for the month).
BUT if you have 2-4 hours per day to write, I invite you to participate in my personal challenge as well. I’ll make it a little easier on you than on myself.
The same rules apply, except that
You must write at least 2250 publishable words of fiction per day. But again, I understand life happens, so…
You can still claim a free nonfiction book every week that you meet your goal of 15,750 (despite your daily totals).
And as a “big” reward on September 30, if you have written (or exceeded) 67,500 words for the month (despite your daily or weekly totals), you may email me to claim Any Four of the audio courses.
Additionally, you may claim any one of the video DVDs listed on the Journal website (a value of $50 each) while supplies last.
No matter how you look at it, this is a total win for you.
Any questions, please email me to ask.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 760
Writing of Blackwell Ops 27: Sam Gentry
Day 1…… 3004 words. To date…… 3004
Day 2…… 2111 words. To date…… 5115
Day 3…… 1726 words. To date…… 6841
Day 4…… 2092 words. To date…… 8933
Day 5…… 1306 words. To date…… 10239
Day 6…… 2523 words. To date…… 12762
Day 7…… 3018 words. To date…… 15780
Day 8…… 1443 words. To date…… 17223
Day 9…… 3024 words. To date…… 20247
Day 10…. 2275 words. To date…… 22522
Fiction for August…………………….….… 22522
Fiction for 2024………………………….… 513444
Fiction since October 1………………… 754572
Nonfiction for August……………………… 13520
Nonfiction for 2024……………………… 260530
2024 consumable words………………… 712045
2024 Novels to Date……………………… 11
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 4
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)……………… 93
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 241
Short story collections…………………… 29
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing are lies, and they will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Wow, Harvey! Sounds like a blast. Count me in too.
Nice challenges. I'm in.