30K for Christ started (as many projects do) from a conversation in the chat room. NaNoWriMo was coming up. This was back when it was a new thing, but many of the folks in the chat were disappointed that they would not be able to participate because they were writing non-fiction, or wrote articles rather than long works. They wanted a challenge that worked for them, too.
As we got to talking, we realized that as Catholics and writers, we have a calling to use our words to serve Christ and better our world. Whether writing a Catholic apologetics article or a thriller or a humorous flash fiction piece, we needed to keep Christ in our hearts and minds as we wrote.
Thus, 30K for Christ was born. The challenge is simple and broader than NaNoWriMo: write 30,000 words in a month in whatever format. It could be 30,000 words towards a novel or non-fiction book; 10 articles of 3,000 words each, even 30 pieces of flash. (There’s a challenge—a story a day!) Even work like press releases and blogs count. The only stipulation is, you begin each writing session by dedicating it to Jesus and implore his guidance as you write.
The goal is not like NaNoWriMo: We’re not seeking to turn off the internal editor to increase productivity. Rather, we’re seeking to keep Christ present as our first editor, so that the words we produce are in keeping with The Word.
The first 30K for Christ challenge only had a few participants, but all agreed it helped them gain better awareness of the working of God in their life and writing. The challenge went on hiatus for a couple of years, but another conversation in the chat room brought it back up. This year, we’re hoping for more participants.
We’ll be signing up on the CWG forums*. Please drop by and state your intentions. Full instructions will be there, and on the blog March 22. Once April begins, check back now and again, post your progress and share encouragement and challenges.
BTW, if anyone would like to make a couple of icons (one Participant and one Winner), please e-mail me at karina(at)fabianspace.com. It’s be great to have a little something for our blogs.
*Sorry, the program is for dues-paying members only.
Karina Fabian
Karina Fabian writes everything from devotionals to serious sci-fi to comedic horror. Her latest novel, Live and Let Fly, stars a Catholic dragon and his magic-slinging partner, Sister Grace, as they save the worlds from maniacal middle managers and Norse goddesses. (Coming April from MuseItUp) Karina also teaches writing and marketing online. Learn more at http://fabianspace.com
Love this, Karina! Not sure how I missed it before, but wow! I could SO use this!!! We Catholic Christian writers need more cheering and more “turning it over to Jesus”, for sure!