Well hello there, Reader!

Creative challenges are everywhere.

There are small ones like writers on social media challenging fellow creatives to writing sprints.

Or Wattpad’s prompt-based Fantasmical I just participated in last month.

There are month-long word prompt challenges like Inktober, MerMay, and Smaugust.

And then there’s the one that started it all for me. The one that—had I not taken up the challenge—I legit wouldn’t be a professional storyteller today. National Novel Writing Month.

Creative challenges are everywhere. But why the heck should you do one?

Well, Reader, I can give you 3 excellent reasons:

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1) Grow those Skills

Writing challenges help you stretch those narrative skills and grow as a storyteller.

Before National Novel Writing Month in 2010, I’d only written a handful of random things in my life. Then for NaNoWriMo, I wrote 50K of a 100K novel.

Yep, I’m talking about Daemons in the Mist, the very first version that released over a decade ago.

2) Fresh Crisp Storytelling

If your verboseness and lack of clarity are dragging the quality of your storytelling down, then a challenge with a max word count is the way to go.

It will teach you how to make those much-needed cuts in record time.

That has been my experience anyway, with all the writing challenges I’ve done in 2023. For example, each piece for Fantasmical had a 1K max word count and my episodes for They Come at Night have a word count between 500-900 words.

Having a hard word count max teaches you the importance of word economy and conciseness in your storytelling.

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3) No More Blank Pages

Writing challenges can also spark your creativity when you’re suffering from Blank Page Syndrome.

Many groups in community spaces like Wattpad offer creative prompts for their challenges. And various groups and fellow writers offer prompts on social media on a regular basis.

In fact, I’ve even got one for you right now:

This prompt was inspired by Netflix’s Nimona based on cartoonist ND Stevenson’s graphic novel by the same name.

It’s an exceptionally well-written film about gender fluidity, challenging rigid authoritarian systems, and acceptance of neurodiversity in a society. And it’s brilliantly animated and hilarious. Honestly, it’s the best film I’ve seen all year.

Seriously, you should go watch it now.

But back to that prompt. We’re only 5 days into July so it’s not too late to join me in Camp NaNoWriMo!

And unlike in November, Camp NaNoWriMo (which is in both April and July) lets you set what you’re working on and the word count. Which means you can take on a smaller challenge than 50K or even edit a project like me.

But just remember: the most important thing for any writing challenge isn’t to win—it’s to start writing. Because with every word, you improve.

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Well, I’ve got to get back to my Camp NaNoWriMo project, Reader. If you’d like to join me at camp you can find me at: Nek0Kat.

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Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

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PS 👉 Have you ever participated in a writing or other creative challenge? Hit reply and tell me about it.

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The Saga Quest

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