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.

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
• 2023 theme: Books, reviewed and not

30 Days Wild

From 2018 to 2023 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:

2024 Reading Challenge Target: 50 books

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

History: 2024 read 73 out of 52 ,,,,2023 read 69 of 52…2022 read 71 out of 52! There were reasons for having plenty of reading time. 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.

• 2017-2024:total: 65
• 2025: target 10

Challenges for 2025: see progress on their pages in the drop-down menu

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

Check out the latest posts on challenges