The Badge Archive

We’re going to be setting up our stories for the first 6 days of the challenge.

Set aside a time each day you plan to work on this challenge. Each writer takes a different amount of time – make the amount of time you feel you need.

• Day one will be a cinch if you already have an idea. Don’t? No worries, we’ll help you out.
• Day two will be getting down your characters – Who’s your main character? Do you have side characters who will be with them the whole time? Who’s your antagonist/villain? We’ll give you some guidelines if you’re feeling lost.
• Day three will be simple plot outline. No need to do the full book, just get the general beginning, problem, climax, and ending ideas down. You can add details, but we’ll help you keep the outline simple and easy to follow.
• Day four is world building. Where is this taking place? Our world or another? Do you need to make new rules for that world or copy something you already know? Where in our world are you – do you know enough about it to write? No need to get an entire encyclopedia of knowledge yet, but we’ll help you make sure you know the basics of the world you want to write in.
• Day five is spreading the word. That’s right. Tell people about what you’re doing. Make sure your family and friends know your goal and can help you keep that time you set aside as important. It might feel scary, but we’ll help you pick at least one person that can cheer you on and help you get through the challenge.
• Day six is putting down your goals. One page a day is a good start, but what part of the story are you trying to write? Just the first chapter? The main climax? Or do you have the perfect ending in mind? If you finish that scene, which one do you plan to do next? 20 pages is often a good 3-6 chapters, depending on the book and author. We’ll help you figure out how to set milestones for your novel so you can finish the challenge.

Keep an eye out – we’ll be giving a more detailed instructions and help for each day, one day in advance so you can be prepared for any time of day you want to write the day of.

Have a look at the 2024 November Goal Sheet!