Day 1, Summer 2025, Mini 1000

The little engine that could.

Hi friends.

Today we will write 1000 words. Together.

Because we have a writing engine inside of us and it is running. We are occupied by it, possessed by it, we love the way it feels when it is functioning perfectly. We thrive on all the things we can make happen—in our minds, on the page, maybe even in our lives—when that engine is fully in operation. We have shown up here today to write because of it. The smooth hum of it is one our great pleasures in life.

Welcome to the first day of the Mini 1000. I’m glad to be writing with you. As always, you can leave your word count in the comments, and I will also be checking #mini1000 on various forms of social media. If you like, today, you can also share in the comments about how you take care of your writing engine.

Because I think about my writing engine a lot. I tend to it ceaselessly. I do this by reading books, for example. A necessary act. And I maintain it by showing up for myself regularly, warming it up, fine tuning it, turning it on no matter what time of year it is, to make sure it’s operating smoothly. One thing I know: take care of that engine and it will take care of you. Be ruthless in its maintenance. And that starts today with those 1000 words.

So picture the key in that ignition, hear that engine roaring, vroom fucking vroom, baby. Let’s write.

Jami

p.s. If you’ve arrived here because someone has forwarded this to you, you can find more about this project here and here.