Why Challenging Yourself As A Writer Is Good

Here's To A Good Challenge!

People love a challenge. It’s what we do. We like to find something that we think would be worthy of attempting and just try it.

Take me for example; I decided to try challenging myself by writing a piece a day, whether it be an article, short story or a poem. I decided to start this in the beautiful month of July. So I named the challenge Jumpstart July.

Why?

I did this because for me, I’m all about growing as a writer. There’s no better way to encourage yourself to write every day than by challenging yourself to do it. Miss a day and you’ll feel like you haven’t put your all in the challenge. So far, I’ve successfully managed to write a piece a day, this article included.

Does Growth Really Happen?

Growth can happen. It takes time and focus. What a challenge to yourself does is open up that room for growth. Write every day for a month. Then go back on what you’ve written. There’s no better way to encourage growth than by challenging yourself and looking it over afterwards. Count up all words written in that month. You’ll surprise yourself. Let’s face it, if you can write all those words, you can work on a book, or whatever project you fancy. It shows you are capable of doing things you thought you might not be able to.

Will I Challenge Myself Again?

I believe I will. It’s a worthy cause to let yourself develop as a writer and there’s no better way to do it than by giving yourself the opportunity. I had no time in my daily schedule. With Jumpstart July, I allowed myself an hour a day and dedicated it purely to writing. I did this an hour before bed every night. I’m still currently in the middle of Jumpstart July. Knowing I can write a piece a day means I can work on my book a little every day. I’ve just shown myself it’s possible and given myself the time I need to be able to do it. Granted, spending an hour a day writing a book isn’t much, but it’s something. It’s more than what I thought I had in June. So for August, yes I will challenge myself again. I think I already have a name for this challenge. Active August. It will be dedicated to writing a part of my book every day. Say about 500 words. That’s a decent start to my challenge. Although I know I can write more, I’ll take it easy on myself and start slow. They always say the tortoise will win the race, right?

Keep Yourself Accountable

Knowing that you’re writing isn’t enough sometimes. You need to put it out there in the universe that you’re making changes and showing it to the world to be able to keep yourself accountable. There is always someone who will question why you stopped. Mainly yourself. So keeping yourself accountable is a good way to start. You could create a list of the pieces you’ve written, maybe a list of the number of words you wrote that day. It’s a good way of going back on everything and looking at the progress you’ve made. Yes, it IS progress. Every word matters. So not writing for a day will result in you feeling it. It’s okay to take a break though, don’t get me wrong. We’re humans. We’re not machines. We’re not meant to live out our lives as methodically as possible. But at least trying to do something every day to get better is going to benefit you.

Create Your Own Challenges.

Have you ever thought of trying to give yourself a new challenge to make progress with your growth as a writer? You can always start small. It doesn’t have to be something so dramatic or something that is unattainable. Set yourself small goals. Accomplish those. And when you’re hungry for more, challenge yourself even further. You’ll see how far you’re willing to push yourself. Give yourself a word prompt a day. Try doing poetry for a while. Drift into the worlds of different genres. Try short stories or articles. The possibilities for challenging yourself are endless. Once a week. Once a day. Like I said, endless. Give yourself a shot. See how you do.

If you took the time out to read this article, I just want to say thank you. I hope you found it helpful and maybe even motivated you a little. If you enjoyed it or found it useful, please heart, share and even tip! Your support is everything! Thanks for giving this writer a shot!