So you want to do a 30-day writing challenge, eh? Great! I’m so excited for you!

My own 30-day writing challenge was transformational. After going through this experience myself, I’d highly recommend it to anyone.

I’d wish you luck but I think I can do a bit better than just luck. Here are 5 tips to help you through your 30-day writing challenge!

Get comfortable being uncomfortable

If you’re feeling a tad uneasy right now because of this commitment, good.

It’s not supposed to be comfortable. If you’re comfortable, that means you aren’t challenging yourself enough.

Challenge is good for us! It helps us…

“Ancient Greek poets would often open pieces of epic poetry with an ‘invocation of the muse.’ This plea was directed to the gods of Greek mythology to serve as sources of inspiration and open the door to creative thoughts.“

While I have yet to start a piece of writing with an “invocation of the muse”, I can’t deny that some days, the creative writing juices flow significantly more freely than other days.

Why?

Did I not get enough sleep? Did I not drink enough water? Is something stressing me out and repressing my writing abilities?

Have I somehow slighted the…

I am a couch potato.

Despite my inclination to favor the couch, I found myself in the peculiar situation of having accidentally signed up for a half-marathon. I’d somehow temporarily forgotten that I don’t run. Or work out for that matter.

The only thing I can say in my defense is that it happened during wine night.

My first run was abysmal. So bad that I’ve turned it into a humor piece here. …

It’s quite common for languages to borrow words and phrases from each other, especially when there is no equivalent or suitable translation.

Sometimes it’s taken phonetically — like “boi choi” from 白菜 (baak coi in Cantonese) or “feng shui” from 風水 (fēng shuǐ in Mandarin). This is what’s commonly done with location names like Shanghai from 上海 (shàng hǎi in Mandarin).

Other times, it’s a literal translation like “paper tiger” from 纸老虎(zhǐlǎohǔ in Mandarin).

These examples are quite obviously not words that originated from the English language. …

FICTION

The world faces a global crisis. There are too many words.

Or to be more specific, there is too much weight from all these words. And it is beginning to tilt the world off its axis.

This world of words was once a beautiful and magical place. A sanctuary for those seeking an escape from the digital cacophony and a temple for those cherishing the written language.

But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Once word got out about this paradise, writers began to flock from near and far.

It started with the artists that fancied themselves…

Why do I keep a list of every book I’ve read?

Honestly, I can’t even remember why I started this when I was 9 years old. I must have been going through a phase of obsessively wanting to document things.

In addition to a list of books I’ve read, I’ve also found lists documenting the movies that I watched, the restaurants that I ate at, and which friends’ houses I went to. I also found duplicate handwritten phone books, all filled out with the same handful of phone numbers that a 9-year-old kid thinks are of utmost importance.

I haven’t…

I comment on every story I read here and think that everyone else should too.

How do you feel when someone leaves a comment on one of your stories?

I feel elated and grateful that someone has not only taken the time to read my writing, but they’ve also taken the time to comment and share their thoughts with me.

Sure, I can see from my stats how many views and reads I’m getting but those are just numbers. I have trouble translating those numbers into people. Or more importantly, personal connections.

Did my writing resonate with you? Do you…