Ready, Set, Self Discipline
Last week I received a comment on this blog that has infiltrated my mind and despite my attempts to ignore it, I’m giving in and embracing a personal challenge. Here’s the simple, but under my thoughts, taunt? tease? dare? suggestion?…….
Evidence….”I get to kick it in the best way here, please write daily” …and then she did it again (double dare) yesterday in a comment…”daily is best
” ..Those haunting words and wicked smiley face came from Jana. Jana writes in her own slice of Internet over at www.rootedinstyle.com. I recommend a visit to her site for a visual feast of photography and design~ BTW Jana, you get full blame for this little adventure into daily blog writing~
Now, for those of you that have read my words for awhile now, you can attest that my blogging has always been sporadic at best, if not downright lacking in routine. In other words, I’ve been mostly a slacker without a shred of predictability. So, to you friends who already know that about me, you understand why this is sorta a big deal in my little world.
The thing is, I am a prolific writer. Full on gluttonous of the word scribbling kind. But I break it up all over the place. I write in Word docs, I write handwritten letters, I write in handwritten journals, and catch all notebooks. I write on Twitter now. I write on my hand when I can’t reach paper and have been known to write on walls in an emergency. Paint is easy to score, recapturing a thought once it’s escaped is a frustrating head banger. I write in the dust on the dashboard of my car when I’m driving and if I was really in a panic I’d probably scratch a thought into someones back with my fingernail……it’s just my thang.
BUT- Disciplined writing? Preset obligations of the organized and responsible kind? Daily quotas and personal deadlines? Self imposed goals that I set, adhere and publicly declared. Whoaaaaaaa I have been possessed by some sort of Spring Voodoo spell. Medic!
Thankfully April only has 30 days. 30 days of disciplined writing sounds wayyyy better then 31. I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but it just does! So that’s it, I’m going to embrace the 30 days/30 entries concept and see if I can achieve the level of writing discipline I admire in so many others. (Plus, Jana will be happy and I like to make Jana happy)
I have made a preemptive plan. I scribbled about it in one of my notebooks yesterday because that’s what highly disciplined and organized people do right? They make a plan. The headline of my “plan” reads as follows “What in the hell will I write about for 30 day” ……..followed by possible topics to ramble about. Since I’m fairly certain I’ll succumb to terrifying mind blank, my eye’s will glaze over and I’ll be found incoherent in my computer chair, hypnotized by a blinking curser…. I do have an emergency plan. I got a book for Christmas this year called “The right to write” by Julia Cameron that features daily writing prompts. Since it’s been sitting on my shelf this whole time, lonely and ignored, I figured it was high time to put it to use. I’m afraid I’ll need it.
I’ll try not to cheat.
Or post 3 sentence entries.
Nor attempt trick date modifications.
I’m just sayin………
Let the game of personal accountability begin~
This is so incredibly cool, I can’t stand it. I love the tales of all your writing; dashboard or on the back are my fav’s. I am going to be so lucky this month. It truly is a treat to be here—I am so fed by your writing, the best kind of food, humor of the gritty, real variety, colorful dialogue, smart interplay, and the best part, exposing the real—that means the world to me. Oh, and btw, I adore Julia Cameron, she gave me the courage to start design school (post morning pages of the artist way), and I also have Vein of Gold. I might have to pick up her new book, not as a writer, but as a creative who gets stuck too often.
you are challenging me to think about a discipline for my business this week.
warmest support
I so hear you I sometimes miss a few days at a time then try later to catch up on a few days at a time lol , now what are the rules of this I think I might want to join in this challenge
Thanks Jana! And Rebecca!! I’m very excited to hear you’ll be writing every day. Especially since I find myself hoping to find a notice saying you’ve posted something when I sign into email in the morning. Julia Cameron’s book is wonderful and I believe she has something there with the morning pages & artist dates. Not only for writers, but artists and anyone who may be hoping to grow & open their minds for any reason. Can be tough to stick to, but it’s worth it if you do. Good luck!
Lori’s last blog post..
Good luck.
Paul’s last blog post..The ABCs of…skepticism?
I’ll enjoy reading:)
I think I’ll simply take you up on your question (challenge) to actually blog again. I’m glad it’ll be YOU blogging daily!
Robin’s last blog post..Weekend: Part 1: Big Show, et al
I write daily, but don’t keep a lengthy list of things to write about. At the very most, maybe a half a dozen. I find that I can write more topically (and sometimes with more passion) if I keep it current. But then I write quite a bit about politics, and I know you don’t like to go there.
When I first started blogging, I would write without regularity, just when the mood struck me (plus I was working then). One month, I read about people doing some kind of national challenge in which you wrote an entry every day for a month. I did it! That kind of got me hooked on writing every day, even if it’s not a long one. And they really DON’T have to be long ones every day!
I also found several sites with blog prompts, and those were kind of fun and resulted in some thoughtful entries. (Just Google “blog prompts” and you’ll find a bunch.) I haven’t used one of those for some time, so I guess blogging kind of takes on a life of its own!
Whoops, didn’t mean to write a book! Good luck–I think you’ll enjoy the challenge. And I suspect that you’ll find all kind of interesting things to write about, ones that hadn’t occurred to you before.
Beth
Beth’s last blog post..Not exactly a ringing endorsement…and next, a song!
By the way, one of the hardest things can be to come up with a catchy title for each entry. LOL
Beth’s last blog post..Not exactly a ringing endorsement…and next, a song!
Better you than me! But, I greatly admire the effort. I’m trying to keep true to my commitment to finish my current WIP as soon as is feasibly possible. Plus, I’m the type that takes a lot of time writing a blog entry, so I find every two-three days or so works best for me. Good luck – I’ll be rooting for you and reading you daily!
Debbie’s last blog post..Little By Little All Your Sweet Dreams Come True
I just recently met Jana and LOVE what she has to say (to her readers AND to me personally in our own conversations) and so I could see how you’d want to make her proud!
Looking forward to seeing what 30 days will do for you! Maybe I’ll do it in June.
Sarah’s last blog post..Six Full Days
Woooo hoooo! I almost want to do something too for 30 days!! How inspiring! Can’t wait to see what u come up with. Whatever it is I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.
Nydia’s last blog post..Wordle Wednesday – Dream a Little Dream …
This will be a cakewalk. It just takes a shift in perspective, a letting go of “you’re-not-the-boss-of-me” ism that (I think) afflicts you when you perceive the writing as a result of someone else’s demands.
The truth is, you love to write, you can’t not write, so why not commit to consistency? I would lay a big bet that you won’t take Day 31 off, you will have become officially addicted.
Marc’s last blog post..April Fools 2012
Try this out to get 30 days of stuff: http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/
Chris’s last blog post..Grits. They’re Not Just For Breakfast Anymore.
Thanks for commenting on my blog and leadnig me to yours! If you are doing the daily writing commitment, you should join NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). I struggled at first, but now seem to be able to post pretty much everyday (ok, I wouldn’t always say it is top quality, but I don’t get too many complaints!): http://www.nablopomo.com/ . Good luck!
Andi’s last blog post..Make it so
[...] I found a great new photographer/designer that I must share. In Rebecca’s post about self discipline in writing she commented back to one of her readers (Jana Souza) and included a link to her site. Rebecca also [...]
I am so gald I finally found you! I have found this thread throughout the blogosphere lately, writing daily from Unhinged to Kat and a host of others ioncluding me and now I find you are doing the same! It’s almost ironic. All of us disconnected and yet…connected! Ebb and flow I suppose…
Mary