Day 5 of the Fall Mini 1000

Hi Friends.

Today we will write 1000 words. Because we know what our powers are and how important it is to use them. How we shouldn’t waste a minute of this valuable time we have, wondering if we can or if we should. We know what we’re capable of, we know what our goals are, and now we must write.

Yesterday was full of distractions for me, mostly internet related. I couldn’t be anywhere near my computer if I wanted to write. There were land mines everywhere. But I knew I absolutely had to get my work done. (These Mini 1000s are truly as much for me as they are for you, trust me.) So I wrote down a few thoughts about the distractions, checked to see if they were applicable to my work in any way, and then moved on from that place. I acknowledged it, used it, and left it behind. Because I didn’t want to waste my time any longer.

Then I walked away from my computer entirely. I sat in my backyard with my phone and wrote there for the day. I pulled out my secret weapon: I wrote a sex scene. Whenever I want to spice things up or don’t know what to do next in a book, I write about sex, food, or death. These moments never fail to get the story moving.

The weather is perfect these days in New Orleans, eighty and sunny, so there I sat in the sunshine, writing about two characters making out in a car on an empty city street right after a storm passed, and I have to tell you, it was way more fun than what was happening on the internet.

In fact, most times when I’m in the work it’s better than anything that could be going on in the real world. Once I remember that, these distractions fall away. And waiting for me, always, are the words.

It’s day 5, and you’re doing so great, all of you. There’s really no stopping now. I hope you know these letters are just a gentle reminder: that you can do this all on your own.

Jami