April Challenge
Get Comfortable Recording Yourself
Some of us still have the romantic image of the cloistered writer tucked cozily away in their oaky study, a globe and antique bookends on their desk next to a personal library of leatherbound books. They live in relative seclusion, all their focus dedicated to the words on the page and the click-clack of their typewriter. It is a quiet life, but one suited to their quiet personality.
In today’s day and age of digital town squares and communities, writers cannot afford to be as secluded. Their audiences, especially for indie and self-published authors (although not exclusively so) demand a certain degree of access and interaction. With social media and podcasts becoming a more viable form of marketing and promotion, it is becoming increasingly essential to have a robust and active relationship with your readers. This does not necessarily mean posting every single day like an influencer—although there are some advantages to this to be discussed in a future challenge—it does mean developing a certain confidence and savvy behind the mic and camera.
And we can be honest with ourselves: it’s awkward to listen to our own voice or watch a video of ourselves. We hyper-focus on little idiosyncrasies, like saying ‘um’ too often, or touching our face constantly. And…
March Challenge
March Challenge: Genre Swap…
February Challenge
February Challenge: Ideation and Creativity…
January Challenge
Closing Remarks
Hey, Writers!
Congratulations on an absolutely fantastic display of creative discipline and focus over the last month. Making writing a true habit, and not just something you do ‘when the mood strikes’ or ‘when you’re feeling inspired,’ is one of the first and most critical steps you can take towards really embracing writing as a pursuit. When you read through the habits and practices of the pantheon of the world’s most successful writers, you’ll find they almost all share two things in common: they read A LOT, and they write every single day. Well, you are on your way to adopting one of those skills into your repertoire!
If you are more of a hobbyist writer, hopefully the challenge of trying to write every day still brought you some value! Even if commercial success, publication, or getting printed in a magazine isn’t one of your goals, writing every day can still be an amazingly fulfilling practice. It provides a creative outlet for your most authentic inner voice, gives you space to explore ideas and contemplate themes and values, or can just be a way to quietly entertain yourself on a rainy afternoon. I will always maintain that any day I get to write is better than a day I don’t get to…
And when you write every day, it can have the effect of elevating your thinking and engagement with daily life.…