As if NaNoWriMo isn’t challenging enough in itself, here’s the writer’s challenge of the week to help get you moving into those word counts. And if you’re not participating, it’s okay. You still have my permission to be inspired.

As always, feel free to respond on your own blog or site and link with a few words in the comments section below.

Fiction Prompt: Fight the intimidation of the blank page by writing what you anticipate will be one of the most climactic scenes in your novel first. You don’t have to lead up to it or know what will follow, just write the intense scene as it comes to you. Don’t edit or question at this point; allow yourself to get swept up in the emotion and write. When you’re done, read your scene. What do you love about it? What could be better? How can you set the stage for this moment, beginning at page one?  

Non-fiction/essay:  If you were going to write 50,000 words about your life, where would you start? What events would be in your own personal outline? Would you be the center of your own story, or would it start in another generation or with a different perspective? What would you want readers to learn from a glimpse into your life?

Writer’s Personal Challenge: Whether you’ve participated in NaNoWriMo or not, think about what short bursts of pressure and intense short-term goals do for you. Do you function well under immediate pressure or are you more wired for regular discipline and steady routines? How can you organize your writing practice to make the most of what motivates you?

mjpullen