Hey all, Sam here.
Today is Pick Your Path Day for PaWriCo! This will be my second year participating in this new writing challenge, and honestly I love the freedom, the camaraderie, the flexibility, the creativity, and the fun that exudes from this organization. While it started as a way to fill in for the space left in the wake of NaNoWriMo’s demise, PaWriCo has grown into a year-round series of writing adventures and challenges, and I have participated in most of the events so far (though not with as much success as I would have hoped).
Anyway, you can find out more information here: https://pathfinderswritingcollective.com/ or by visiting the PaWriCo Instagram.
In the Beginning…
Rain and Jen’s friendship began in the summer of 2022, then blossomed just in time for NaNoWriMo’s big November writing challenge: 50,000 words in 30 days. Both writers were nervous and support-system-less, so they banded together to cheer each other (and eventually a Discord of 40) on for the month. It was an amazing ride, and though the Discord eventually went dormant, Rain and Jen have been supporting one another ever since!
But, after concerns in 2023 and 2024 regarding NaNoWriMo, neither felt good about participating in a challenge they couldn’t confidently stand behind. And yet, both still wanted a challenge, and more importantly, the community that came with it.
This got them thinking…
Why not build a new challenge? And a community to go with it!
Very quickly Rain and Jen’s goals became three-fold: 1) writing challenges for motivation, 2) a community space for accountability, and 3) fundraising opportunities so as they and other writers bettered themselves they could collectively better the world at large. And just like that (over several multi-hour Zoom calls), the idea for Pathfinders Writing Collective emerged.
Why Pathfinders?
Creativity—the how, the why, the way—is unique to the creator. In more specific terms, there’s no right way to write. And thus, no right way to “writing challenge.” Each individual must walk their own path… with friends cheering them on, of course!
As such, you—a path-finder/ builder/ maintainer/ explorer/ sharer/ etcetera—ought to be able to pick your own path, your own pace, and how to define and track your progress while still participating in fun community events. To honor this, Rain and Jen have opted for customizable challenges, rather than implementing a hard “50k in 30 days” approach.
Drum Roll Please… #PaWriCo’s Very First Challenge!!!
Pathfinders Writing Collective’s very first, totally-custamizable writing challenge, #PaWriCo24, was a smashing success!! Our 3-month-long challenge brought over 3,000 writers together and as a group we raised over $2,000 for charity. Not to mention, it was so much fun! New writers started (and some completed) their very first drafts! Seasoned authors published their books! And who knows how many new friendships were made? (A lot, we know it was a lot.)
And Now… More Challenges!
To keep the good times rolling, Rain and Jen have decided to host 4 challenges a year: The PaWriCo Challenge from November through January, PaWriCo’s March Madness in March, Scribble Swap in April/May, and a 6-week Bookish Bootcamp Challenge in June/July. Learn more about our challenges here.
How to Participate:
Honey, you’re here, you made it! *Hugs* To “join” join, check out our Instagram page where members are actively sharing their updates and supporting one another via comments and story swaps. And/or hop into our Discord full of fun, active channels for writers to discuss everything from helpful editing resources to strategies for overcoming writer’s block. Then, if you’ve got a little change to spare, consider donating to our current charity. Learn more here!
So whether you’re working on plotting or drafting or editing, or if you’re looking for a 1 month or 3 month challenge, PaWriCo has you covered. The flexibility of this end of year challenge is pretty darn awesome.
I am once again going to be taking on the three months challenge, spanning from November 1st until January 31st. My goal is to finish a novella I’ve been working on (that has moved into novel-length territory). I have a few chapters to finish writing and a few chapters that I need to add in now, plus some editing to make sure the story flows and maintains its continuity. I’ve been writing the novella with the title “When Dark Meets Light,” but I’m thinking I need to come up with something better.
Currently I have 35,341 words written on this project, but some of that is just a couple of sentences or a paragraph detailing what I have planned for the chapter that still needs finished….so I think I can probably add about 50,000 more words on this.
Basically “When Dark Meets Light” started out as an important backstory exploration for my current D&D character. Now, with the way the story is going, and the way the rest of the players are engaging with it, I feel like it is becoming even more. What’s fun is both of the other players have also started writing up little stories from their own character backstories…and we’ve all talked about the fact that we’re writing them…which has led to us asking each other when we get to read them. So if I want to share this, then I want to make sure I get all the chapters fully written.
And, my Dungeon Master (aka David, my husband), thinks that this story could be one I polish and publish. But I can only do that if I get it written first.
So, here we go….let’s try to really focus on writing.
Are you looking for a writing challenge? Consider joining the Pathfinders Writing Collective. It’s really fun and has a very active Discord of fellow supportive writers.
Anyway, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
Free State of Geek 
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