Last month I mentioned to you that I was participating in a writing challenge. Here's how it works: you pony up $20 and you agree to write 400 words (or the equivalent in related tasks, like editing) on 5 out of every 7 days during the month of the challenge. If you miss one day, you forfeit $3; if you miss two, you forfeit $6. More than that and you lose your $20.
On the one hand, 400 words is nothing. On the other, 8000 words is a respectable chunk of text. I found the challenge to be highly motivating and also very manageable. What I didn't realize when I signed up was that the administrator directs part of the forfeited money back to successful participants. Not only did I get ~8000 words out of the June writing challenge, I got a surprise $9. I rolled my original $20 back into the July challenge, on the Stick With What's Working principle.
If you have a back-burnered novel, or a purgatorial paper, or any other writing projects that could use an 8000-word boost, you should think about the Any Good Thing writing challenge for August. Especially you Obligers -- I bet you'd like it because of the low stakes, clear expectations, and consistent friendly feedback from the coordinator. You can have as much or as little community support as you might like to have; there's an active Facebook group but no pressure to participate.
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