Let me preface this post by apologizing for not posting for a while. My motivation to keep this blog alive comes and goes and I know that’s not going to work if I want to be successful. I’m going to start by at least posting these monthly update posts, even if they’re not very long. So, here we go…
Honestly, May was relatively uneventful, other than the fact that I finished filling my second comp notebook and moved on to my third. I know, let me step back and explain for a sec. I’m writing a book, obviously, but I’m writing it longhand. Yes, you read that right, pen and paper. At the beginning of this year, I joined a 365 Writing Challenge group on Facebook because I was FINALLY determined to create a daily writing habit that would stick.
I knew I needed accountability, but I didn’t know where to find it. Then in walks 365 Writing Club and the rest is history. This group has teams we join and there are weekly check-ins and a spreadsheet where we track our daily word counts along with editing and critiquing as well. I’m focusing solely on writing since this is my first year. My goal started out simply enough on January 1st: 100 words every single day…NO MATTER WHAT.
For the most part, I’ve been doing that pretty consistently. I think I had a zero day here and there a couple of months, but that’s it. Some days I stop just after I hit my goal so I can get other things done because well, LIFE. Other days I’ve been known to write for HOURS. There have been a few days where I wrote 700-1,000 words easy. Needless to say, I was really proud of myself on those days.
Since I’ve been tracking my daily word counts and they’ve been tabulated together I’ve been able to watch my word count grow. My goal by the end of 2018 was 50,000 words. I surprised myself by SURPASSING that goal already! Yes, you read that right, surpassing it already. As of the writing of the blog post, my word count is at 57,802 and I attribute every single word of that to the accountability of the group I’m in.
The reminder that if I’m going to take myself seriously and write every single day is something I’ve had to learn to embrace and I’m grateful every single day that I have the wonderful folks in the group to kick me in the butt when I need it. If you’re an aspiring writer and struggle with a daily writing habit, then you might want to think about joining this challenge next year.