Thanks for joining me for this seven day writing challenge. It’s been great fun. I hope the activities have been useful. I enjoyed putting the challenge together – fingers-crossed you got a lot out of it too. Let me know in the comments.
Find some time today to simply stop and stare – a pause, either with or without tea, then afterwards, make a list of the things you’ve noticed about yourself as a writer this week. There’s no right or wrong – simply make a list. For example:
Get your diary and schedule a longer pause. This is a treat, so plan for it. During your longer pause you’re going to do nothing but observe the world around you. Yes, you can involve tea! Plan at least an hour for this and pick a spot where you’re unlikely to be disturbed. I suggest doing something physical first – go for a walk or sing, for instance. If you like, keep your notebook with you and jot down anything that comes to you during this longer pause.
You don’t have to stop here. You could carry your notebook with you and schedule one day a week when you build in more mindful pauses throughout the day, or you could go back to the start and repeat the challenge over another week. Hopefully you’ll want to build some of the activities into a regular writing routine. Let me know what’s been most useful about this challenge in the comments below.
For lots more activities like these, take a look at my colourful (and short!) books on the writing process. You’ll find lots of writing prompts in How to Write and a couple more writing challenges in Find Time to Write. There’s more on writing and mindfulness in How to Think Like a Writer, and advice for novelists in How to Write a Novel and Get It Published.
More soon. Until then, happy writing,
Lou xx