by Mlissa | Jan 5, 2023 | 10k Weekends, writing
I have some big writing goals to accomplish this year and I think it’s time to revive my 10K Weekends writing challenges.
Starting on Thursday at 7am and ending on Sunday at 7pm. Times are Eastern time.
10,000 words.
If you break it down and want/need a word count goal each of the 4 days, it’s 2500 words a day.
Of course, you don’t have to do it like that. Do it anyway you want to do it so long as you reach 10,000 words by Sunday at 7pm. For me, I’ll be doing sprints to help me get there. I won’t achieve it every weekend, but if I can do it most of the time I offer up this challenge, I’ll make significant progress toward finishing new books on my never-ending list of ideas.
If anyone reads this and wants to join in, just reply to this post and keep me (us) posted on your progress. One day I’ll post about it on social media again, but not yet. I’m still struggling with sm at the moment. I’m not ready to go down that addiction/comparison/spiral-out-of-control rabbit hole again. If you want to post about it, great. If not, that’s cool, too.
At this time, there are no prizes other than a sense of accomplishment. Maybe if there’s any interest in it, prizes of some sort can be discussed.
For now, it’s time to get writing. Are you up to the challenge?
Lissa
by Mlissa | Nov 1, 2019 | writing, Writing Life
Please hold me!!!
Nah… I’ve got this. Maybe.
I’ve never won NaNoWriMo. I’ve never even come close. I usually give up and try to figure something else out and then get lost in baking and cooking for Thanksgiving and never look back, only come December to feel like a complete and utter failure because I couldn’t get a measly 50,000 words written in 30 days. I mean, look at all those who DO it! Look at all those who do it on a monthly or hell, do it every 2 weeks all year long! And me, I couldn’t even do it for one month, one freakin’ month.
That was the shit I’d tell myself every year. And sure, I told myself a few times that I wasn’t going to participate at all, but then I’d give in and fail before I got started good. Like… 2 days. Maybe 3. But 2 days of doing it, of cranking out words, of getting more than the minimum daily word count of 1667 and I’d be on such a roll and I’d be so gung-ho and I’d be… Done. I would doddle through the next week or so, but no real effort. I’d tell myself next year would be better. And news flash, next year would not be better.
So, why am I doing it at all? Because I love a challenge. Because my head is screwed on a little different this time around. Because I can’t help myself. I won Camp NaNoWriMo over the summer and damned if I’m not going to give NaNoWriMo a whopping good try.
I have been really excited this year for NaNoWriMo. I’ve been working on getting my house clean so I wouldn’t have to do it over the weekend, and I’ve done the grocery shopping and some meal prep and some organization stuff to keep me on track and I’ve been so damn excited that… Wait for it… I burnt myself out two days ago. I was exhausted. Literally exhausted. I couldn’t put two words together. I was in bed and asleep before 10pm and slept nearly 9 hours. That was a lot for me considering I usually only sleep 4-6 hours, if I’m lucky. But when I woke up yesterday, I felt re-energized and ready to go. I simply hadn’t paced my excitement.
And now, today is the day. Today is the day hundreds of thousands of writers around the world attempt to hash out 50,000 words in the next 30 days. This year should be interesting for the writers in US who celebrate Thanksgiving as the last 3 days of NaNoWriMo take place over Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Rivalry Saturday.
So, as author Chris Fox states at the end of most of his YouTube videos, I have to get back to the writing.
If you read this and are participating, I am wishing you the best of luck.
If you read this and are thinking about it, but unsure, try it. Despite my previous years of not finishing, you will learn a lot about yourself as a writer. Just visit the website and sign up https://nanowrimo.org/
If you read this and aren’t quite ready for the 50,000 word novel challenge, especially at the holidays, there’s always Camp NaNoWriMo which is held in both April and July with word count goals of anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000. I will be participating each of those months next year.
If you’re interested, I’ve created a Facebook group for moral support, kicking ass support, or whatever other support you may need to get through NaNoWriMo. There are also dozens of word sprint groups on Facebook, local NaNoWriMo groups, forums on the NaNoWriMo site itself, so… Join in somewhere. You won’t regret it.
