Joining the PaWriCo Bootcamp Challenge!

Though my time is still more limited than I like with my move, my habits and goals are things I need to focus on sooner rather than later if I ever want to complete my projects.

In a timely fashion, though, the Pathfinders Writing Collective have started a new challenge focused on writerly habits and beyond!

The PaWriCo Bootcamp is meant to build new writerly and general self-care habits (since we know writers aren’t always great at those) in a community environment on Discord and Instagram. The team has provided some examples of habits to build, and it’s from those habits that I’m picking and choosing from to help create my workflow!

Of course, this time of the year looks a little different for me. In less than a week, I move across states lines, and this move has given me more than its fair share of challenges. I may not even be able to complete my full list of habits each day until July 4th, given that my parents will be around for pretty much a whole week to help me get settled.

However, though, my list of habits to create is still long and hopefully soon-to-be fruitful:

Do two thirty-minute sprints per day

This habit, I believe, is self-explanatory. In order to finish my projects, I have to write them! One habit that I want to start is writing twice each day, once in the morning and once in the evening. When I start work, this will manifest as writing before and after work. That’s an average of 1500 to 2000 words a day, even before longer writing sessions on the weekends. It may not be much, given the number of projects that I have, but progress is progress, and I could even get a draft done within a few months at that pace.

Read for thirty minutes a day of fiction

One thing that I’ve slacked on the past few years is enhancing my craft through the work of others. Nonfiction? I would read that for days (plague is my favorite topic), but I would often forget to pick up a novel. If I want to continue my writing journey, that needs to change. A simple thirty minutes a day is a good start for that.

Read or watch about writing craft each week

On top of enhancing my craft through fiction, I’ve collected quite a few writing craft books and videos that I’ve meant to comb through. It’s time for me to finally go through those books and such, with a target of one a week. I’ll make sure to take notes about each, though who knows if or when I’ll share what I’ve learned.

Do ONE dedicated walk and ONE dedicated workout per day

I am known as someone who paces a little bit too much, and by a little too much, I mean I can pace for hours on end. That’s fine in my parents’ house or in a first floor apartment, but those days must end with the new apartment that I’m moving to. Therefore, I’m giving myself a bit of a challenge with this habit. Each day, I’m allowed one dedicated walk, either outside or on my walking pad, plus one dedicated workout (running or lifting). Other than that, I must avoid pacing incessantly and instead sit my butt down to either rest or get things done.

Get out of the apartment every day (when applicable)

Chaining off of the last habit, I want to make sure I’m not holed up in my apartment all day, every day. I’ve seen enough of that with my brother, and while he’s been fine with that, I would likely go insane. I do have some ideas planned already, but my hope is that no matter what, I get out of my apartment at least once a day. On the days that I work in the office, it’s an easy goal to hit, but I’ll have to be more mindful on the weekends and the days I work remotely.

Get to the library to write once per week

One thing I really enjoyed doing while in college was writing in coffee shops and my university library. I may not be able to afford constant coffee outings (at least, not until I can tell exactly how much money I need for the essentials), but I can support my city library. Even better, they do have monthly creative writing events I can participate in! As mentioned in my last habit, getting out of the apartment is necessary for me, and writing around other people will be a nice change of pace.

Post on one of my writing platforms (Instagram, Blog, Tumblr, Bluesky) each day of the week

I say it all the time: I need to post more on social media. Every time, my goal fails, usually due to myself getting very busy. Social media is a lot, after all! But I must continue to try to be a social media master, especially as a self-published offer. The first step is to keep up on my blogs, but I also plan to talk more about my projects on other platforms, including Tumblr, Instagram, and Bluesky.

I know that some of these goals will be difficult, and even more difficult given that I’m in the middle of the biggest and most stressful move of my life. But even with the little bit that I’ve been in the Pathfinders Writing Collective Discord Server, I’ve found that having the community around has made me more inspired and determined to work on my projects, both writing and beyond.

Time to see how well I do.