The 5×15 Writing Challenge

Five days, 15 minutes a day can make a real difference.
That’s the philosophy behind The 5×15 Writing Challenge.
Take the leap and join us.

Have you always secretly wanted to write? Do you have ideas inside you, waiting to get out? Do you long to find your voice, to be heard?

The power to create stronger, more readable, more memorable writing is right in your hands. Just put them on your keyboard and start typing.

Let your ideas out. Place your fingers on the keyboard and press down, one at a time. If it doesn’t sound the way you want it to the first time, try a second, and a twelfth. Here’s the secret: Write more often and you’ll write better.

Need some help to get started? Scroll down, my friends. And join the Challenge.

“My experience this week was Magnificent. I felt very Motivated to complete the challenge due to the prompts from Elaine and support from the other writers. I felt that my writing was Meaningful and Motivational.”

Do it for yourself—and for a great nonprofit

The 5×15 Writing Challenge lets you do something powerful for yourself (writing just 15 minutes a day for five days) and something meaningful for girls around the world. Here’s some of what previous challenge participants had to say:

“I very much enjoyed the daily practice of writing. I found the prompts very helpful and the 15-minute time limit even more so. Nothing seemed too hard or too daunting and there is nothing—well almost nothing—you can’t do for 15 minutes.”

Register for only $30 and when you complete The 5×15 Writing Challenge I will donate $15 in your name to Room to Read, a global nonprofit focused on literacy and education for girls.

Register Today!

No ice buckets, right?

When you join the Challenge, you commit to writing for 5 days in a row for at least 15 minutes a day—like it says, 5×15. The challenge begins on Monday, June 4th and ends on Friday, June 8th.

Why should I do this?

Because writing every day is the single best thing you can do to make yourself a better writer. I’ve been a professional business writer for over 25 years—I’ve won awards for it—but since I made a commitment to write for at least 15 minutes every day, my writing has gotten even better. No lie.

Rules

  1. Register for the challenge.
  2. Pay the $30 registration fee.
  3. Commit to writing for 15 minutes every day from Monday, June 4th through Friday, June 8th.
  4. Join The 5×15 Writing Challenge‘s Facebook group. You’ll find a thriving community of previous challenge participants ready to welcome you. And everyone agrees to keep it confidential.
  5. Visit the group every day during the challenge—June 4th through 8th—to post your writing.
  6. Or just let us know you’ve written that day (you’re on the honor system).
  7. When you complete the challenge—writing for 15 minutes every day for 5 days in a row—I will donate $15 in your name to Room to Read, which does tremendous work supporting literacy and education for girls and young women around the world.
  8. You and your fellow challenge participants celebrate a great success.

“I want to thank everyone for their generosity. I’ve learned from reading what you wrote and from having the courage and encouragement to write!”

How will I know what to write?

I’ll email you a writing prompt each day. You can use the prompt or write something else. A journal entry. A letter to a friend. A short story. An elevator pitch—whatever you like.

Does it have to be good writing?

Thanks for the laugh! Honey, nobody writes well all the time. Much of what I write is solidly mediocre. Sometimes I publish it anyway, sometimes I don’t. But I write for at least 15 minutes every day. Been doing it for the last 738 days (as of May 3rd)—and while I still turn out the occasional clunker, my good stuff is getting even better.

Why do I have to pay to join The 5×15 Writing Challenge?

5x15 Writing Challenge supports literacy

The 5×15 Writing Challenge supports Room to Read, a global nonprofit focused on literacy.

You’re right—I could have made it free. But I wanted you to own your commitment. Because when we pay for something, we’re more likely to value it. And, make no mistake: writing daily is a valuable habit.

How will this work?

After you register, I’ll send you a short video with some success tips and answers to the most frequently asked questions. Have a question I don’t cover? No problem. Just shoot me an email.

Then every morning during the challenge period, I’ll send you an email with a writing prompt. You have until 12 midnight in your time zone to post your day’s work in the Facebook group. If you’re open to comments on your work, let us know. Otherwise, we’ll just read and enjoy your contribution. If you don’t want to share openly, just affirm that you’ve written that day. We’ll do this on the honor system.

When you complete the challenge on June 8th by posting your fifth and final piece of work, I will donate $15 in your name to Room to Read, and send you a lovely social media badge to celebrate your accomplishments.

5x15 challenge experiences

Some things previous participants said about their Challenge experience

Can five days really change anything?

The Challenge can change your mind; you may find ways around the limitations and roadblocks you’ve encountered before. You’ll gain new knowledge about your craft. And about yourself. Here’s what one Challenge finisher discovered during her five-day journey:

“Write scared.
Write every week.
Write because in a world of 7.5 billion people, there is one person somewhere who is waiting to hear what I have to say…”

Take the leap: Join the Challenge today.

Cheers,
Elaine Bennett
Business Storyteller, Daily Writing Enthusiast, Mets Fan

Register Today!