Thirty days of writing, from people who make books.
The First Draft Challenge is a free 30-day writing challenge for people writing a nonfiction book that matters to their work. It is made by Scribe Media, a book writing and publishing company in Austin, Texas. There is no account, no fee and no catch.
What the challenge is
Thirty daily prompts, written for founders, consultants, coaches, executives and other experts writing nonfiction. Each prompt gives you one concrete task, a reason it matters and a practical tip. The first week helps you decide what the book is. The next three weeks get you drafting: the introduction, the first chapters, the hard middle, a rough conclusion. The last two days turn the month into a plan.
The default target is about 500 words on a full drafting day and 300 on lighter days. You can change any target to fit your time and pace. If you hit every target as written, the 30 prompts add up to 12,000 words.
What it does not promise
It does not promise a finished book in 30 days. Nobody should. A month of daily writing builds the habit and gets you a real start on the draft, along with an outline, a bank of stories and a clear view of what is left. For most people that is somewhere between a third and a half of a short first draft. The rest takes more months of the same habit, then editing, design and publishing.
Who we are
Scribe Media has published more than 3,000 books, including 23 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. Scribe helps people write and publish nonfiction books, from coaching people who write their own to writing books from interviews with the author. The legal company is Bond Financial Technologies Holdings, LLC, doing business as Scribe Media.
Because Scribe sells book services, you should know that up front. The challenge is designed to help you write your own book, and most of it has nothing to do with Scribe. One guide, on what to do after the challenge, describes Scribe's services for people who decide they want help, with prices.
Where the advice comes from
- Writing pace, planning and first-draft advice come from The Scribe Method, Scribe's book on writing and publishing, which is free to read online. Each page cites the chapter it draws on.
- Author stories come from Scribe's published success stories, and each one links to the full story on scribemedia.com.
- Prices come from scribemedia.com/pricing, checked on October 20, 2026.
- Worked examples and sample text are labeled as examples we wrote. They are illustrations, not real people.
If you spot something out of date or wrong, email privacy@scribemedia.com and we will fix it.
Your privacy
No cookies and no advertising trackers run on this site. Your progress is kept only in your own browser, with no account. We count how many people use each page per day, with no way to tell who they are. Read the privacy page for the details.