July Theme: Lucky-7 Challenge

By Marcia Thornton Jones

July. The 7^th month of the year.

Lots of things seem to come in sevens. Seven planets. Seven continents. Seven seas. Seven days of the week. Maybe that’s why many consider the number ‘7’ to be lucky. But sometimes, luck doesn’t come with a roll of the dice or the deal of the hand. Sometimes, you have to make your own luck. That’s why I challenge you to make July a Lucky-7 month with this writing exercise.

Don’t have time for ‘something else’? That’s the beauty of this challenge. You do have time because all you have to do is write one sentence a day for a week.

That’s it. Just one sentence for each day of the week.

Have an idea that's been pestering you, but you don't want to neglect your current work-in-progress? This exercise is a great way to explore an idea or genre. Use it to ease into a new story, play around with themes, or to write a poem.

Have you let your journaling lapse, and you’ve been questioning the meaning of life? If so, get in touch with what’s important to you by highlighting each day’s standout event, a lesson you learned, a memory from your childhood, a difference you made in someone’s life, or something that made you feel joy.

Then again, perhaps you’re like me and writing keeps getting pushed to the back burner and you are fairly certain that your muse has packed her bags and boarded a cruise ship for Hawaii without you. Or maybe it's not that you've lost your inspiration, but that the kids are home and vacation plans are cluttering your schedule and the pool keeps distracting you. If, for whatever reason, you feel that something is pulling you away from your writing time and story, then use the Lucky-7 Challenge to at least stay connected to the story you want to write. Try it for a new scene, a character description, a plot synopsis, or a quick dialogue exchange.

One sentence a day.

We can all do this--no matter what life is throwing at us--we can all commit to writing one sentence a day. And you know what? By the end of the week, I have a feeling you’ll be surprised at what you can say in seven sentences. And then you know what you can do? Start over the next week!

Good luck!