Challenge,  On Writing

Week Two Great Challenge Update

Sometimes I Will Give Updates…

Mostly I will give these updates because I think it’s fun and good information and I will never, ever use any names in these updates. Just general stuff.

I am impressed that every person who started on the first week got in a second story. And a couple people started on Week #2 and there is still a couple people who haven’t started yet. But no misses so far. Better than I had expected since I know how hard challenges are.

Some people sign up for a challenge like this only to discover that challenges are just not their thing. That’s why even if you miss, you lose nothing, but get the credit for the money you paid against workshops. So learning that challenges are not your thing is a valuable lesson. No problem with that at all.

The stories this second week had fewer stories that were not my kind of reading, so it took me a little longer, although the stories this second week were shorter (in most instances) than the first week’s stories. Some really great stories. Thanks! Very enjoyable reading for me.

(If a story is not my kind of story, I still try to read it, but often end up scanning and tell the author that. Not the author’s fault, just my reading tastes.)

I am surprised that this Great Challenge did not fill, or hasn’t yet. I had a certain number of stories I figured I could read with my one eye on Wednesday and Thursdays each week, and not have the reading get in my way much or strain my eye much. That was my number where I would call the Great Challenge full, but not even close to that number. Sort of surprising, since this is a no-lose challenge.

And the novel challenge has only a couple people in it.

Some people are using the short story prompts and some are not. What I find really cool is that some of the stories have amazingly huge worlds and possible great series characters in them. Those writers are really getting some future stuff out of the challenge.

So after week #2 I am having a wonderful time with the reading and enjoying many of the stories.

So there is still room and time to jump in and help yourself fight the time of great forgetting. A short story per week or a novel every two months will do that for you. (grin)

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2 Comments

  • Topaz

    Hi Dean,

    thank you for the update. It’s great to hear general advice from you.

    I’ve privately started to write a short story every week last week. The one for week two is done and Sunday starts my third week.
    Still thinking about the novel challenge. Yet, with some major life rolls to be expected in September/October/November I am hesitating. Nonetheless I set the goal for myself to write a novel every other month. My private challenge, inspired by yours.

    How is your own challenge with five books in 100 days getting along?

    • dwsmith

      Sounds great, Topaz. My challenge keeps getting derailed by life rolls, but still going at it. Won’t hit it, but still working to get things back on track after a year to believe. I’ll do a nightly blog about it shortly.