Summary

The author is committing to a 30-day writing challenge, aiming to submit 20 articles to different publications, with goals of creativity, consistency, and financial gain.

Abstract

In June, the author will participate in David Majister's 30-Day Challenge, adapting it to submit 20 articles to 20 different publications. This challenge is designed to push the author's creative boundaries, experiment with various writing styles, and identify preferred publications. The author has set specific goals, including writing five times a week, reaching 1,000 followers, and earning $50. To achieve these objectives, the author plans to brainstorm daily, maintain a publishing schedule, and track submissions meticulously, while also allowing for weekends off to recharge and plan ahead.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of setting big goals to increase productivity, even if they are not fully achieved.
They acknowledge a tendency to stick to a comfort zone in writing and are eager to break out by exploring new topics and publications.
The author values the accountability that comes with public challenges for maintaining regular and consistent writing output.
They are open to learning from the experience and embracing the lessons and improvements that will arise from the challenge.
The author is excited and optimistic about the upcoming month and the opportunities it presents for personal and professional growth.

I’m Submitting 20 Articles to 20 Publications in 30 Days

My June commitment and challenge

This June, I’ll be taking part in the 30-Day Challenge created by David Majister. The challenge is to work on 30 posts to be submitted to 30 publications in 30 days. The original rules can be found here:

The Medium 30-Day Submissions Challenge — How to Take Part

The Challenge is open

medium.com

According to the original challenge, submission is can be anything: a poem, a piece of fiction, a self-help article, or an analysis. As long as it fits with the rules of the publication you’re submitting to, it’s fair game.

My Why for this challenge

The way I interpret the meaning of the challenge is to: flex creativity muscles and experiment with genres and writing over the course of the month. It’s also to find what publications you like working with.

I tend to thrive with big goals. I may not meet them 100% of the time, but I tend to produce more if I’m aiming for more. I look forward to the accountability this challenge presents for regular and consistent output.

I’ve also found recently that I’ve been sticking more to a comfort zone when writing. I look forward to breaking out of that comfort zone by writing for new to me publications and exploring topics that may be different from what I would usually tackle.

Adapting the Challenge to Be My Own

For this challenge, I will be working with 20 articles, which I will be submitting to 20 different publications. I chose to do a smaller amount for a few reasons:

I want to practice consistency and use my limited writing time wisely. This is my number one goal this month.
I’m leaning more towards a long-term schedule of publishing 5 times a week and now seems like a good time to try it out.
I would like to have the weekends off to get ahead on drafts and to refill my well of ideas and learning.

My Goals

to try new things and lock into what I really love writing about.
To hit the 1,000 follower mark. Right now I’m at 918.
To make $50 this month.

My Plan

I created a list in my writing notebook with 20 publications I’d like to work with this month. Some of them I’m already a writer for and can’t wait to work with again. Some of them are ones that I have yet to try to pitch.

For each day in June, I plan to write down 10 ideas for articles. I have a small collection of maybe ideas right now, but I’m flexible enough to sub if something better comes up during the brainstorm session.

I plan to draft my articles the day before (at the latest). This will give me time to think about the article over 24 hours before editing.

I will start each day by brainstorming 10 ideas and reading 3 articles either from my bookmarked collection on Medium or from the front page. From there I’ll go into my editing process and submission. Finally, I will create a new draft.

The key for me will be to stay ahead of the game. If I have a rough draft to edit in the morning, I know that I’ll stay on target.

I’m also keeping a fresh list of dates, articles, and publications for the days I actually submit. This will allow me to keep track and know when to expect an answer from the publication.

Keeping an Open Mind

This will be the key for me. I know what I’d like to do during the challenge. I’m keeping an open mind for what lessons and improvement come to me as a result.

It’s time to put fingers to keys and really go for it. I am eager for what this next month will bring. I will keep this post updated as submissions are accepted to publications.