Challenges

I like a challenge to keep my reading and writing ordered. I blog about them occasionally, usually no more than quarterly, with the SpaceTimeReads update (which I run).

I now have all my challenges in this page, with sub-pages for the reading ones are going. Writing and blogging challenges tend to be self-evident on the blog.

Blog Challenges

The main blog challenge I participated in is the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, otherwise known as AprilA2Z and other short forms. I decided I don’t keep visitors for A2Z even after I selected themes that fit more readily with ‘My Blog’. It works well for people new to blogging, though.

I’m giving it another go in 2023, though, picking up on an idea from others.

History:

2012 theme was the A to Z of the Princelings world.
2013 theme: short stories
2014 theme: the NATO alphabet
2015 theme: natural phenomena
2016 theme: world-building
2017 theme: My Blog
2018 theme: Inspirations for my writing

30 Days Wild

From 2018 to 2022 I’ve usually completed the UK Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge throughout June. This is really tough, since a lot of it is blogging about things you do as the month goes on, rather than scheduled posts for A to Z. But it is fun, dynamic, and gets me out and about a bit more.

I occasionally do more ‘wild’ posts using the hashtag #staywild.

Reading Challenges

Goodreads:

2023 Reading Challenge Target: 52 books

2023 Reading Challenge

Jemima has
read 4 books toward
her goal of
52 books.

hide

4 of 52 (7%)

view books

(if you’re trying to work out how to get this widget, it’s in your Goodreads account settings under ‘widgets’. Took me years to find it!)

History: 2022 read 71 out of 52! 2021 read 61 out of 52 books; 2020 read 60/60 books; 2019 read 59/52 books; 2018 read 68/52 books; 2017 read 63/52 books; 2016 read 65/52 books; 2015 read 63/60 books; 2014 read 61/60 books; 2013 read 53/50 books.

I usually struggle if I set the target at 60, and breeze through when I put it to 52. I need one a week for Saturday reviews. Many more than that and I get a logjam, as shown in 2022 when I had several multi-book review posts..

Ten-year Non-Fiction Reading Adventure:

To read 50 non-fiction books over 10 years, 2017 to 2026. For 2023 onwards I’ve upgraded this to 100 books over 12 years. i.e. till 2028.

2017-2022 total: 40
2023 target 10

Challenges for 2022: see progress on their pages

Mount TBR Challenge (target 36)
Alphabet Soup Challenge
SpaceTime Reading Challenge (target 10)
2023 Finishing the Series (target 5-8 series)

History:

2015-2020:

2014 KidLit Safari Challenge – 8/10 sections completed
2014 Mad Reviewer Challenge – Crazy Reviewer award (52 books reviewed)
2013 YA & MG Time Travel Challenge – 10 time travel books read
2013 MG Classic Book Challenge – 12 books read

Writing Challenges

My main target is to submit three short stories (1000-10,000 words) to open calls this year.

Summer – Camp NaNoWriMo

In 2020 they altered the whole cabin set-up for Camp, and unless you signed up very early, there were no groups to join. I won’t be doing it again.

2021 – April; wrote Zanzibar’s Rings, revised in July (but not formally in Camp NaNo)
2020 – April; revised Princelings Revolution
2019 – July; revised Chronicles of Marsh
2019 – April; finished the first draft of Chronicles of Marsh and wrote first draft of Princelings Revolution
2018 – July; revised Corsair
2017 – July; rewrote The Perihelix and did the first edit/rewrite of Curved Space to Corsair
2016 – July; finished first drafts of Willoughby the Narrator and The Princelings of the North (POTE 7 & 8)
2016 – April; wrote the first draft of Book 2 of the Viridian System series
2015 – edited the first Viridian series book – The Perihelix and sent to beta-readers
2014 – wrote the first draft of the first book in the Viridian System series
2013 – revised and rewrote Bravo Victor, book 6 in the Princelings of the East series
2012 – wrote the first draft of The Talent Seekers, book 5 in the Princelings series