the final push
a note from Lucie about finishing strong
Hey there!
We are officially nearing the end of 2024’s Rough Draft Month. I hope you are ready to finish strong but we’re here to help if inspiration is running low!
It’s easy to get excited about a project and it may be easy to start a project. However, it is often very difficult to finish a project. You’re definitely not alone if you’re struggling in the final push. Luckily, we prepared for this. Last month, we asked members of our community on Discord to send encouraging messages to be stored away and sent out later. We’ve compiled all of them on our website for you. Hopefully, some of these kind words will resonate and help push you forward. Also, if you are someone who contributed a message: Thank you! This community is not the same without you and your enthusiasm. I cannot overstate how appreciative I am of everyone who showed up for us this year.
Now—what do you do if you might not reach your original goal? Personally, I started with a goal of 60,000 words. This was partially due to hubris and partially because we wanted each of the admins to represent the three set paths. Currently, I’ll need to write 3,000-4,000 words per day to reach this goal. It’s still possible! I’m still hopeful! However, I am content with the fact that I may not reach 60,000 words by the end of the month.
Something that we have been saying since the beginning is that winning is not the point of the challenge. RDMO is about finding joy in the creative process. It’s about challenging oneself and making progress toward a goal that you might not have made otherwise.
Feel free to disagree, but I think that any amount of participation is a win. So, in that spirit, I highly recommend remaining flexible with your goals. If you started out on the Mountain Trail with a goal of 60,000 words but faced some challenges and decided that this goal was unrealistic, you are totally allowed to switch to a different trail. Shoot for 30,000 or 50,000 and collect the winner’s certificate for the Waterfall Trail or Forest Trail. You can also create a flex goal and collect the Moonlight Trail’s winner certificate.
The most important thing is this: Don’t stop working on your project.
You chose to devote this month to a creative endeavor—don’t let yourself get discouraged and give up. You owe it to your past self to keep going!
While we’re here, I want to congratulate you if you have reached your goal already. We are so proud of you! To celebrate this accomplishment, you can now add a “winner” sticker to your sticker book and collect a certificate that corresponds with your chosen trail. To collect your certificate, click on the winner form link under the trail you completed. Be sure to share your achievements in the Discord and on socials so that we can congratulate you!
Once again, I want to thank everyone that has involved themselves in this community and shared their enthusiasm for it with us. Without you, there would be none of this. Thank you so much if you’ve made it this far with us. You’re doing amazing!
Talk soon.
Lucie from Rough Draft HQ