I Wrote 42,000 Words in 14 Days — Here’s What Actually Happened to My Life, Sanity, and Writing.

 

It has been 14 days since I started writing and publishing every day. Before then, I had not written in over 24 months. AI took care of most of the writing I did, and after such a long pause from writing, it felt surreal to want to do this now.

I was unsure if I would make it past the first day.

Three thousand words a day seemed like an impossibility.

I sat down at my laptop and stared at the screen.

Nothing.

I had nothing. I wasn’t sure what topic to write on and how I would come by the knowledge.

I love a good challenge, but no sooner had I started than I began to think, “Maybe I spoke out of turn, a little too soon.”

I caught myself explaining to my laptop why this might have been a bad idea.

“It’s been too long.”

“Who wants to read what I have to write?”

“Maybe I need to start small, say 300 words, then build from there.”

“What if I fail to meet the desired goal?”

Think of any excuse, and I said it to myself.

For context, I have been writing for over a decade. My publications ranged from Public Health research to a few random blogs I contributed to starting in 2013.

Writing was different in those days. We did not have AI, and there was not this large crop of people writing and publishing online.
You probably figured it out, but I’ll confess anyway.

I am not new to writing.

But it did not feel that way to me.

I hyped myself up.

No excuses. I must be determined. Brave. Courageous and willing to give it a go.

If I wrote for 14 days and something seemed to be working, I’d keep writing.

But if, after the stated period, I had done my bit but failed to impress anyone. I would pack up and stop writing forever.

Besides, I had a short mantra that guided my actions.

If it is working, it is working. If it’s not working, it’s not working.

I started off by reading some related stories.
The more I read, the more informed I felt. However, the day was far spent.

I took up the challenge and wrote the first instalment of three thousand words.

Like a dream, I started writing every day.

It had a good feeling. By day 5, I was writing effortlessly. I can say that I even enjoyed it, but by day ten, I was sleep-deprived, and I had started questioning my mental health.

At first, I formed some habits to enable me write effectively. It was a three-step activity.

Step one: Meditate.

As soon as I wake up, I begin my morning meditation routine. It took approximately thirty minutes, comprising deep reflections, reading, and centring. This activity kept me sane and grounded. It sparked my inspiration and got me writing, churning out fresh ideas like a bakery churns out hot loaves of bread.

Meditating gets my creative juices flowing in all the right places.

But there’s one little problem. I don’t do it consistently.

But when I do, it’s magic.

I wrote several articles every day and for different purposes. I hit my 3000-word target every day. Some day I overshot, and I was loving it.

Step Two: Research.

Research has been a vital thread in my life. Nothing too elaborate here. First, I look at my previous posts and see what got any engagement. The plan is to do more of what works. That’s where my keywords come from. Next, I look for aspects of the keyword I could write on.

Some days it comes easily.

Other days, I may have to call down the gods: consult with AI, use a few Headline SEO Analysers to vet the topics like Aioseo.com, Google, Aminstitute, and Ubersuggest, among others.

These platforms are good, but the best tool I use is myself. I read the topic a few times and wonder if I would be interested in reading this if it were written by someone else.

If yes, I’ll write it.

Step Three: Write.

I enjoy writing. I love telling stories too. So I love to start with a story that speaks to the subject. Then I draw my lessons from the story. I do this because stories have such a great impact on the human mind.

I still recall the minute details of stories I heard as a kid. I know the experience is similar for most people.

Even if they forget everything else I said, they will certainly remember the story.

I was in a celebratory mood every evening, having hit my target

The first week went by pretty fast. By next week, I was losing it.

Everything fell apart.

Some stories got some engagement. Others got nothing. My motivation started to wane.

But that was not the only problem.

Other activities started to crowd in.

I have to meet up with a friend.

Take a long call.

Go to work. Do chores. Be human.

My new routine fell apart fast. I started to struggle. The engagements sometimes left much to be desired. For instance, why give ten claps when you can give fifty? Why throw away forty?

I was only getting emotional. I totally understand why people don’t go all the way.

Self-doubt and creative blocks became constant as my meditations were no longer top quality.

I felt guilty for neglecting the life I had before the challenge began.

I felt tired.

My writing slowed, and sometimes my morning routine couldn’t get me past 1,000 words. I felt defeated.

Some days, the morning routine started in the evening. I had to push myself beyond limits.

Sleep deprivation hit.

I did not know that I could continue this practice.

I refused to quit.

It was stress, coffee and sheer will that kept me going.

If I had to write till midnight to hit the day’s target and continue afterwards to contribute to the next day’s target, I did it.

I kept going and pushing. With each passing day and three thousand additional words confirmed, I felt happier.

To be honest, I threw myself back into it and kept it going.

If this were the perfect story, I would tell you how I felt the moment I met my target.

But it isn’t.

I missed it. Totally.

It was on the sixteenth day that it dawned on me that I already met my goal.

Was I excited? Yes.

Did I celebrate it? No

I figured I might as well keep going.

The next target would be thirty days and ninety thousand words later.

Will I accomplish it?

We shall see.

Now that I completed my 14-day challenge, what did I learn?

1. I think the first lesson for me was the realisation that it’s possible. If you set your mind to it, you will accomplish it.

2. The human mind is very fragile. It is your job to protect it. Get enough sleep, meditate and find time to unwind.

3. Your body will feel broken at some point. If you refuse to quit, it will acclimate to the conditions.

4. I felt a huge confidence boost. I am not approaching the future scared. But with a knowing confidence that I can do it.

5. Don’t set too high a goal. For me, I have been writing for a long time. For someone less experienced, three thousand words might be a bit too much.

6. Prioritise quality over quantity, sustainability over speed. As they say in these parts, it’s not how far but how well.

7. AI is a real enemy of your creativity. Beyond generating ideas and maybe an outline, anything else you generate with it will leave you a little less blunt.

8. The more you write, the better you get. Think of it as someone dredging the river. The more dredging you do, the better the river flows. Exercise your creative mind, and you will be happy you did.

9. Show up every day. Have a writing sanctuary. Keep it sacred. Writing for me now has become like binging on social media content, and when I’m not writing, I’m engaging with other writers. I have heard people say they write for a living. For the right sum, it’s looking like a plausible career option for me.

10. You have what it takes. Don’t let anything tell you otherwise. You might even be a bad writer. Never mind, with a few useful tools like Grammarly, you will be okay in no time. In time, you will make fewer and fewer errors.

If you made it all the way to the end, I want to thank you for being so kind.

This story is far from being over. In time, we shall see how far I can go.

For you, my friend, I wish you all the best in your writing journey.

Cheers.