Hope you're having a great summer! Sometimes it's hard to make time for our writing when our schedules are filled with beach trips, swimming, chilling in the AC, reading great books, and the fun things of summer. Not to mention the daily activities of life that kept us busy in all the other seasons.But here's something I've been pondering: How important is my writing to me? It's a valid question we all need to ask ourselves. Is it the first thing we put on the back burner when our schedules get crazy? I have to admit, that's often been the case for me. Which is not what I want. When God puts the desire to write in your heart, it's there for a reason, and it's up to us to answer that call.
How do we do that in our crazy busy lives? Pretty much like with everything else, we have to choose to make the time. Now I'm not saying you have to sit down every day for five hours or else you're a failure. But what if you tried setting a word count quota for yourself?
My writing mentor James Scott Bell (author of some amazing books on the craft as well as terrific novels) has advocated them for years. And now I see why they're important. How many of us can sit in front of a computer and just stare at it for HOURS? Um, yeah. Setting a word count quota will force us to write. It doesn't have to be 5,000 words. What if you just started with 500? Or even 300 or 100 if that will get you to write. Those words will add up, and you'll feel better at the end of the day.
This is a timely post for me since I literally only have 5 hours of free time a WEEK between cos school and studying and working. I'm going to have to really buckle down and write in that time!
ReplyDeleteSo true. This is really what I need to do! Thanks for the honest advice.
ReplyDeleteToo true!
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