Challenges - Sunday July 29!
(I'm not actually here. I am either (a) standing in a bookstore cooling my heels and hating everything because I have to wait and not cool; or (b) sleeping, because I have my priorities in order. I live in hope that the queue won't break.)
Four challenges again today, very reminiscent of Wednesday's! Next week I'll start mixing it up again, but for now we're going to keep doing what worked last week. Do one, do them all, just do something. Let us know in a reply to this post if you’re in and what you’re aiming for, because accountability helps.
CHALLENGE 1 - FEATURED WORDS - for inspiration
Use one (or more!) of these words in your writing for today. You will not be required to share the writing you do today (so don’t worry if you’re writing for a challenge that keeps you from publishing or sharing sections), but we’ll believe you if you tell us what you used!
curtains
verdant
balcony
promise
plaintive
CHALLENGE 2 - BLITZ WRITING - for a boost
800 words in one hour! Easy, right? So easy you could even do it twice!
Same reminder as last time: don’t edit as you go, write through your doubt, and see what happens.
CHALLENGE 3 - DO YOUR RESEARCH! - for structure
Want to make sure your story has a sense of place? Trying to breathe some life into an AU? Research is the key to both of these things. It doesn't have to be exactly right; verisimilitude is your goal, because as long as it feels true you'll do your job.
Spend an hour (maybe two - it's the weekend!) doing some research. Check out your location on Google Maps and go all the way down to street level so you can see pretty pictures! Find blogs that talk about the professions you're using. Double check the wikis to make sure your memories of episodes are fresh and detailed. Put all this stuff you find into a document, and then treasure it with your life.
CHALLENGE 4 - WRITE TO THE MARGINS - for the desperate
Max out your word count. That’s it - nothing fancy, nothing complicated. The writer with the biggest word count by the time we get to the check-in post tonight gets bragging rights until Wednesday. Maybe I will even remember to come back and name you supreme (temporary) emperor of the comm! Hope springs eternal.








