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100-for-100 Challenge Report (aka i’ve fallen and i can’t get up)

Tracey Dyck 39 Comments
[source]
Thursday, September 8th was the final day of the 100-for-100 Challenge hosted by Go Teen Writers. In case you’re unfamiliar with that, it’s a challenge to write at least 100 words daily for 100 days.
So. Since the beginning of the summer (June 1st), I have written every day.* Um, wow. And I don’t mean wow, look at me, I’m such a fabulous superhuman writer. Because I’m not. (More on that in a minute.) I mean, wow, did I actually manage to follow through and beat the challenge? I honestly thought I would fail.

*Minus the twelve grace days I took. Participants were allowed one grace day a week, and one grace week throughout the duration of the challenge. I saved my grace week for family holidays, but we never took any, so I just kept writing.

In a way, the challenge seemed to drag on and on. Around the half to three-quarters mark, it felt like it would never end. But then I think I just fell into a daze of writing exhaustion and typed with numb fingers until, oh look, it’s over. And in a way, it passed quite quickly, and it doesn’t feel terribly long ago that I started out.
A hundred days is a long time to sustain something. So I thought I’d recap the challenge by sharing with y’all what I did to stay on track (in hopes of bolstering your own writing habits and figuring out how the pumpernickel I did it myself . . . because if I don’t write it down, I won’t internalize it). And I’ll also share the pros and cons of writing daily. I sense lists coming up! Because lists are life, am I right, my questing quizzle-birds?*
*What those are, I have no idea. Somebody make up some facts and add them to Wikipedia, quick!

I like charts almost as much as lists, so before we get to those, here’s my word counts for the challenge, if you’re interested:

How I Survived

  • I set a timer on my phone to go off at 8 pm daily. I’m often busy earlier in the day, so if I hadn’t written anything by the evening, I had that automatic reminder to get cracking. Most days when my alarm started tinkling sweet music, I had not written a single word. I wasn’t always able to put in my daily words right when the alarm went off, either, but having it ring near the end of the day kept that goal hovering at the forefront of my mind the rest of the evening. Some nights, I sat in my PJ’s on my bedroom floor to throw out a hundred words before bed. There were even a few nights where I’d already turned off the lights before I remembered, shoot, I haven’t written yet! Let’s just say there were a couple bleary-eyed, my-brain-is-dead writing sessions this summer.
  • That’s basically it.
  • But a one-item list is lame, so let me think about this harder.
  • . . .
  • . . .
  • Little is okay. Only two days did I break into a four-digit wordcount. Only twice! And only twenty-two days saw me crest 500 words. To say it another way, the only way I could manage to keep this up all summer was to be okay with producing small bits at a time. I just didn’t have the stamina to come up with a ton of story every day. But even a couple paragraphs moves the book forward. It’s that forward movement, that momentum, that’s important.
  • I let myself write junk. On busy days where my creative juices were low and the words just clunked together like tin cans in a dryer, I refused to freeze up. I wrote down those ugly tin can words because they were words. When I sensed the pacing doing weird things, or plot holes forming, I left myself notes and plowed onwards. To keep my momentum, I didn’t have time or energy to go back and fix things. Besides, this is a first draft. It’s not supposed to be pretty.
  • I slacked on research. You guys know this book (The Prophet’s Key) involves globetrotting and consequently, research. I had some stuff done beforehand, but once the challenge began, I very quickly realized that my schedule didn’t have time for in-depth research AND daily writing. So there are plenty of places where my description is nonexistent, where I made up placeholder names and directions, and where the timelines are simply not discussed because I have no idea how many days the characters have been traveling. It was about getting the story down, not about getting all my facts right. That’s for editing.

The Pros of Writing Daily

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  • Momentum. If you push yourself to add something to the story each day, you keep yourself from getting stuck. With that self-imposed challenge hanging over your head, you force yourself to push through, even if the result is messy. This makes it easier to pick up again the next day. The work is fresh in your mind, so moving your characters one step further doesn’t take so much forethought.
  • Productivity. I wrote 32,768 words this summer. It’s not as much as I expected, but it’s probably more than I would’ve written had I not participated in the challenge.
  • You realize how valuable a few minutes are. It doesn’t take long to write 100 words. I’m not the fastest writer, and I usually did it in five to ten minutes. Some days I wrote two or three times the minimum in that timeframe. You don’t need three hours of free time to get writing done! Yes, those long stretches can be great, but writing is sustainable even when you’re busy. A few minutes before you go to work or school, a bit of time snatched over a meal break, a quarter hour in the evening . . . It’s doable.
  • You form a habit. Eventually, it became more natural to sit down to write every day. I don’t think I’ll keep writing each and every day like this (which I’ll explain in the con list), but now I know I can write little bits more often.

The Cons of Writing Daily

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” -Alfred from Larryboy and the Fib from Outer Space
  • Some of your work is going to be horrible. Like I mentioned earlier, some days I just wrote filler. I’m not real happy about that, but there it is. Yes, first drafts are messy, but at the same time, I feel like I just made more work for myself later on.
  • Burn-out. To be honest, I’m relieved the challenge is over, because I’m feeling kind of dry. I am so ready to take a break now, which college is forcing me to do. Having to come up with another piece of the story on a daily basis sometimes stretched my creativity and even my desire to be writing.
  • If you’re not careful, you can get wrapped up in hitting your wordcount goal instead of enjoying the process. I’m a goals person to begin with, so it was easy to fall into the trap of focusing on numbers rather than immersing myself in the experience of creating something from nothing. Parts of this draft probably suffered for it. But at least it’s written. You can’t edit what’s not there, right?
  • You may train yourself to write in spurts, so when it comes time for a long haul, you’re not strong enough. It’s like sprinting every day instead of training for a marathon. Since the challenge ended, I haven’t yet tried to write for a couple hours at a time, but it may be a stretch when I do. I’m not sure if my brain will, after writing a couple hundred words, say, “Okay, I’ve done my due diligence, goodbye.” (Though this might be remedied by writing several spurts in one day? And decreasing the intervals between spurts day by day?)

My conclusion is . . .

I’m glad I participated in the challenge! It feels good to have beaten it, and I’m over 30k words further in my story than I was at the start of summer. But am I going to keep writing every single day? Probably not. I’ve come to appreciate the value of breaks. A good balance for me personally would be writing four to five days a week, if I was a full-time author. As it is, present circumstances may allow only one or two days a week.

But I don’t regret participating, and I may even join in again one day! It was a good motivator to keep plowing through a difficult, stubborn first draft.

Did any of you participate in 100-for-100? Have you ever? Would you ever consider it? What do you think about developing a daily writing habit?

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Infinity Dreams Award – VLOG STYLE

Tracey Dyck 29 Comments

And now, questers, announcing that “brand new thing I’ve never done before” I referenced in the last post: my very first (and possibly only because it’s mildly terrifying) vlog. Yes. I braved the camera for the sake of a challenge given to me by Emily @ Ink, Inc.* She’s a fabulous blogger with a dry wit and love of books. And she writes prettiful things, so go check out her blog!

*link leads to the post in which she tagged me


The rules are simple: 11 facts, 11 questions, 11 nominees (but I’m doing less).

11 Facts
  1. I love watching lightning storms.
  2. If watermelon is an available candy flavor, that’s the one I’ll likely pick.
  3. My travels are not extensive; so far I’ve been to only five provinces and three states.
  4. There is a spider trap in my room that has been rather successful of late. Three dead spiders are sitting there in plain sight. Pleasant. (But rather there than running freely.)
  5. I quite like bookmarks, but I don’t use some of my favorites because I want to keep them nice.
  6. Christmas candy lasts me months. I still have a jar of licorice allsorts on my shelf.
  7. My favorite tea is vanilla chai.
  8. I can pull off a halfway decent English accent, but my Scottish, Irish, and pirate voices seem to blend together.
  9. If I start a journal using blue pen, I hesitate to ever use black in the same notebook, and vice versa.
  10. I keep shoeboxes, with the intent of using them to store knickknacks and whatnot. Sadly, there is a stack of shoeboxes I have yet to assign a use for, and the knickknacks are still running wild.
  11. As a child, the word interrupt brought to mind the picture of a trumpet.
11 Questions Answered in Vlog Form

This is a momentous occasion. And like I said, a little freaky? Obviously you all have seen my face before. It’s right there on the sidebar. And I don’t mind going one step further and letting you hear my voice. You guys are friends! You’re wonderful people! It’s just the thought of random people strolling through the internet and happening upon my blog and watching this video that gives me pause. Stranger danger, you know.

Ahem. All that aside, I was going to edit the video to make it a bit shorter and therefore more manageable, because everyone’s busy and time is scarce, but my program was giving me technical difficulties . . . so this is unedited, imperfect, and at some spots, a little repetitious. C’est la vie. Just proves I’m a human bean.*

*I like saying bean instead of being. And the sunburn I’m sporting is also proof of my humanity.

So here it is. Enjoy!

11 New Questions
[stealing some from Emily because her questions were great]
  1. What’s your current favorite song?
  2. In the context of either reading or writing (or both): do you prefer standalones or series?
  3. Have you ever met a book or movie character who was a lot like you? If so, who?
  4. What’s your biggest pet peeve as a reader?
  5. Favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or supper?
  6. What’s been inspiring you this week?
  7. What does a perfect day look like for you?
  8. If the world was flat, and you came to the edge of it, what would you like to find there?
  9. If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
  10. With what word would you like others to describe you?
  11. What’s one book that changed your life?
And I tag . . .
Whether you answer the questions in a vlog or just in a regular post is up to you! Of course you’re not obligated to do the tag at all, but it’s here should you want to.
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summer bucket list, belated

Tracey Dyck 35 Comments

It’s the middle of summer . . . sounds a lot better than halfway through summer, doesn’t it? (I’m in denial about the swift passage of time, okay.) Usually if people talk about their summer bucket lists, they do so at the beginning of the season, but I don’t follow crowds, so here’s my middle-of-the-summer list.

It’s half wishful thinking, a quarter to-do list, and two-thirds “this will keep my feet on the ground and head in the clouds and sanity intact.”*

*And that was not a normal whole number, but we’re all about living life to the fullest, so if my fractions add up to more than the number one,** that’s the way it should be.


**Which I’m fully aware they do. (Wow. A footnote of a footnote. Just when I thought I couldn’t get stranger.)


Anyway, with the season being in full swing, and my schedule feeling as full as ever, I’ve been longing for time off, time away, a drop of real summertime, a holiday of any sort, etc. Hence this post.


have a picnic
bike to a park and do devotions & journaling there
color in my coloring book
paint a picture (I have an idea in mind to use lyrics
from this song–go have a listen; it’s amazing)
take an afternoon to read a stack of children’s books
go to bed earlier
arrange a guest post with someone (you know who you are!)
plan at least two month’s worth of post ideas for
when college busyness hits
win the 100-for-100 challenge (we’re a third
of the way there . . . we can do thissss)
go swimming at least once
do at least two sessions of The Creative Way each month
finish going through the agent listings in the book I bought
send out first batch of queries (!!!) (this may be
the wishful thinking part)
watch Mockingjay Part 2
bask in the sun
paint my toenails because the current pink polish is half gone
read Peter Pan for the first time
actually use my people watching journal . . .
. . . and my quotes journal
take a few days off work to just chill
remember first drafts are messy
remember to have fun
remember to find joy
~*~
Besides the to-do items, it looks like I’m longing for the summers of my childhood. I can’t recreate them, but maybe I can rediscover some of the simple things I used to have time for. It’ll be interesting to come back to this list in a couple months and hold it up to what reality actually brings.
What are you doing this summer? What’s on your to-do list, or longings-of-the-heart list? Are you going anywhere or staying home? If you could return to a childhood summer memory, what would it be and why?

P.S. Voting for the Silmarillion Awards is open until July 14th! Don’t forget to cast yours! 🙂
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My Favorite Story Elements

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments

Not too long ago, my dear online buddy Christine blogged about her favorite story elements. (Go check it out! It’s a wonderful list. Just reading it makes me happy and hungry for books.)

It inspired me to ponder about what I like in a story, and so with Christine’s permission to use her idea, I thought I’d share it with you lovely folks. As I was brainstorming my list, I noticed that everything falls into one of three categories, so I organized them accordingly.

The People . . .

Firstly, I love characters who make me care. If I can’t step into the character’s skin in some way, you’ve already lost me as a reader. Put me in someone else’s mind for several hours. Let me hear their thoughts and feel what they feel. Let me live their lives for a few hundred pages. How much I care about the characters will determine how much I care about the book. If they fall flat, even the most amazing plot won’t make up for it. On the other hand, good characters can make up for a multitude of (plot) sins.

I also love character arcs! Round characters, dynamic characters, whatever you want to call them. People who change over the course of the story, whether for the better or for the worse. Being fascinated by people and the way their minds work and why the make the choices they do, I want to see the characters transform in some way.

Speaking of regressing . . . I like genuine characters. As uncomfortable as it can be, I want to see a reflection of humanity, including the not-so-pretty parts. (How much of that is revealed depends on the story, and there are certain things I shy away from because I have zero desire to wallow in them.) But everyday imperfections? Yes, please.

Christine mentioned character relationships in her post, and I couldn’t agree more! Siblings, parents, friends, couples, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, brothers-in-arms, rivals–I want those deep, realistic characters to interact with each other. To have a bond of some sort, whether that bond be solid or shaky. What’s better than an awesome character? Seeing two or more awesome characters bounce off each other through conversation or shared events.

There’s also a couple of character types I adore (okay, there’s actually a lot–but I’m limiting myself to just two of them today). One is the chivalrous hero. A guy who’s morally white and noble of heart, who treats people with respect and takes a stand to protect what is good in this world. I find those fellows incredibly inspiring.

And let’s not forget the heroines. I’m tired of the popular definition of a strong heroine, the kind who “don’t need no man” and won’t stop broadcasting that opinion. The kind of heroine I love is a girl who’s strong, yes, but also feminine. She can kick butt, but she still has a heart, and she desires to nurture and protect in whatever way she does best. A warrior princess. She can be independent in the fact that she stands on her own, but she also recognizes when she needs the support of her comrades. Balance is key, people.

The Plot . . .

I did say that worthy characters can make up for many things, but that being said, the best books deliver on both fronts: character and plot. Here are a few plot elements that make me over-the-moon excited.

A reason to worry. Tension, conflict, high stakes! Bad things are happening, and I have to wonder how the heroes will ever win and find a happy ending. It’s worth noting, however, that “high stakes” are relative. I might be worrying over whether the protagonists will save the world from annihilation, or fretting about whether the main character will stop pushing away the guy who’s obviously perfect for her. The level of tension can be vastly different from one book (or genre) to another, and that’s fine by me. As long as the stakes feel high for this particular situation, I’m hooked.

I absolutely love connections. (Another thing Christine mentioned. What can I say? We have similar taste in books!) Discovering how one character over here actually has a history with that character way over there . . . and this particular challenge is connected to what took place back in chapter two . . . and this country’s decision is going to have a massive effect on the neighboring kingdom . . . and so-and-so is related to the enemy and didn’t know it . . . ETC. In real life, everything is intertwined, and one thing has a domino effect on so many other things. I love it when books are the same way. Not only is it super fun to piece everything together, but it ups the believability factor.

Plot twists make my day. I recently read one in a certain story I’m beta-reading, and it made my head spin. My favorite twists are obviously the ones that work–the ones that are foreshadowed, but in such a subtle way that you don’t figure it out until BOOM, something happens.

This one is more of a plot type–I love quests. Ha, bet you didn’t know that, did you? (*cough* The Prophet’s Quest, anyone?) Some also call it the Hero’s Journey, but overall, I just like those linear, goal-oriented plots. Not to say I don’t love other kinds too, but quests are one reason I read so much fantasy. Something big is at stake. A person or object must be found. A villain must be stopped. A disaster must be averted. And the whole book is a series of attempts, failures, and eventually successes along the road toward that goal. Much epicness ensues.

And when it’s all said and done, please, please give me a satisfying ending. None of this completely hopeless stuff. Things don’t have to end perfectly happily, but I want to find some satisfaction upon turning the final page. I want all the struggles to mean something. The characters may have lost much, but I want them to gain something worthwhile in the end. A good, satisfying ending gives me hope for my own adventure in this life.

. . . & Other Epic Things

Okay, so everything else is pretty miscellaneous, and some of it is admittedly specific to fantasy. Here goes.

Deep world building. Just like I want to delve into a character’s mind, I want to be immersed in the world of this story. I want people, places, history, and beliefs to be organically conveyed. I want to get a sense of where and when I am. Nothing makes me happier than a world in which I can settle in and put down some roots.

Writing style. Whether the author’s words are bullets (like Andrew Klavan, Travis Thrasher, or Suzanne Collins) or more like flowers (such as Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Jeffrey Overstreet, or Maggie Stiefvater), I love reading a story told in distinct and delicious language.

Another thing I love is cleverness in general. Brilliant battle plans, sly characters manipulating others, or particularly well thought out plots–just impress me with the cleverness, please. Make me wish I’d thought of it first.

More specific to fantasy, I enjoy objects of power. The One Ring, Jack Sparrow’s compass (okay, yes, that’s from a movie, but they count as stories too!), candlestones, a talking sword, a horn that summons help when blown, an orb with mysterious transformative/transportation powers (oh look, a shameless plug for my own book) . . . There’s something fascinating about cool devices or weapons. They lend themselves nicely to those quest plots I was talking about.

Speaking of which, I love DRAGONS. And that is all anyone ever need say on that subject.

One of my most favorite things, though, is symbolism. Whether it’s on a large scale like an allegory, or as small as a passing description, I love when one thing stands for something else, be it a person, object, or concept. C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s Heartless are two examples of allegories I treasure. But even something as brief as the dropping of a sword representing that character’s inner surrender–that makes me tingle with happiness.

I also get a kick out of the strange and the scary. Not over the top, mind you–I do have my boundaries–but stories that are odd or out of the box shake me out of my comfortable rut. And a certain measure of creepiness or scariness (like in Ted Dekker’s or Robert Liparulo’s thrillers) will guarantee that I devour the book.

You’ll never, ever guess this one. I like humor. (What a shock. Because I never laugh or joke around here, no sir.) Whether it’s an inherently funny scrape the characters get themselves into, or a character like Walter Foley or Sir Eanrin providing comic relief, I’m happy because “I dearly love to laugh.”

And lastly (for today, anyway), I love a book that affects my vision of life. Preferably in a good way, of course. When I have to pause and stare off into the distance, or when I close the book and spend the rest of the day thinking about it, that’s when I know that the story is affecting me on a deep level. Most of us don’t read to get a sermon, but if we can learn while being entertained? That’s fabulous. My favorite authors are those who have opened my eyes to something about God, life, or myself. Some wording or images have even seeped into my daily thoughts. These books enrich me in the best way possible.

Well, that was much lengthier than anticipated. If you’ve read this far, you’re a dear. Now tell me, what are your favorite story elements? I must know! (Feel free to provide examples of those elements, too.)

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