I wrote nearly 700 words yesterday in my horror/fantasy novel.
I made a commitment to myself to write at least one sentence of fiction a day, no matter what. I am beginning my third week and I am going strong. However, writing a sentence a day is not enough to actually finish a book (in this lifetime).
My long-term goal is to be able to write 2000 or more words a day, everyday. (That’s what Stephen King does. And if its good enough for the King…) but I am nowhere near that yet. I realize I have to take baby steps towards it. If I tell myself I must write 2000 words a day, I will panic, freeze up with writers block, and be unable to write a single word. (I know because I’ve tried). So I have begun to look at it like a workout routine. I have to build up my stamina and my muscle strength. Starting small, with something I know I can accomplish, and then slowly raising the bar.
Which is why right now my goal is at least one sentence every day. And after I have done that for a little while (I have not landed on a time frame… I am nervous to set it too soon and fail, but I need to set it… maybe two months? Maybe six weeks? Let’s see…) anyway, in (amount of time that is yet to be determined) I will set the goal of writing 500 words a day, everyday. And then after (amount of time that is yet to be determined) I will bump it up to 1000 words a day. Etc, etc, until I am writing Stephen King sized novels like I am a damn printing press.
And yesterday I wrote over 650 words. I am happy about it. Today I will write at least one sentence (and maybe it will be a long one).
Rey Wright 