Before going into this week’s challenge, I’ve got to come clean. I was a bit discouraged about continuing this feature since many found the first two impossible to commit to.
Outside the week leading up to Easter (Or Passover), which I know many folks would be too busy on average to do a challenge, no one found earlier challenges well before either holiday in their reach given the comments of the first being all in the vein of “Sorry, no time this week” and the second having no takers at all. (My family’s not into togetherness, to put it gently) so my ability to perceive that in more connected families is not all that great.
I started to feel like no one found my first couple challenges achievable or relevant.
So, until I get enough reader mail to prove the contrary, I’m keeping my challenges really simple, and whenever possible, don’t require the reader to leave the blog to complete them. Though, I thought people could do the last challenge easy (All you had to do was recommend 5 books, that’s all there was to it!)
I strongly suspect the majority of my readership are women, and often mothers, so ladies, and lads too, help me out here. This week’s challenge is the first every “Take Requests Tuesday.”
What are some writer challenges that you can fit around family, day jobs, and seemingly endless responsibilities. I don’t have these specific barriers, so maybe my challenges ask too much of the majority of the writers who drop by, and I only wanted to motivate, NOT overwhelm.
Just tell me in the comments below, what kind of challenges you’d like to see featured on future editions of Take A Chance Tuesday. They must be something that aren’t too genre specific, and that can be accomplished within a week from the start of the challenge.
Come on, everyone, T.A.A. can only be so interactive unless you help me out a bit, so come on, show some grit and gumption. Most of us are living Spring, the time of renewal and growth, T.A.A. can’t grow if I’m in this alone.
So again, in the comments below, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHARE SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE EDITIONS OF TAKE A CHANCE TUESDAY, THAT ARE SIMPLE, NOT TIED TO ANY ONE GENRE, AND PEOPLE CAN ACCOMPLISH WITHIN A WEEK, AND DOESN’T ASK FOR ANY SPECIAL RESEARCH OR LENGTHY TIME COMMITMENT.
PLEASE, help me. help you better.
Category Archives: Take A Chance Tuesday
Take A Chance Tuesday – 2nd Edition
After a week off, Take A Chance Tuesday is back on schedule.
Since many found the first challenge far too onerous for their busy lives, let’s try something (I hope is…) easier and you don’t even have to leave the blog to accomplish it.
In the comments below, name the top 5 books that, in your opinion, defines your primary genre or niche, and write a one or two sentence reason why you feel the book is essential. (i.e. The books that are most like what your write yourself)
Be sure to include-
- Title of the Book
- Author’s Name (Real or Pen name, if applicable)
- All kid and teen friendly genres eligible
- You can nominate adult books so long as they are not erotic in nature (We try to say a soft PG-13 around here)
Be personal, and yes, I will disqualify entries if they go over two sentences per book.
Deadline: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 at NOON EST
Do your best, and until next time,
Take a chance!
UPDATE: CHALLENGE CLOSED!
Take A Chance Tuesday – 1st Edition
I know today’s Wednesday, but I had too much to do offline to get it up yesterday, so bear with me a moment. Every week (On Tuesdays from now on!), I’ll post a new writing challenge prompt, and you have only until next Tuesday to finish, and report your findings.
I’ll discuss the submission part in a moment, bur first it’s time to reveal this week’s challenge-
Since writers are at varying stages of the process, you’ll have a choice of two challenges, you can do only one, or both if you really want to get ambitious.
Challenge #1: To celebrate revision week on my new favorite blog of the moment (Dear Editor) your challenge is to take a chapter from your WIP novel, and try to shorten it to half it’s current length.
Challenge #2: Write a one page letter in the voice of your main character or antagonist.
Since I got this up a day late, I’ll give you until next Thursday before Noon EST to finish, and you don’t have to share the work on the blog.
To enter, all you need to do is post in the comments below, state your first name or pen/nickname if easy to remember and fairly short, and which challenge you’re taking on, or both if you’re the ambitious type.
Next Thursday, BEFORE Noon EST, go back to the first “Take A Chance Tuesday” post, and comment on how you did with the challenge. Whether you succeeded, or not, and why.
Share anything and everything you learned.
T.A.A. is about celebrating success and rising above stumbles along the way.
NOTE: After this week, all Take A Chance challenges must be completed by the following Tuesday.
The reason I don’t ask to submit your results to the blog is twofold. First, especially for new writers, it’s easier to acknowledge our growth (However fast or slow) when we don’t get overly competitive towards others, since not everyone needs or responds well to heated competition when they’re struggling to learn new skills.
Second, theses challenges are meant to help writers build their own sense of progress, rather than use other writers as a yardstick for excellence, since unless you know your process naturally gels with another writer, especially if you’re in a hands-on critique group, you can make yourself insane trying to work out if this is general info you need or is just one writer’s subjective preference they make work fine for that writer, but will do more harm than good if you employ similar counsel.
I want to help writers learn to better trust their own judgement, because the better judge you can be to you, the more civil and impartial you can be toward others when you critique their work, and be able to provide better feedback to them.
Do your best, and until next time,
Take A Chance!
UPDATE: CHALLENGE CLOSED!