The 10 day countdown will begin at midnight tonight (UK time). Today felt like a good day to look back at the very first post on 30 April 2011 (the day before the challenge began) and record my thoughts against what I set out to achieve. I’ve taken a few quotes from the original post:
Quote 1
“My writing challenge will launch tomorrow, with the challenge being for me to learn something every day for a year that will help me improve my writing… and…I will share these with you.”
My thoughts: Yes I have learnt a new writing tip every day for almost year and feel a much more confident writer. I am going back over books, articles and old posts I have written and making corrections using the techniques that I have learnt throughout the year. I have also shared each and every post.
Quote 2
“My passion to make something more from writing, like become an inspiring and successful author, is still burning inside me. Possibly like many other potential authors, I often say ‘I’m writing a book…’ or ‘I’ve got loads of ideas…’ but have only got as far as publishing chapter one on my website www.tipsandluxuries.com and haven’t had any interest from agents so far. I’m sure my friends and family are wondering if they will ever see the rest of this book and the others I’ve started but not finished!”
My thoughts: My book ‘A Gift for Stressed & Busy Parents’ was in progress when this challenge began. I completed it last year and found a publisher. The exciting news that I learnt a few weeks ago is that the book is being launched in the summer. So, that’s another big tick not only for my challenge, but for one of my goals in life.
Quote 3
“Whilst I am waiting for my fame to arrive (ha ha), I will become a better and more concise writer. I will dust off the ‘how to write’ books from my ‘self-help’ shelf in the spare room and actually read them instead of hoping that the contents will miraculously absorb into my brain. I will review websites for useful pieces of information and read all the writing magazines I subscribe to (that sometimes stay in their cellophane).”
My thoughts: Writing concisely is definitely a skill that can be learnt; however, I believe it takes a lot of practice. I certainly feel that I have made some improvements on the ‘being more concise’ front and will continue working on this. Reading books from other great authors helps with this learning process.
Quote 4
“One year from now, I will be more knowledgeable than I am today, by learning 366 new pieces of information and adding them to mywritingnotebook.”
My thoughts: Yes, I certainly feel more knowledgeable and have added each new piece of information to My Writing Notebook for 356 days in a row (10 more to go).
Until tomorrow…
Sandra
www.sandramadeira.com
10 days of My Writing Challenge to go…
My Writing Notebook 
You have done Sooo well Sandra 🙂
Xx
Posted by Vikki (The View Outside) | April 21, 2012, 7:16 pmThanks Vikki 🙂
Posted by Sandra Madeira | April 22, 2012, 12:52 pm