The StoryADay Challenge (and why I'm doing it!)

“Better late than never, but never late is better…”

I’m starting on Day 5.

Initially, I was going to just do this privately, but then decided, what the heck, why not do it publicly. It’ll be fun and possibly even devastatingly bad. Who knows!?

What is StoryADay? It was created by Julie Duffy in 2010. Basically it’s an accountability challenge to start AND finish a story (whatever length) every single day in the month of May. A little after midnight a writing prompt is emailed to all the subscribers. Each daily prompt is created by a published author or writer. And the topics vary widely.

Why am I doing this? Three reasons.

a) The challenge of generating ideas and executing them in a story format.

b) The concept of “failing in public” really interests me. Most creatives--people, even--are afraid to show their mistakes, their works-in-progress, their “bad” ideas. But now my approach is more like screw that! Let’s throw darts at the board. Let’s fail in public. Let’s show our terrible first drafts. Because ultimately, if you keep going, it means you’re gradually pushing the needle forward. You’re learning and growing and getting better. Growth is gradual. Letting go of the false concept of “perfectionism” is freeing. Because when creatives can rise above that often crippling concept, it can lead us to be creatively bulletproof. So here’s to failing in public. May the falls hurt less than the lessons.

c) One day we all die. Try shit!

Happy Failing-in-Public!

JSR.

:)