1 Write the ending of your story first. The very last scene. Will you struggle? Probably. Good.
2. Write for an hour without looking at your word count.
3. Try writing five days in a row. Doesn’t matter how much or if it’s any good. Just write.
4. Travel to a new place. Even if it’s 5 minutes from your house but you’ve never been there. Observe.
5. Have a pet? Have you ever wondered what they’re thinking when they start getting excited to see you …?
6. Meet someone new. Or reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with. Like, don’t put them in your novel, exactly, but … you know. Maybe?
7. Practice writing a “cover letter” you’ll never send. How can you creatively sell your skills as an artist?
8. Try playing an instrument. Learn to appreciate the unique challenges of a different “genre” of artist.
9. Do something creative you know you won’t be good at.
10. Imagine the most outrageous scenario that could possibly play out today. Now write about it.
11. Continue to write the thing you stopped writing because you didn’t think it was good enough.
12. Have a new idea? Don’t start writing. Let it unravel in your mind. Enjoy how that makes you feel.
13. Don’t let your doubts bring you down. Keep a positive attitude. Challenging? Yep. You can do it. :)
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 
Damn, I’m gonna try number 2. I don’t remember the last time that I wrote without looking at the word count. I don’t know why I’ve made it seem important to be honest.
Me either :P I’m just so used to keeping an eye on it at work. And 10 years of NaNoWriMo didn’t help….challenge accepted!
yes, writing the ending of a story first is a good idea. i’m trying that at the moment and i’ll make the ending the beginning of the book. i’m also attempting to include the process of writing the book into the story. have only written the first couple of pages so far. the working title is The End Of It All. :)
That sounds like a neat idea! I bet you’ll have fun with it. :)
This was excellent advice on how to challenge ourselves! Thank you so much for this! I had previously heard that writing the end of the story first can be very beneficial, but I have not ever tried this. I think I am going to give it a chance though!
Do it! It changes everything! :)
I definitely will and I appreciate all the advice you share!
Oddly enough I’m doing number 11 this month and it feels sooo good. Definitely helped get the creative juices flowing. Great list!
That’s so great to hear! Let me know how it goes. :)
Great suggestions – I love travelling to new places that are really close to where I go all the time and just noticing what is happening and who is there!
Right?? Sometimes I discover things I’ve never noticed before and it just puts so many things into perspective.
Good and short read on challenging yourself! I want to push myself more out of my comfort zone with your suggestions. Thank You Meg!