What Have Writing Quests Learned?

This week, we are diving into Results of Alpha Testing, How to Use Badges for Motivation, Tips for Keeping Members Motivated, Prompts and more.

Coral Sands

Jessica

Melanie

, and 2 others

Jul 30, 2024

Writing Quests is a writing community that strives to connect writers with writing challenges to foster a continued flow of words for your preferred genre.

Results of Alpha Testing

Alpha testing was the most important task we have had so far. Our Alpha Testers were a small writing group from Poland. Here’s what they had to say about Writing Quests so far.

How do you like the tracking sheet?

It works and does everything that's needed. Great, since you can look at how others are doing

It would be nice to have a goal summary with a unit breakdown.

Concern: would it work smoothly with many users?

What do you think about badges?

They are great and motivating!

Streak-related badges needed [i.e. working for a week, doing something every day, meeting target every day]

Badges need written explanation: What this badge is for, when you are eligible.

Ridiculous/random/inside-joke badges were the best!!!

What was missing? [It was a question for both this way of running a challenge and the sheet itself]

Nothing, everything was ok.

Was there anything that felt like too much? [it was a question for both this way of running a challenge and the sheet itself]

Nothing, everything was ok

Would you like some kind of "general classification" tab with everybody's progress?

Yes, that's cool.

A graph would be good.

Opt-in/opt-out necessary.

Did you like the calendar?

It was ok.

Would you like to use this sheet/format in November?

Yes

What did we take away from Alpha Testing?

A bunch! Early on, we discovered the original spreadsheet we were planning on using was met with a lot of pushback. The biggest complaints were that not everyone had Exel, and the spreadsheet was too complex and confusing. Due to that, one of our volunteers, Hevs, designed a brand new spreadsheet using Google Sheets which was met with positive feedback. The overall feeling from the group was that the Tracker gave a sense of community and they liked checking on each other’s progress.

One thing we heard from the writing group was that they loved the elasticity of the tracker and challenge. Specifically, they loved the ability to set individual goals for each day and the variety of units used to track (words, hours, etc). Due to this feedback, we have decided to rethink our framework model to ensure this flexibility is included so that people focus on progress and let people plan their work in a productive way.

How to volunteer/contribute

We have three different ways to get involved:

Quest Guides- The people who host the Writing Quests are called Quest Guides. They help creatives through the process of setting goals, prepping for the quests, and providing encouragement during the event. Click on Get Involved> The Framework to get started.

Participants- Anyone can participate, even if you are not a writer. Visit our website to find a participating group near you.

Volunteers- Writing Quests is an all-volunteer organization. If you want to volunteer, please email info@writingquests.org and let us know your experience and if applicable, what you want to help with.

We actively need people with technical skills in website design/coding (our writingquests.org site is created with Hugo) and web application design/development (e.g., using Vue.js to create our rules generator or Laravel to work on a web-based progress tracker).

How to Use Badges for Motivation

One of the takeaways from Alpha Testing was how much the writing group enjoyed the Badges. They felt they were motivating and the random, silly ones were especially enjoyed.

When creating Badges, every set should include, at minimum, the following four badges: 25% completed, 50% completed, 75% completed, and 100% completed. The Alpha Testers writing community’s mascot is an adorable owl so that is why their badges reflect that.

The Alpha Testers particularly enjoyed the random silly badges, which can be nonwriting-related. The inside jokes went over really well. As a Quest Guide, knowing your writing community will help you decide what badges might work to motivate your writers.

If you choose to do Writing Quest’s Novel Quest, Badges will be provided. But you are welcome to use your own or bring ideas. Your idea just might be used in the future!

Tips for Keeping Members Motivated

The writing event has begun and one of the silent responsibilities of a Guide is to help each writer maintain motivation throughout the duration of the event. There are several effective ways to implement motivation.

Having a positive mindset and demeanor goes a long way. After all, we all began our projects because we have a passion for them. A spark that wants to be shared with people. Ask your members to share a bit about their projects.

You can also encourage them to set a writing goal. This can vary depending on what their project is. Then encourage them to use a tracker. Don’t forget to mention that it’s okay for them to miss a day here or there. This makes the task feel more manageable.

Next, encourage them to find either the perfect writing space (whether at home or a cafe), ambiance (music, scents, clothes), as well as a time they feel most productive and remind them to commit to that several times a week. Then you could help them by creating a simple daily message on your social media platform or kind words at an in-person event. Remind them that accomplishing tasks at any time works, but sticking to a scheduled time is helpful.

If they are stuck, encourage them to ask themselves questions about their project that could stimulate new ideas or to ask community members for their opinions. Having a space to generate ideas is very powerful for helping to avoid ‘writer's block’. Or maybe they need a break for a day. I usually recommend reading as for me it begins to stir my creative juices.

Finally, if you have a large enough group, you could create a mentoring system where you pair two people together to check in on each other. This could be done randomly, or you could pair more seasoned members with newer members. This helps alleviate the pressure from the guide checking in on everyone and creates a more personal support system.

Doing any or all of these will help you help to maintain the motivation and create a positive vibe for your members.

Now a prompt: Write a scene describing clothes/fashion in your world. Extra bonus if you include street wear versus dressing up for a special occasion.

Upcoming events

In August, we start Beta testing. This is an important test as we have made changes to our framework and need feedback on it before we go live!

In September, we will have a mini-unveiling event where we will walk through The Framework. This event will be open to all, but it will primarily be for Quest Guides to understand how to use The Framework.

In October, we will start prepping for November’s Novel Quest, a fun writing challenge run by Writing Quests. We will release templates for the challenge and include social media banners for writing groups and participants. More information to come as we get closer to the month.

Coming August:

Aug 1: Beta Testing Starts

Coming September:

Sep 1: Framework Walkthrough Event

Coming October:

Oct 1: Preptober for November’s Novel Quest Starts

Oct 15: Midpoint Touch Base