I'm doing the 75 Soft Challenge for authors!

Yes, you read the title correctly! I am going to be starting a 75 Soft challenge on 1st October 2025 to get myself back into my writing groove because if I'm being honest with myself; I have put it to the side recently.

For those who haven't heard of the 75 Hard/Medium/Soft challenge before, this is where people work on their mental and physical strength for 75 days straight. It comes in 3 tiers so everyone can feel included and choose what would work for them. The goal is the same no matter what tier you choose - improve yourself and set up new habits - which is exactly what I want to do.

75 Soft Guidelines

As you can see, the 75 Soft Challenge is focused more around your physical health and fitness but in a more lenient way than the original 75 Hard Challenge. However, I've seen a few AuthorTubers do this challenge but for their writing, and I was like, "Hey, that's a great idea, maybe I should do that too!" And here we are.

Now, if you want to join me in this challenge, then feel free to follow the guidelines I am going to set for myself or create your own. But if we start on 1st October, 75 days will take us up to 14th December, which I think is a nice time to slow down a little before the festive period.

Here are the guidelines that I am going to follow:

1. Work on my novel daily!

   This may not seem specific enough for some people, but remember this is the 75 Soft Challenge for authors. I am currently working on my second draft of my first book, so not every day is a writing day. Some days could be plot or character development; others may be editing. As long as I am working on my novel to get the second draft complete, then I am content.

2. Create an accountability vlog daily

   This is exactly what it says. I will be filming a video diary daily to talk about what I have done each day, and yes, I will be posting this to my socials. Sometimes public shaming is the best course of action... If I fail to work on my novel, I will have to tell the internet. Just like I am writing this blog to announce this is what I am doing to the internet.

3. Take breaks from my desk for every 60 minutes (1hour) worked

   Now this one might seem counterproductive to some, but hear me out. Taking care of your wellbeing is important, and as someone who not only has many injuries, aches and pains but also works at a desk 99% of the time (thank you office job -_-), it is so important to get up and move about. Not only does this help your joints and muscles, but also staring at a screen is not good for your eyes. Look after yourself!

4. Read 10 pages of any book each day

   I think it is important to continue to fill your well and grow, even when doing a challenge like this. For me, I quite like the 'self-help' books (shout out Atomic Habits! I recommend reading it if you haven't already) but I also enjoy reading other fantasy novels. I find reading fiction helps the flow of creativity in my writing, and then reading non-fiction helps me grow as a person.

5. Keep track of daily progress

   Last but not least, keep track of what you're doing! It can take a hot minute to notice any "real" progress when you're taking it one step at a time, but like when shopping in cheaper clothing stores, a little each time can add up to A LOT! So track your progress however you feel is best. I personally like tracking word count, or chapters complete, or maybe using a more simplified tracker like don't break the chain for keeping on top of working on something daily.

So yeah internet... I am leaving this here to make myself accountable not only to myself, but to you as well. You will see updates on my socials, and if you don't, feel free to tell me off!

Good luck to everyone who is going to join me. Let's make progress on our writing projects!