Reflections and a Reset on My Writing Challenge
Day 12 (The New Day 7)
The holidays brought a whirlwind of chaos, distractions, and family obligations. Needless to say, my original goal of writing 40k in 14 days has taken a hit. But instead of throwing in the towel, I’m giving myself the gift of grace: recalibrating my challenge timeline and continuing with renewed determination. Today officially marks the new Day 7, meaning I’m pushing my end date to January 5th. Is this technically cheating? Maybe. But I’ve learned that life rarely aligns perfectly with plans—and progress is what truly matters.
The Days I Missed: A Quick Recap
The holiday season was my Achilles heel:
Christmas Eve (Day 7): A bit of notebook writing, but no word count to record.
Christmas Day (Day 8): Nothing. Too busy soaking in holiday cheer with family.
Boxing Day (Day 9): Visiting more family and doing some shopping.
December 27th (Day 10): An 8-hour drive back to our home province left no room for writing.
December 28th (Day 11): A day filled with errands in preparation for our move.
By the time I sat down today, December 29th, I had to face the cold reality: hitting 70k by New Year’s Eve is no longer feasible. But instead of giving up, I’ve decided to adjust my goal and extend my timeline. Sometimes, life gets in the way, and that’s okay. Shifting tactics isn’t failure—it’s a strategy.
Where I’m At Now
Over these past five days, I have actually managed to do quite a bit of writing. This writing, however, did not contribute to the total word count of my manuscript. Why? Because I used the time to address a major issue in my story’s structure. I’ve realized that while I’ve written the key, high-impact scenes, I haven’t adequately plotted the rising tension leading up to the climax.
So, much of the past week and today was spent mapping out how to sew these pieces together into a coherent narrative. I’ve been “Frankensteining” my WIP thus far, but it’s time to sew these parts together and shock the thing to life; that’s going to require some additional planning. While it feels a bit frustrating that none of this counts toward my official word total, I know this foundational work is critical for moving forward.
The Struggle with Writer’s Block
Over the past few days, I’ve encountered some serious writer’s block. Plotting and planning? No problem. Sitting down to write usable prose? Excruciating. It’s felt like trying to draw blood from a stone.
One thing that helped was a YouTube video by The Second Story titled "Don’t Give Up on Your First Draft." It reminded me that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. I can use placeholders, write cliff notes for scenes, or even focus solely on dialogue if that’s all I have in me. The key is to finish the draft—polishing comes later. This advice gave me the permission I needed to let go of perfectionism and just get something down.
Highlights and Breakthroughs
Even amidst the struggles, there were some bright spots:
I realized I’d been overly cautious about deviating from my outline, fearing it would derail the story. However, adding a new plot element has improved the story’s cohesion and entertainment value.
I had a revelation about one of my characters (an early antagonist) that adds layers of suspense and eeriness to the story. It was one of those “aha” moments that made all the hard work worth it.
I researched something gory and horrifying for one of my characters—it was so disturbing it almost made me sick. I hope readers have the same visceral reaction!
Lessons Learned
Progress Looks Different Each Day: Writing isn’t just about word count. Sometimes it’s fleshing out an outline, solving structural issues, or brainstorming new ideas.
Focus on Connections: Using phrases like “therefore,” “but,” and “when suddenly” (although that last one should be used sparingly) has helped me create a more dynamic flow of events instead of random, loosely connected scenes.
The First Draft Is Just a Skeleton: It doesn’t need to be pretty or polished—it just needs to exist.
Motivational Boosters
Ambient Playlists: I’m back at it again with another Harry Potter-themed playlist in Winter at Hogwarts Library Ambience by Inner Academia has been a lifesaver. The cozy, ASMR-inspired vibes make for the perfect writing backdrop. (More and more I’m realizing that I might be a true Harry Potter nerd.)
Inspiring Videos: I listened to 3 Tips for Avoiding Boring Writing and Making Your Life Easier by Writing Theory, which was very helpful when I felt stuck. YouTube videos by Second Story were also super helpful.
Final Thoughts
This challenge has been a rollercoaster. I’ve learned that flexibility is essential and that progress is progress, even when it doesn’t look the way you expected. My new goal is to complete the first draft by January 5th. It’s not the clean victory I imagined, but it’s still a win in my book.
Here’s to embracing imperfection, staying adaptable, and finishing what we start—even if it takes a little longer than planned.