It’s March, and I think it’s time to set up some writing challenges. One quarter of the year is about to finish, and I’d like to wrap it up by breaking some personal records. The key to accomplishing challenges like this is to make sure you’re not setting yourself up for failure.
For example, if you don’t have the typing skills to write 6,000 words in a day, then that would be a terrible challenge for you. Although you want to push yourself to succeed, you don’t want to make the challenge so difficult that it’s physically impossible to complete.
Base your goals and challenges according to what you’ve accomplished in the past. This is how I built a career as a freelance writer: focusing on writing one more word today than I did yesterday.
The hardest part is keeping the motivation throughout the entire challenge, which is often a challenge in and of itself.
7 Writing Challenges for March
Now, when creating challenges for yourself, do not compare what you can do to what I can do. I’ve been writing professionally for over 14 years and have developed a lot of skills.
You’re only in competition with yourself. So, set goals and challenges accordingly. The whole point is to prove to yourself that you can do more today than you did yesterday. Even if it’s by one word, it’s still a new record and a victory.
With that being said, here are the writing challenges I’m setting for myself this March.
1. Most Words Written in a Month
Because I keep track of everything I do in a spreadsheet, I know exactly how many words I write during any given day, week, month, and year. That’s because I am a bit of a dork when it comes to crunching numbers.
You don’t have to be as elaborate as I am with the data, but keeping an eye on your productivity can give you an idea about creating realistic goals and challenges for yourself.
In this case, how many words can you write in a single month?
My best month for writing was December of 2022, when I published 95,393 words between blog posts, client articles, and books. For me to break that record in March, I’ll have to push out more than 3,078 words per day.
This is a difficult challenge for me nowadays. A lot of what I do doesn’t center around writing as much as it did four years ago. Still, I am confident I can break this record, as long as I improve my time management skills.
Speaking of which…
2. Time Management
How much of your day is actually wasted by things like social media, TikTok, YouTube, and other time sinks? When I tracked my time in 2025, I chewed up roughly eight hours one week doomscrolling on Threads.
Time management is a good skill to have, regardless of what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s not something most of us can fix overnight, but any effort you put into eliminating diversions will help you reach your writing goals.
A big part of why some may fail in time management is a lack of faith in oneself and not taking writing seriously enough. This is especially true for those who are working or writing from home. There is no one standing over your shoulder to make sure work gets done.
I’ve found that using apps like Asana has been very helpful in organizing my day. The trick is to make sure you’re checking off those tasks and not wasting what little time you might have.
In my case, I’m pushing to use a higher percentage of my day as opposed to what I’ve done in the past. Again, I know exact numbers because I’m a geek with a spreadsheet. However, you can follow along by simply trying to cut out things like doomscrolling or getting lost down TikTok rabbit holes.
3. Work on Free Books
Sure, selling a bunch of books on Amazon or Barnes & Noble is nice. But never underestimate the power of offering books for free. Not only can it help build your reputation, but it can also lay the foundation for marketing your paid works.
I know several authors who use platforms like Wattpad and Inkitt to offer free versions or snippets of their books. One of them has made it an art form for marketing her romance novels in the UK.
One of my March writing challenges is to get a few more stories published in an anthology I’m publishing on Wattpad. I’m taking the short stories and ideas from my creative writing workshop college course and turning them into a free book.
I’d also like to finish my book, Skeletal, on Inkitt. But at the moment, I have several more pressing writing projects to complete first.
A lot of good can come from publishing on free platforms. I know of several authors who have been picked up by big brands for both books and movies. You’ll also get a lot of feedback from those who want to see you succeed, so it’s like having a bunch of online beta readers at the ready.
4. Getting the Blog Back on Schedule
Keeping a blog on schedule is often more work than some may realize, especially when maintaining a household of six. Of course, scheduling content on a blog depends mostly on your goals for the site and the type of content you create.
This is where a free project management app can come in handy.
The reason why scheduling blog posts is important is because of human followers and search engines. When both of these elements know when to expect content, you’re more likely to generate views almost immediately.
Well, that is as long as you’re writing content people want to read.
I’m working to get March back on track for scheduled content, which means a new post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Luckily, I have a lot of reviews and such in the pipeline. There is always something to write.
5. Start or Finish the First Draft of a Book
Have an idea about a book but you haven’t started writing? Perhaps you’re 95,000 words into book two of a series and would like to wrap up the first draft. Why not make one of your writing challenges for March all about that book?
Always remember that the first draft isn’t meant to be perfect. Sit down and start writing.
If you’re not sure where to start, I made a few suggestions on YouTube recently. Essentially, you can start with a person, place, or thing, maybe even a scene. In reality, it doesn’t matter all that much, considering that you’re likely to change the beginning lines anyway during edits.
My goal for March is to wrap up the initial draft of Fury, the sequel to Kingmaker. I am very close to being done with the book, at which point I’ll send it to beta readers to get their input. There is a lot going on in Fury, and I don’t want readers to get confused or bored.
In any case, make March the month for your book. Even if you simply outline or perhaps write the first few paragraphs, get the ball rolling for your story. Remember, it doesn’t overtly matter how the novel begins, just that you start writing.
6. Enter a Writing Contest
There are a lot of writing contests on the Internet. You can submit everything from flash fiction to full-length novels, depending on the host.
Now, a lot of folks out there fear contests, especially those who are relatively new to storytelling. Yet, you won’t know how well your story will perform until you try, right?
I am currently working on a list of legitimate sites for contest submissions, which means testing them myself. I just hope the money holds out, as most legitimate submissions often require an entry fee…like most real competitions.
Some sites can double as a way to market yourself as an author. For example, Reedsy’s weekly writing prompts comes with a shareable profile page containing your stories and progress. You can link that profile anywhere to help drive fans to your online works.
In any case, I plan on tossing my hat into a few rings in the coming weeks. But I want at least one entry in the month of March.
7. Most Words Written in a Year
Thanks to my aforementioned spreadsheet, I know exactly how many words I write every year. It’s been a long time since I cranked out a million words, but I am confident that I can still do it.
In reality, I used to write closer to two million words every year when working with Textbroker. Nowadays, though, I don’t write as much as my job is mostly editing, planning, and data research.
So, do I have what it takes to whip out tons of content? I mean, I don’t have a shortage of all the things I want to write. Between owning several blogs, writing books, and entering contests, the word count can go up quite quickly.
The trick, though, is to maintain that level of productivity throughout the year. We’re talking 304 more days of writing more than 2,979 words per day. For me, it’s not impossible, especially if I continue to improve my time management skills.
Not everyone is going to care about a yearly word count goal. For me, it’s a way of gamifying productivity while working to break “high scores.” And I don’t have to worry about burning out because I am happiest at my keyboard.
The whole idea behind this challenge is to prove to myself that I still have what it takes to be a productive writer. Not to mention proving that I can do it without the use of generative AI slop.
Why Challenge Yourself as a Writer?
I am constantly trying to push my boundaries of what I can do. I’m not just talking about writing up a million words in the year or trying to break my record for word count during any given month. Challenges can come in all shapes and sizes.
For instance, some other writing challenges you can do for yourself in March include:
- Writing something outside of your comfort genre.
- Trying a new style or point of view in your story.
- Writing about topics you don’t know – (learn something new)
- Taking an online course to shore up your talents.
- Trying a different style, such as writing screenplays, blogs, or books (depending on what you normally write)
Challenging yourself gives you a chance to explore your potential, especially if you go all-in to make it happen. You may find certain types of writing to be more ideal for your situation. Perhaps you’ll find out that you enjoy writing poetry more than traditional 3rd-person books.
The point is that you can do some great things by pushing yourself.
Now, I’m not saying that you need to grind yourself into dust. You can easily burn out if you’re trying to go too far or beyond what you’re physically capable of handling. But there needs to be some kind of push to accomplish some great things in your life.
I created an incredible writing career by challenging myself to do more each day while exploring new topics. I went outside of my comfort zone to explore my potential in a variety of writing formats. And I’ll continue to do so as it helps me understand who I am as a writer and what I can offer to my audiences.
Step outside of your comfort zone and explore something new with an open mind. You may find yourself doing something you love more than you thought you would.
What Challenges Are You Working On in March?
The above is simply an example of the different ways you can create writing challenges for yourself this March. Of course, you can do these any time in the year, make daily challenges, or perhaps set up something for the entire week.
There is no right or wrong way to create your own challenges as long as you’re realistic with yourself and what you want to accomplish. Remember, you’re only in competition with yourself.
As for me, I’m looking forward to making some magic happen. All of the above are things I haven’t done in quite some time, and I’m looking forward to crushing the first quarter of the year. That is as long as I can continue to avoid doomscrolling.
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