A week ago today I began a 30-day writing challenge.
I committed to creating a new piece of work every day — for an entire month.
The rules were: THERE WERE NO RULES.
All I had to do was show up daily and write.
I’m a girl that LOVES a challenge, whether it’s sexually, physically, creatively or intellectually. I love pushing past my limitations and advancing myself as a human being. It’s what lights a fire in my belly.
Before I get into the challenges of my 30-day writing challenge. It’s worthwhile mentioning that I’ve kept a journal since I was 10. I’ve obviously missed a day or two along the way — I’m human.
But journalling is a church for me, it’s how I begin each day and it’s how I end each day. It is my sacred life ritual that will stay with me until the day I die.
I threw that information in purely, to demonstrate that creating a new piece of writing every 24 hours was never going to be a dilemma for me. The challenges I’m facing are different ones. I’ve collated them below.
THE FREEDOM TO WRITE WHAT I WANT
Who would have thought that being free to write what I want would be a challenge? But it is.
You must remember when I write a column for a publication, I am NOT free.
For example:
I wouldn’t pitch a column to a left-wing editor titled “The Adversities Men Face” because I wouldn’t get a response.
Just like, I wouldn’t pitch a column to a right-wing editor titled “The Struggle of Artists” because they’re not going to have a sympathetic ear.
Writing columns requires you to have an agenda. So writers learn to shape-shift in order to survive in writing-land.
It has been incredibly strange writing without limitations but a new and wonderful experience!
WORD COUNTS
The second challenge for me this week has been constantly having to remind myself that I don’t have to meet a certain word count for an editor.
Word counts are a huge part of my life, whether I’m content writing, column writing or copywriting — each editor has a sweet-spot word count.
I’ve had to tell myself over and over all week: “Vanessa you can write two words, twenty words or a thousand words — you’re the boss girlfriend.”
PERFECTIONISM
I like to feel that a piece of work is polished before I share it.
Because I have to create a new piece of work every day, I feel more rushed than usual.
But the lesson here is: Letting go of perfectionism!