500 Words a Day in 2018
I have thoughts to share. Really I do. But when I start writing them down, I judge every one. That's not interesting. That's not insightful. That's not original. That's not even grammatical. Why am I so hard on my own writing?
I read lots of other people's words. I used to read many blogs. Before I was so busy, I spent lots of time reading other people's writing. I read books, magazines, blog posts, Facebook posts - all kinds of things. Most people don't worry very much about their writing, at least from the evidence.
I teach writing. My goal is to help students write concisely and correctly. I sometimes feel like a fraud because teaching writing doesn't leave me time for actual writing. But this year is going to be different. I am going to write daily.
Why? Well, I can blame NaNoWriMo this past November. My daughter asked me to write her some fanfiction. I'd never written fanfic before, especially not in the Harry Potter wizarding world. I didn't really know that much about it, although I did read the books and watch the films. But knowing that Hermione Granger can cast a spell that creates light is a lot different than writing the movements she makes and the words she speaks when she does it.
But I did it. I wrote 50,000 words about Hermione and her friends. And I fell in love with writing again. I want to create worlds. I want to live in them. I want to see them. I want to make them happen.
Creativity. That's always my bugaboo. I come back every time to that thought. Uninteresting. Mundane. Uninspired. Talentless.
How do I get past that?
This is how. Writing every day. I'll be writing 500 words. Every. Day. My hope is that it will push me past the mundane into the fresh and inventive. Some days I'll probably write blog posts. I am still not done with my fanfic, so I'll work on that too. I have some vague ideas for stories. I've always attempted novels, but maybe I'll work on shorter pieces.
I'll make time for writing. I seem to have lots of time for Facebook even when I'm really busy. I can divert some of that time to writing. Five hundred words doesn't take that long to jot down. I'm at 391 words right now and I've only been writing 10 minutes. So, fifteen minutes a day - that's doable. Even if the writing isn't memorable, the practice is valuable. And I won't feel like a fraud when I'm teaching my students. I'll be practicing and honing my craft.
I'm going to post this on my long-unused blog. Maybe no one will read it. Maybe someone will find it. Maybe someone will be motivated to try writing too. And next year, on January 1, I'll have logged 182,500 words in 2018. That's about as long as Great Expectations or The Poisonwood Bible. What about you? Do you have some words to write?
I read lots of other people's words. I used to read many blogs. Before I was so busy, I spent lots of time reading other people's writing. I read books, magazines, blog posts, Facebook posts - all kinds of things. Most people don't worry very much about their writing, at least from the evidence.
I teach writing. My goal is to help students write concisely and correctly. I sometimes feel like a fraud because teaching writing doesn't leave me time for actual writing. But this year is going to be different. I am going to write daily.
Why? Well, I can blame NaNoWriMo this past November. My daughter asked me to write her some fanfiction. I'd never written fanfic before, especially not in the Harry Potter wizarding world. I didn't really know that much about it, although I did read the books and watch the films. But knowing that Hermione Granger can cast a spell that creates light is a lot different than writing the movements she makes and the words she speaks when she does it.
But I did it. I wrote 50,000 words about Hermione and her friends. And I fell in love with writing again. I want to create worlds. I want to live in them. I want to see them. I want to make them happen.
Creativity. That's always my bugaboo. I come back every time to that thought. Uninteresting. Mundane. Uninspired. Talentless.
How do I get past that?
This is how. Writing every day. I'll be writing 500 words. Every. Day. My hope is that it will push me past the mundane into the fresh and inventive. Some days I'll probably write blog posts. I am still not done with my fanfic, so I'll work on that too. I have some vague ideas for stories. I've always attempted novels, but maybe I'll work on shorter pieces.
I'll make time for writing. I seem to have lots of time for Facebook even when I'm really busy. I can divert some of that time to writing. Five hundred words doesn't take that long to jot down. I'm at 391 words right now and I've only been writing 10 minutes. So, fifteen minutes a day - that's doable. Even if the writing isn't memorable, the practice is valuable. And I won't feel like a fraud when I'm teaching my students. I'll be practicing and honing my craft.
I'm going to post this on my long-unused blog. Maybe no one will read it. Maybe someone will find it. Maybe someone will be motivated to try writing too. And next year, on January 1, I'll have logged 182,500 words in 2018. That's about as long as Great Expectations or The Poisonwood Bible. What about you? Do you have some words to write?
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