The Ultimate List of Writing Challenge Events

Whether you’re writing a novel, biography, or flash fiction anthology, it can be
difficult to find the time and focus needed to get the writing done. Luckily, there
are a variety of organized writing challenges that help motivate authors and
create a community around work that can be pretty solitary.

There’s potentially a challenge to fit every genre, and new ones are popping up
all the time. Here’s a list of some of the more popular writing challenge events
from around the web:

12x12 Challenge
The
​12x12 Challenge
​ is the only one on our list that has a substantial fee, but
it’s well worth it if you’re a picture book author. Started by author Julie Hedlund
in 2012, this event challenges you to write one picture book draft a month for a
year.

During the challenge you’ll have access to members-only resources, community
feedback, and support. The real value, however, is access to respected agents
and authors who give advice, critiques, and guidance along the way.

750 Words
The idea behind
​750 Words
​ is pretty simple: Try to write at least 750 words each
day. The focus is less on writing for a specific project, and more about getting in
the habit of regular writing. The site is simple, but provides a private,
distraction-free place to work.

The best feature is that it tracks your daily word count and writing time, and
awards points based on your activity. You can view your statistics at any time
and can even
​​add metadata to
​
​your entries
​ to track any information you choose.
It’s a more advanced feature, but one that can help you understand your best
writing conditions.

A Round of Words in 80 Days
Described as “the writing challenge that knows you have a life,”
​​A Round of
Words in 80 Days
​ is an open-ended challenge that has four rounds a year, each
running 80 days. You can have any writing goal you like, which makes this
challenge great for any type of writer.

There are regular check-ins and a
​Facebook group
​ where participants can offer
support. But don’t worry if you want to start outside of the regular rounds. It’s not
as formal as some of the other timed challenges, so you can pretty much
participate any time.

Book in a Week
This challenge runs the first week of every month, with the goal of writing at
least 10 pages (250 words each) of any project. With
​Book in a Week
​, you won’t
be sharing any of your work, but simply letting everyone know your page counts.
The goal isn’t to have polished work at the end, it’s just to work at getting
through at least part of a first draft. There’s a small $3 fee to join, which includes
access to the group’s private learning management system.

Daily Words
Author Debbie Ridpath Ohi started
​Daily Words
​ for writers who intend to find the
time to write but seem to always be putting it off. It allows for customizable,
attainable goals that make it easier for you to stick with it.

You can choose to write to a specific word count or time count every day. There
are no set goals, so you can start wherever you feel comfortable and work your
way up from there. This is a great challenge to start with and build up your
writing habit.



October Poetry Writing Month
One of the genre-specific challenges on our list,
​​October Poetry Writing Month
​
caters to those who love sonnets, couplets, haiku, and any other type of poetry.
There’s a private
​Facebook
​
​group
​ for members as well as badges you can
display on your own site.

To prepare for the challenge, the organizers begin sharing tips throughout
September. The event then kicks off OCtober 1st.

National Novel Writing Month
Perhaps one of the more widely known events is
​​National Novel Writing Month
​
(NaNoWriMo), which runs every November. Just as the name implies,
participants join with the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by the end of the
month.

The global event draws hundreds of thousands of participants who motivate and
cheer each other on through the website. If you create a user profile on the site,
you’ll be able to track and share your progress and be notified of any local
events in your area.

National Picture Book Writing Week
Ready to write seven picture books in seven days? Then
​National Picture Book
Writing Week
​ (NaPiBoWriWee) is for you. This challenge is held every May and
is hosted by children’s literature author Paula Yoo.

The rules are simple. You can brainstorm ideas, research topics, and take notes
prior to the event. But you can’t start writing until the first day. Some participants
even start with Picture Book Idea Month (below) and then use those ideas in this
challenge. The goal is to have seven new picture book drafts at the end of the
week. To add to the fun, participants can also win random prize drawings during
the week.

National Poetry Writing Month
This is another poetry challenge that runs in April every year.
​National Poetry
Writing Month
(NaPoWriMo) was created by poet Maureen Thorson after she was inspired by
NaNoWriMo. She began by posting a poem a day on her own site, and soon
others were doing the same. Now she runs the event every year, providing daily
writing prompts and maintaining an active
​
​Facebook group
​.

Picture Book Idea Month
Picture Book Idea Month
​ (PiBoIdMo) is a fun challenge for picture book authors.
Author Tara Lazar runs the challenge each November, encouraging writers to
come up with a picture book idea each day for a month. The idea can be a topic,
title, character name, or really anything that you could eventually turn into a full
picture book.

She hosts a collection of children’s book authors, illustrators, and editors in the
form of daily blog posts that cover various industry topics. All writers who
register for the free event and complete the challenge are eligible to win prizes
like feedback from agents, professional critiques, signed books, and more.

StoryADay
StoryADay
​ is a short story challenge that runs in May and invites participants to
write an original short story every day for a month. The goal is to promote
creativity and help writers hone their craft through persistent practice.

The website offers resources, writing prompts, and a community forum to
connect with other participants. You can also
​​sign up
​ to get on the list for
advanced notification of when the site opens for registration.

When you’re ready to publish your work,
​edocr
​ is ready to assist you!