Eight weeks, eight prompts, and a hundred lessons learned!
When I launched this 8-week article writing challenge, I wanted to help more people start writing consistently and build real visibility online (without overthinking it).
What I didn’t fully expect was just how transformational the experience would be, on both sides.
Week after week, I watched participants show up with courage, curiosity, and creativity.
Some were complete beginners. Others were just getting back into the rhythm of writing.
As their coach, I provided guidance, feedback, encouragement, and sometimes a gentle push when they needed it.
Now that we’re at the finish line, I’m reflecting on what I’ve taken away from coaching this amazing cohort.
But before I get into the three biggest lessons I learned as a host, here’s a quick look at the 8 writing prompts we followed together.
The 8 Article Writing Prompts We Followed
Each week came with a fresh challenge.
We started with simple topics and gradually moved into more complex topics as the weeks wore on.
- Week 1: Write about one personal experience that taught you a valuable lesson
- Week 2: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier?
- Week 3: Write a ‘How-To’ guide on something you’re good at or want to get good at
- Week 4: Break down a common misconception in your industry.
- Week 5: Share a success story (yours or someone else’s in your field of interest) and what we can learn from it.
- Week 6: Write about the common mistakes people make when doing [X] in your field and how to avoid them.
- Week 7: What’s one problem your ideal client faces, and how can you help solve it?
- Week 8: Write about the 3 main things you’ve learned or achieved in the 8-week article writing challenge (and what’s next for you).
Each prompt was carefully picked to help participants gain clarity, strengthen writing muscles, and build confidence.
I’ll show you some of the feedback I got throughout the challenge towards the end of this article.
Now, here’s what I personally learned from hosting this amazing 8-week article writing challenge.
1. Showing Up Beats Knowing Everything
A lot of people wait to feel ready before they start sharing their work online.
They think they need to figure out their niche, have a business that’s already running, and master SEO before they can post anything.
But that kind of mindset only leads to overthinking and zero progress.
This challenge was a bold reminder (for me and everyone involved) that clarity comes from taking action.
The simple act of writing and publishing every week builds a habit that sticks.
It boosts your confidence, helps you get your work out there, and most of all, it proves to you that YOU CAN DO THIS.
The writers in this challenge didn’t wait for “perfect.”
They showed up.
And that’s what has contributed to their growth.
Some of them shared personal stories that resonated on a deep, personal level.
Like Halimah Menni’s powerful piece: I Learned How to Delegate as a Mother, The Hard Way
And others broke down complex topics in a way that felt accessible and empowering.
Like Wambui Mburu’s article on How To Get Started As a B2G Startup In Kenya With Zero Experience
The courage to show up and hit publish is what made a world of difference.
2. Your Voice is Valuable
One of the most beautiful parts of this challenge was seeing how different everyone’s writing voice is.
We had a poet, a techy, a PR professional, aspiring freelance writers, a college student, and a university lecturer.
Every single person brought a unique lens to their articles, which made their content so interesting to read.
I hope that each participant walks away from this challenge with this: your strength lies in your authenticity.
You don’t need to sound like the “gurus” or the top creators online to succeed.
You need to sound like you.
My role as a coach wasn’t to make the participants write like me.
It was to help them sound more like themselves.
Because with AI-generated content all over the internet, your personal story – your voice – is your biggest differentiator.
Sometimes, that meant encouraging someone to add more of their story in their article.
Other times it meant simplifying a message or adding more punch to a headline.
But always, the goal was to elevate their voice.
Just look at Omojo Sarah’s heartfelt piece: Motherhood Redefined My Purpose
Or Steria Magombo’s moving piece about embracing the waiting seasons in life: Life After Graduation: When the Dream Delays but Doesn’t Die
Both articles are deeply personal and are relevant to so many people.
Because they’re real, and that’s what makes people connect with you.
3. Despite Our Best Intentions, Life Still Happens
We all want to get good at something.
But once we start working towards it, you’re met with many obstacles.
One day you’re super inspired and ready to take on the world.
The next, you can’t even bring yourself to open your laptop.
And that’s totally normal.
But I like to say, procrastination is a dream killer.
Because without discipline, even the best intentions won’t take you far.
You’ll stay stuck, circling the same goals year after year.
That’s one of the main reasons I created this 8-week article writing challenge.
To help writers build consistency, stay accountable, learn key content writing principles, and show up with more confidence and direction online.
But beyond procrastination, there’s something else we all have to deal with: life.
And over the past 8 weeks, life definitely happened.
One participant fell sick.
Another had visiting family over Easter which meant their writing schedule was disrupted.
Some had busy work and school schedules that made it nearly impossible to keep up with writing.
Even I fell sick for some days along the way.
And all of this served as a powerful reminder that building a dream is hard.
Sometimes, life just doesn’t align with our timelines.
And you can’t always push through at all costs.
You need to adapt.
Pause when you need to. Take care of yourself. And by all means, don’t quit.
Many participants are still catching up on their articles.
But they’ve stayed plugged into the community, offering encouragement, celebrating each other, and keeping the fire alive.
A Special Shoutout to The Most Active Participant in This Cohort
While I don’t want to play favorites, I do want to give credit where it’s due.
There’s one person who absolutely deserves a special shoutout: Halimah Menni
As a poet, creative writer, proofreader, and editor, she brought her skills into the challenge and offered thoughtful, constructive feedback to the other participants.
And she has published more articles than everybody else. (She also kept me on my toes as a coach, always asking a lot of questions 😜)
Bravo, Halimah! You’ve set the bar.
Feedback From Participants Throughout the 8-Week Article Writing Challenge
Wrapping Up
If you’ve been watching this challenge from the sidelines, wondering if you’re ready or qualified to start writing online, let me tell you this:
You can start today if you want.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You already have so much to write about from your own story–the wins, the challenges, and the lessons learned along the way.
And someone out there could be inspired and empowered by what you have to say.
So start sharing.
To my incredible participants, THANK YOU for trusting me with your words, your stories, and your goals.
Coaching you through this challenge has reminded me why I do what I do.
We didn’t just write articles, we built confidence.
We gave life to our dreams.
And we proved that showing up works.
Now I’m building something for those who want more:
Aspiring digital writers
Ambitious professionals who are ready to build a strong personal brand
African entrepreneurs and online service providers who want to grow their visibility and create more demand for their business.
It’s called Strategic Visibility–a coaching program backed by my personal experience and lots of research.
It’s designed to help you build a profitable online presence using two powerful platforms: LinkedIn and Facebook.
If we achieved this much with just prompts and community, imagine what’s possible with personalized coaching that’s focused on packaging your offer clearly, building a content system that works for you, and consistency!
Cohort 1 kicks off on Monday, June. 9th
Join the interest group here to learn more: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bi6H9tajjUG6TWEXbiz4PJ
Investment Amount: MK 60,000 or $35
Sessions are held on Google Meet in the evenings, to accommodate working professionals.
Now I’ll leave you with more participant articles to inspire you. I believe these writers will go on to continue improving their craft:
Nelson Ryan wrote: I Wish I Knew That My Job Didn’t Have to Define My Whole Career
Ashraf Chitambaa wrote: Common UX Mistakes That Drive Visitors Away from Your Website
Halimah Menni (bonus feature for being the most active participant): 3 Ways to Craft Meaningful Poetry
Thank you for reading! Comment on what you liked most about this article (and the participant articles) below!
2 Responses
God bless you Judith chitedze.
It’s really been a great deal for me participating in the challenge.
Of course I didn’t contribute much, but I am certain my showing up alone landed me exactly where I was supposed to be.
During the challenge I’ve learned the following;
Consistency – Writing isn’t a one-time thing. The trick is to write everyday and revise always until it’s done. This way you get to arrange the pieces you have written for a specific period -a week- and produce the best version of the story or poem as well an article. So you have to show up for yourself daily to overcome procrastination.
How to write clear and concise, click worth articles and blogs or poems. – Before the writing challenge, my writing routine was chaotic. I used to write short stories and poems without formality or clarity as long as it keeps flowing, and for a very long time I’ve been struggling with that, such that I’d keep my writings to myself. When I try showing it to my friends, all I could get were hollow compliments.
Thi made me wish for a writing workshop and big time I would’ve join any if the opportunity arose. After 2 years still trying to get out of the fog filled with constat fear of ” you are not good enough”, the universe listened to my little whispers and brought Judith chitedze and her 8 – week article writing challenge right on time. “This is big time to become a professional writer”, I told myself before the challenge begun.
The challenge has come to an end, it’s been a worth turn of writing personally, which has imparted forever remaining knowledge of the power of showing up alone.
I kindly look forward to more of these kind of challenges that aren’t just about embracing the art, but also provide healing to emotional wounds and pain by sharing our personal experiences with the diverse group of people at once.
Thank you for your heartfelt comment Peter Kazonga and thank you for joining the 8-week article writing challenge! I look forward to reading your articles and poems on Medium (or wherever you choose to publish).
I wish you the very best going forward!