#### Come back to your challenge periodically over the next whatever-time-period-feels-right. Use it as a compass or a reminder, when motivation or self-confidence flags. For example, the first year I ran my Creative Writing class, my writing challenge for myself was, *“You can write about anything but yourself.”* That little injunction helped me get outside of my tendency to drift towards vague rambling journal entries in my writing practice, and try some other forms involving other people, characters, points of view, etc. It also helped me renew my commitment to exploring the outside world and just *seeing* more beyond my own internal ruminations. The year after that, I called my personal challenge *“scritch scritch scritch no matter what.”* That came from a recently rediscovered enchantment with fountain pens—I wanted more excuses to write with them, so I decided to make time every day. But I didn’t want it turn into a big onerous chore, so the only rule was that I couldn’t make it about “good” or “bad” writing; it was simply meant to be a physical act, just the sensory enjoyment of the pen going across the paper. Another good personal challenge could be simply to [[finish something]]! Does tracking things help you? You could [use a lil’ chart like this](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oXGywPrTzRGuwrYJp6mts-L-NcJw7hHGlXXufQeWnGc/edit?usp=sharing)! #### So, what will your personal challenge be? You may choose to keep it to yourself, or better yet, share with us in the “Personal Challenge” discussion board in class. 🧑‍🏫 Keep referring back to your personal challenge, as a little charm or spell or talisman or whatever, until it is no longer needed. Then make another one!