RoW80: 2020 Round 1 Goals

I came across RoW80: The Writing Challenge That Knows You Have a Life when I was looking for alternatives to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Don’t get my wrong, NaNoWriMo is awesome. A lot of the writers I know completed the challenge and felt a huge sense of accomplishment. However, it didn’t seem to be the write fit for me. I either missed the deadline, was in the middle of a project, too busy, or quite honestly didn’t think I was up to the task.

Too many aspiring writers say, “I should write a story,” or “I will write a book some day.” For most of these people, writing down the ideas they contemplate never comes to fruition. A close friend I met during a summer literature training gave me a copy of The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes as a Hanukkah present. I seriously recommend this books, especially if you are experiencing writer’s block. Keyes explains how we make excuses, procrastinate, and use the good ole reliable “well some day” to keep our dreams alive without actually having to face our writing fears to make our dream a reality. Quite honestly, I saw too much of myself in that book.

RoW80: The Writing Challenge that Knows You Have a Life, eliminates the possibility of all of those excuses. Established and aspiring writers are able to set their goals at the beginning of each round, make adjustments when necessary, and jump in at any time if they missed the start date. Since I am able to create my own goals, they are more tailored to my specific needs and lifestyle. Additionally, being required to check-in twice a week with my progress provides the encouragement, support, and accountability I need to persevere when life wants to interfere.

Life outside of writing can also push us to write. I made the decision this past summer to attempt to write my first novel. Being a teacher, I was able to make a decent amount of progress over the first few months. However, once the school year started, my writing pursuits were put on the back burner. I am always telling my students to push through when things get difficult and to fight to reach their goals. I realized my words were hallow if I wasn’t willing to do the same for myself. I am both excited and anxious to see what the round 1 of RoW80 will bring to my writing. My overall vision is to achieve a complete rough draft, no matter how rough, of my novel by the summer. My goals for round 1 of RoW80 is as follows: