"Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”

– Oscar Wilde

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Hello Reader and happy September!

It’s been 60 days since the 100-day challenge concluded - longer since you’ve received an email from me.

(If you’re not sure what I’m talking about here, head on over to Instagram @processevolved and click on the 100 days pinned on top)

During this time something fantastic, IMO, happened. Did my life completely change after the 100-day challenge? Did I find clarity having shared all those lessons I’ve amassed as a Wellness Coach? Am I here to pitch you a “HERE’S HOW YOU CAN DO IT TOO” course?!

No.

I ranked 12th in my group (only the top 15 were ranked) in the NYCMidnight 1,000-word short story competition! My first official writing competition and in round 1, I finished in the top 1/3rd of all entrants!!!

Why am I so excited about this and maybe, what does this have to do with anything?

Well, you see, I don’t consider myself a writer. I’ve been working diligently to be a guide to others who are working through change – especially those who are struggling to keep moving forward because – life. And I’ve had a lot of “life” lately so the feeling of being unable to move, of being stuck, is the story I’ve been telling myself a lot lately.

Relentlessly.

Stories I create every day, stories I tell myself and others. Seems then that I am a writer – of the stories I’m sharing, or not, about my life.

Could you write in 1,000 words (or less) your life story? Would we be willing to submit that story into a larger group and wait with bated breath to find out if you're among the top of all submissions; to receive feedback?

Guess what? We do this Every. Single. Day.

We wake up, live out the scenes of the main character (ourselves), and wait for reviews; for the approval of others.

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I realized I enjoy these competitions immensely because I’m given the following parameters:

• 48-hour deadline
• Three (3) criteria: write a complete story in 1,000 words or less based on a given genre, location, and object.

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The experience is exhilarating for me, who thrives on little input and has a short attention span!

I find the story emerges effortlessly from within as characters come to life (whom I feel significantly less pressure to perfect, because it’s not real, right?). The journey through the prompts feels like a boundless exploration of opportunities! The sky, no! The end of my imagination is the limit!

So maybe I am a writer?

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Life imitating art. We live what we create.

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As we move into September, transitioning between seasons, I’ve chosen the following criteria to challenge myself to keep writing. If you’re interested, create a story using the following parameters and share if you’d like:

Genre: Comedy

Object: Puzzle Pieces

Location: Black Hole

Extra: Attempt to write this story in no more than 1,000 words and give yourself 48 hours to complete it. I’ll do the same so be on the lookout for my attempt at this story in the next 48 hours.

Cheers to becoming prolific writers - of our own lives!

Stephanie

P.S. - If you do give this story a go and want to share it with me, email it to me at stephanie@processevolved.com. Include a Title (as the email subject) and a brief (no more than 2 sentence) synopsis. This does not count as part of the 1,000. GOOD LUCK!!