Consistency Amidst Celebrations: Balancing Writing Goals and Holiday Fun
Reflecting on our 15-Day Challenge progress and introducing a new 1000-word daily adventure
Day 5 of the 15-Day Writing Challenge
🌱 "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." — Socrates
Hey there, my brilliant alchemists!
This weekend has been full of family, friends, and celebrations, as we're hosting quite a few folks who came in from out of town.
But I didn't want to skip checking in with you all.
We're five articles into the 15-Day Writing Challenge—and I'm sticking with it. But there's more on my plate now.
I've jumped into the Thousand Words a Day Challenge for September. This is a challenge that
came up with (check out his Substack "How to Write for a Living").The goal is to write a thousand words each day, but here's the thing—I'm sticking to my atomic essays. I've promised you all that my articles will be tight and never more than five to six hundred words unless there's a great reason to stretch that. So, you can count on that consistency from me.
Oh, don't worry, I won't be inboxing you daily :-)
I'll keep to our usual twice-a-week updates, but I'll have plenty to share about this challenge when I do write to you.
Since today's post is more of a quick update, here's a snapshot of what I've written so far in the 15-Day Challenge:
Article 1: Ignite Your Writing Routine: A 15-Day Challenge with 7 Powerful Tips In this kick-off piece, I dug into what I've learned about creating a sustainable writing habit. I shared my top tips for keeping the creativity flowing, including how I found my sacred writing time and why I don't stress about perfection anymore. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, I hope these insights help you build a routine that sticks.
Article 2: The Day Santa Stole My Cake - A Child's Journey to the Truth This one's personal—I opened up about a childhood memory that shattered my belief in Santa Claus. Writing it was a trip down memory lane, and it got me thinking about the balance between childhood magic and hard truths. I hope it resonated with some of you too.
Article 3: Unlock Your Mind's Potential: The 6 AM Writing Ritual Here, I spilled the beans on my morning writing routine. I talked about how I start with a virtual daily stand-up and then dive into morning pages. It's become almost a spiritual practice for me, and I explained how it helps me clear my mental clutter and spark creativity. If you've been struggling to get words on the page, you might want to give this a try.
Article 4: The Lie You Tell Yourself: You're Not Who You Say You Are This time, I tried something different and wrote a poem. It's pretty straightforward - all about the difference between what we say and what we actually do. Writing it got me thinking a lot, and I hope it makes you think about your own life too.
If you missed any of these, the links are right there. I'd love to hear what you think!
Creating habits is about showing up, day in, day out, even when things get busy. That's what I'm doing, and I hope you're right there with me.
Enjoy the holiday, soak up the last of the summer, and I'll catch you tomorrow with more!