Writing daily in August

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve set a goal for myself to write something every day.  It doesn’t have to be earth shattering.  It doesn’t have to be publishable.  However, it does have to happen every day, no excuses.  I’ve been using my blog here at WordPress, daily writing at 750words.com, and the writing I’m doing for my book. 

I’m pleased to report that I have now completed two entire months, July and August, of daily writing.  On 750words, they ask you to come up with some sort of reward for yourself for writing every day (they also ask that you come up with a “punishment” for not achieving that goal.)  For July, my reward was a new flavored coffee, which I bought for myself and thoroughly enjoyed.  My punishment would have been donating $5 to Sarah Palin’s election fund (like that would ever happen, you can bet I’d force myself to write, even on days that I didn’t feel like it, just to avoid that particular punishment).  For August, my reward was a new, just-for-fun shirt.  For quite some time now, I’ve only purchased work clothes, nothing cute and fun.  After completing my writing on the 31st, I went online and ordered an adorable blue flowered, long-sleeved t-shirt.  Oh yeah, my punishment, had I not written daily, would have been to “like” Michelle Bachman on facebook…hahahahahaha!!  Thank goodness I didn’t have to do that.

So, do you set up a reward and/or punishment system for yourself in regard to your goals?

Related articles

• September’s for sado-masochism (smallestforest.net)
• Daily Writing Exercises (teacherdindin.wordpress.com)
• 5 ways to motivate yourself (yournovel.wordpress.com)

Daily writing

Image by chsh via Flickr

I’m finally in the groove of writing daily.  In addition to blogging at least once a day, I’ve been utilizing 750words.com to do kind of a stream of consciousness thing.  Sometimes I come up with some decent blog topics while doing my 750 words.  At other times, I’m able to figure out what I really want or need to do about certain situations.  I’m on a 37 day writing streak right now, which is pretty cool.  I’m not sure if my writing is actually improving, but at least I’ve developed the habit of writing daily…that can’t hurt.

I have had to cut back in other areas of my life in order to have the time to write daily though.  I knew something had to give when I started devoting so much time to writing and exercising.  And that something was some of the online social aspects of my life. I only check Facebook first thing in the morning and then again in the evening, so I’m not staying in touch with friends as much as I was.  I still respond to direct comments, but have had to curtail the comments on the activities of others.  That was the trade-off I chose to make in order to have the time to do the things that were important to me.   So, if you’ve noticed I don’t seem to be around as much as I was, just know it’s not you.  It’s me and the choices I’ve had to make in  order to accomplish all that I want in my life.

I always wanted to be a writer, always started stories, very rarely finished them.  Now I can see how the discipline I’m developing can help me work toward my goals of writing for publication.  Writing regularly will enable me to get the pages done that will eventually add up to an entire book (or two or three…).  It feels so liberating to be doing what needs to be done to  follow my dreams!

Related articles

• More on Morning Pages (doingthewritething.wordpress.com)
• Wordsmith Wednesday – Show Up and Write! (liv2write2day.wordpress.com)