My best works of writing have been done under a challenge or constriction.
In this post, I wanted to explore some challenges I find useful for my writing and hopefully, you will too.
The 50-Word Story Challenge
There is an art to concise and meaningful stories, flash fiction is your best bet here.
The 50-word story challenge is simply creating a story out of 50 words or less.
It is a tough thing to start but you can come up with some creative ideas.
Another form of this I love is the two-sentence horror trend.
On r/twosentencehorror there are countless stories of horror confined to two sentences, and they are awesome.
Flash Fiction Dash
Another method of challenge is a time challenge.
Confine yourself to 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or even 1 minute to write a story.
Timed writing is especially useful for me as it turns off the monkey mind, the constant mental buzz of whether I’m using the right words in the right way.
None of that.
You don’t have time to think about these challenges.
Just write.
What you come up with can be terrible but there are often more gems than stinkers.
You can then use a prompt for writing in a normal environment.
Genre-Bending
Another writing challenge I find useful is writing in genres I otherwise wouldn’t.
I’m mainly a horror writer so writing things such as romance or comedy doesn’t come easy to me.
However, through studying and appreciating other genres your genre becomes stronger.
Writing is writing and writing is good for your writing.
It’s how it goes.
Overcoming Writers Block
If you ever looking for some way to come out of your writer’s block picking one of these challenges can be so beneficial.
Often writer’s block is due to high expectations of your work that you don’t feel you hitting.
Writing challenges are designed to challenge you so you know your writing isn’t always going to be spot on.
These challenges permit you to write terrible stories.
Once you’re permitted to write anything you WILL WRITE.
That’s why I can’t recommend these writing challenges anymore.
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