Hi friends. Today we will write 1000 words. Because we are obsessed with our projects. We want to make them shiny and amazing and dazzling. We want to make our words glow so powerfully we can see them from the goddamn sky above. To make this happen, we have to be rigorous and disciplined about our process. We have to push ourselves to keep delivering these words. They may not be perfect immediately, but they can and will get better — but only with practice.
“When the words are so readable as to feel nearly effortless, they make way for the bigger messages we want to convey, the heart, depth, personality, and soul of the stories we want to tell.”
1,039 words this morning... and feeling inspired. May try to get to 2,000 later this afternoon, as I didn't start until today and have some catching up to do. Thank you for your message today, Jami. I needed that reminder.
After spending yesterday traveling on the train from NY to Boston and writing in my notebook, I am back sitting at my computer, sipping a cup of coffee, joyful and filled with the desire to enter my words and see them grow.
"That’s what building a writing habit is about, no matter the word count. It’s about growing our skills. That’s what we’re doing now, by participating in this project. We’re slowly improving as writers. Every day we scratch in that journal, every day we type in that document, we are making a progression — even if it’s a small one — as artists and writers."
Jami, this made me feel so happy. I've only got 700ish words down so far today (have to start doing my actual job), but I'm feeling good & calm & full of attack & accomplishment about having made this commitment to my craft. I may actually have to adopt what you wrote as a mantra.
today was a hard day and i kept thinking of getting to this writing. i finally did just now and i'm calling it at a pithy 327 words but i got it, i showed up. and i got my character's voice outta my head which was the main goal.
So all day today, at the dentist and then at the grocery store, I was thinking about yesterday's scratching. Petit the Poet, in Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology," describes his own work as "Seeds in a dry pod, tick tick tick/tick tick tick such little iambics/while Homer and Whitman roared in the pines." I don't even aspire to a Homer/Whitman thing, but yesterday's work was such little tickticktick. And then I come back to it today, 1041 words I just finished, and I worked on what I did yesterday (all part of the same chapter, chapter 15) and what do you know, there's a little gleam.
Jami, thank you for the inspiration. I struggled to get 500 words out yesterday--I am jet lagged (just returned to the States from Europe to work on a window replacement project). This morning I typed away during breaks, while waiting for assignments. I reached the magical 1000 during lunch break. I enjoyed your letter and the poem very much! These will carry me through another day of sawdust and heat. Again thank you for the opportunity. I feel alive.
Here is a good poem to guide us today. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/the-end-of-poetry
Oh that poem and the author reading it! Extra joy after reading your letter. thanks!
Interestingly enough!
Got 1,180 words in before the workday! I don’t know how much the words shimmer, but I can feel myself shimmering.
“When the words are so readable as to feel nearly effortless, they make way for the bigger messages we want to convey, the heart, depth, personality, and soul of the stories we want to tell.”
Printing this out, to hang above my desk. xx
Totally! I love this too!
1,039 words this morning... and feeling inspired. May try to get to 2,000 later this afternoon, as I didn't start until today and have some catching up to do. Thank you for your message today, Jami. I needed that reminder.
After spending yesterday traveling on the train from NY to Boston and writing in my notebook, I am back sitting at my computer, sipping a cup of coffee, joyful and filled with the desire to enter my words and see them grow.
Happy writing day to all 🌺
Have a variated busy day! Pushing to get it in early!!! With quality 🤞
Wrote 1064 "fresh" words of character development yesterday that's really good for me!!!
"That’s what building a writing habit is about, no matter the word count. It’s about growing our skills. That’s what we’re doing now, by participating in this project. We’re slowly improving as writers. Every day we scratch in that journal, every day we type in that document, we are making a progression — even if it’s a small one — as artists and writers."
Jami, this made me feel so happy. I've only got 700ish words down so far today (have to start doing my actual job), but I'm feeling good & calm & full of attack & accomplishment about having made this commitment to my craft. I may actually have to adopt what you wrote as a mantra.
beautifully said!
thank you for your inspiration! I am enjoying the discipline factor and am seeing results
today was a hard day and i kept thinking of getting to this writing. i finally did just now and i'm calling it at a pithy 327 words but i got it, i showed up. and i got my character's voice outta my head which was the main goal.
thank you so much <3.
What a beautiful community. I was able to push something out in the last remaining hours of the day. Thank you all for the accountability.
So all day today, at the dentist and then at the grocery store, I was thinking about yesterday's scratching. Petit the Poet, in Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology," describes his own work as "Seeds in a dry pod, tick tick tick/tick tick tick such little iambics/while Homer and Whitman roared in the pines." I don't even aspire to a Homer/Whitman thing, but yesterday's work was such little tickticktick. And then I come back to it today, 1041 words I just finished, and I worked on what I did yesterday (all part of the same chapter, chapter 15) and what do you know, there's a little gleam.
A little lunchtime 1,227 words. Love writing forward and writing about lions during Leo season!
I have been so intrigued by the lions as well! Lunchtime writing has a special magic to it
It does! Starting early the rest of the week but I also like to sneak in that lunctime 1K. Good luck this week!
Jami, thank you for the inspiration. I struggled to get 500 words out yesterday--I am jet lagged (just returned to the States from Europe to work on a window replacement project). This morning I typed away during breaks, while waiting for assignments. I reached the magical 1000 during lunch break. I enjoyed your letter and the poem very much! These will carry me through another day of sawdust and heat. Again thank you for the opportunity. I feel alive.