#100 Days of Writing

What it is, why I’m doing it, and why you should join me this September!

Hello dear Inklings,

This might be one of the maddest things I’ve ever done, but I’m embarking on #100 Days of Writing again, and I’d love you to join me!

Many of you will remember that I did this gentle writing challenge last year. Some of you did it with me, and I’m hoping you’re up for another go-round. For anyone new here, or unfamiliar, here’s a quick primer.

What is #100 Days of Writing?

#100 Days of Writing is a gentle writing challenge. There are no rules, other than this: show up to your writing every day for 100 days.

If you've never heard of it before, it was started by novelist Jenn Ashworth, who decided to tackle a writing block by showing up to her work every day for 100 days, and share her progress on Instagram using the hashtag #100DaysOfWriting. Lots of other people joined her, and over the last few years many others have done the same.

The thing that's different about this writing challenge (and the thing that appeals to me) is that there are no rules or word counts to meet. The whole thing is based on showing up to the page with curiosity and gentleness. 'Showing up' can look like whatever you want. Five minutes of note scribbling? That counts. Research reading? That counts too, just as much as writing 1000 words. The point is regular connection without judgement.

It owes much to other 100-day challenges across the world, including the fabulous #100DayProject now hosted on Substack, which is for artists of all stripes.

Why I’m doing it

Last year, I gathered a cohort of writers, and from September to December we wrote daily, shared our progress on Instagram and met weekly to write and talk. It was tough going at times, but always rewarding and fun. With the concepts of gentleness and curiosity front of mind, we reached Day 100 and celebrated together.

I found that showing up to my writing every day did several things:

• It kept me connected to my work and made it so much easier to write more, and more often, even when ‘showing up’ was minimal.

• It meant that my subconscious kept working on my project constantly, so that when I sat down to write, words came easier.

• I made a ton of progress on my work-in-progress.

• It solidified my writing practice, creating a habit of regular writing that has stayed with me.

• It gave me permission to play and experiment, which brought a new lightness and joy to my practice – something I had begun to lose.

• It taught me the power of writing in community and how accountability and connection are powerful motivators.

• It taught me that I can find time to show up, even when I think I can’t, and doing so is valuable, even if it’s just a few minutes.

• I made new writing friends and began to grow a community, which has now morphed into The Inkwell.

Lately, I’ve been talking and writing a lot about resilience for writers, and I think that building a regular writing habit, despite time constraints or other challenges, is a crucial part of building the resilience we need to keep writing for a lifetime. So, this ticks a lot of boxes. It’s brilliant if you’ve lost your writing mojo and want to get it back.

This autumn, I’m writing a book – a novella that will be published next year as part of the Northern Weird Project. I have a January 2025 deadline. I intend to use the next 100 days to write that book and reflect on my process as I go. But you don’t need to have a specific project to take part.

Who is it for?

Anyone who writes! It doesn’t matter what you write. (You can even create other artistic projects, or have fun with a mixture of mediums.)

It works particularly well for those who want to establish a regular writing habit, have a project to work on, want to tackle a writing block with gentle action, or simply want to fall back in love with writing.

How does it work?

1. Subscribe here to take part.

   It’s completely free to participate. Anyone can join in. I’m running this this via a second Substack publication to keep everything clear and separate from The Inkwell. If you sign up you’ll get project updates and invitations to a new weekly writing room. It will not alter your subscription to The Inkwell.

2. Join the #100DaysOfWriting community

   Follow me on Substack Notes at

   Katherine Clements
   , or Instagram if that’s your thing @katherineclementswriter. I’ll be posting to both most days. On Instagram, use the hashtag #100DaysOfWriting to find others taking part.

3. Introduce yourself

   Pop on over to this post and say hi 👋

4. Choose your poison

   If you’d like to join me for weekly co-writing sessions, and take part in weekly accountability threads, upgrade your subscription. For total transparency, I’m including a low-cost paid option to cover my costs in creating this space for us, and because I believe that writers should always be paid for their work – an important principle for me and one I hope you’ll support. If you can’t afford a subscription, email me and I’ll comp you one no questions asked.

5. Commit

   I strongly recommend telling the world you’re taking part. Post on Notes, Instagram, or another social channel of your choice. Tell a friend. Daily posting is a way of staying accountable and sharing what you learn.

6. Get writing!

To be honest, this is all a big experiment. It’ll be messy and imperfect and I have no idea if it will work! Let’s find out together… 😁

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Save the Date! Your Next Inkwell Workshop

Our next workshop will be Thursday 26th September, 6 – 7pm UK time.

Your Writer’s Mission Statement: purpose as a powerful motivator for writers

By popular demand, this month we’ll explore the underlying reasons we write, connect with the things that motivate and inspire us, and begin to craft a personal mission statement that guides our work. Come prepared to think about why you write and why it matters, and leave with fire in your belly!

More soon...

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