365K Club
In 2016, I participated in a year-long writing challenge called “365K Club,” and there were different levels of participation. Since I was new to the challenge, I joined at the “Poe” level, which aimed for a total of 100,000 words in a year (which breaks down to 275 words per day). To help keep myself motivated, and to inspire other writers to play along at home, I documented my journey using a Word Tracker. In total, I ended up writing 302,961 words, making the 365 Club my new favorite writing challenge.
Below, you can find my monthly stats, badges, and links to my round-up posts.
January
Total Word Count: 14,665 words
Badges: Weirdest Writing Ritual (week 3)
Word Counts:
- Week 1: 3,971 words
- Week 2: 3,975 words
- Week 3: 4,101 words (original weekly high)
- Week 4: 2,483 words
Round-up Posts:
- 1/9: The first rule of 365K Club is…
- 1/16: Please stop killing my idols, 2016
- 1/23: Another week, another record
- 1/31: Reflections on a month’s worth of writing
February
Total Word Count: 17,546 words this month; 32,211 words for the year
Badges: Paint A Portrait and January Bullseye (both week 5)
Word Counts:
- Week 5: 2,481 words
- Week 6: 5,290 words (current weekly high)
- Week 7: 3,842 words
- Week 8: 4,488 words
Round-up Posts:
- 2/6: 365K Club: Week 5
- 2/13: Venus prequel, Yelp reviews and POP SONGS: 365K Club, week 6
- 2/20: Venus, Vermin & Valentines: 365K Club, week 7
- 2/27: February’s almost over already?! (365K Club, week 8)
- 2/29: Happy Leap Day: A 365K Club monthly update
March
Total Word Count: 19,869 words this month; 52,080 for the year
Badges: February Bullseye, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore (for reaching 1/4 of my yearly goal), Lucky You, Genre Switch, Good Luck Charms
Word Counts:
- Week 9: 4,175 words
- Week 10: 4,590 words
- Week 11: 4,559 words
- Week 12: 3,906 words
Round-up Posts:
- 3/5: Politics and plans: 365K Club, week 9
- 3/12: Awesome Lady Authors & BIW progress: 365K Club, week 10
- 3/19: Badges and Blog-Ins: 365K Club, week 11
- 3/26: Good luck charms: 365K Club, week 12
April
Total Word Count: 16,842 this month; 68,922 for the year
Badges: March Bullseye, Character Talent Show, Following the Yellow Brick Road (hitting the halfway mark!), Presentation Sensation (self-awarded)
Word Counts:
- Week 13: 4,976 words
- Week 14: 3,109 words
- Week 15: 4,921 words
- Week 16: 3,592 words
- Week 17: 4,110 words
Round-up Posts:
- 4/2: Halfway to 100K: 365K Club, week 13
- 4/9: Hidden talents: 365K Club, week 14
- 4/16: Presentation Sensation: 365K Club, week 15
- 4/23: Goodnight, sweet Prince: 365K Club, week 16
- 4/30: Antithesis-nemesis: 365K Club, week 17
May
Total Word Count: 18,580 this month; 87,502 for the year
Badges: Hanging Out, May Bullseye, Cabin Boy (writing every day for 1 month), Survived the Flying Monkeys (3/4 to my yearly goal!)
Word Counts:
- Week 18: 5,786 words
- Week 19: 4,247 words
- Week 20: 3,927 words
- Week 21: 3,122 words
Round-up Posts:
- 5/7: The Liebster Award: 365K Club week 18
- 5/14: Black cats & superstitions: 365K Club, week 19
- 5/21: Blazing Laptops: 365K Club, week 20
- 5/28: Fail Better: 365K Club, week 21
JUNE
Total Word Count: 17,676 words this month; 105,227 for the year
Badges: Odd Character Trait, Best Day Ever, June Bullseye, Sailor Badge
Word Counts:
- Week 22: 3,562 words
- Week 23: 3,509 words
- Week 24: 2,973 words
- Week 25: 4,680 words
Round-up Posts:
- 6/4: Hanging Out: 365K Club, week 22
- 6/11: Joining groups & writing to market: 365K Club, week 23
- 6/18: DISARM: 365K Club, week 24
- 6/25: Best Day Ever!: 365K Club, week 25*
JULY
Total Word Count: 43,806
Badges: Tagline, Captain Badge, Emerald City, July Bullseye
Word Counts:
- Week 26: 5,977 words
- Week 27: 10,614 words*
- Week 28: 8,250 words
- Week 29: 8,814 words*
- Week 30: 12,819 words*
Round-up Posts:
- 7/2: Celebrate Writing: 365K Club, Week 26
- 7/9: Best writing week: 365K Club, Week 27
- 7/16: New personal best: 365K Club, Week 28*
- 7/23: New High Score: 365K Club, Week 29
- 7/30: Another Personal Best: 365K Club, Week 30*
AUGUST
Total Word Count: 30,215 words
Badges: Virtual World, August Bullseye, Admiral
Word Counts:
- Week 31: 6,528 words
- Week 32: 6,138 words
- Week 33: 5,311 words
- Week 34: 5,476 words
Round-up Posts:
- 8/6: Building a virtual world: 365K Club, Week 31
- 8/13: That’s CAPTAIN Roberts, thank you very much: 365K Club, Week 32
- 8/20: Letter Writer Extraordinaire: 365K Club, week 33
- 8/31: August round-up: 365K Club, week 34
SEPTEMBER
Total Word Count: 31,237 words
Badges: September Bullseye, Red Pen Badge, Critique Badge, Pirate Badge
Word Counts:
- Week 35: 9,298 words
- Week 36: 9,976 words
- Week 37: 6,931 words
- Week 38: 5,584 words
- Week 39: 6,331 words
Round-up Posts:
OCTOBER
Total Word Count: 34,985 words
Badges: October Bullseye, Sea Tourist (6 months of writing daily), 5K Run/Walk/Write Event Winner
Word Counts:
- Week 40: 9,862 words
- Week 41: 6,131 words
- Week 42: 6,275 words
- Week 43: 10,192 words
Round-up Posts:
NOVEMBER
Total Word Count: 36,229 words
Badges: November Bullseye and the Scuba Diver (ignore that extra R!) badge for writing every day for SEVEN MONTHS!
Word Counts:
- Week 44: 8,390 words
- Week 45: 7,863 words
- Week 46: 8,537 words
- Week 47: 6,317 words
Round-up Posts:
DECEMBER
Total Word Count: 18,701 words in December, and 302,961 words for the year!
Badges: December Bullseye
Word Counts:
- Week 48: 9,819 words
- Week 49: 6,614 words
- Week 50: 1,562 words
- Week 51: 2,725 words
- Week 52: 4,275 words
Round-up Posts:
- 12/3: How is it December already?! (365K Club, Week 48)
- 12/30: Out with the old: Reflections on 2016
NOTE: An * indicates that a Record High, daily and/or weekly, was achieved this week.