Writing on Writing
How 1000 words a day can change your life
Many people who subscribe to this blog write or are themselves writers. Even though I don’t think I write more now than ever, my writing is more focused on what I want to do. It is more than comments on student papers, emails, and revising curriculum, it is an act of intentional communication of a thought that reaches a larger audience. When I wrote my first book, it was about 75K words. My dissertation was 90k words (including the dreaded biography), but novelists usually write double this quantity. To complete my dissertation work, my daily goal used to be at least 500 words a day, but this also included reading, which was my research. Now a new habit that I’ve come to take on is 1k words a day, which is a great length for a newsletter post. This is why it’s my new thing and why it can change your life also.
For many writers, writing allows us to clarify ideas. My process is 1) I need to talk about it, but sometimes it’s still a jumbled mess 2) Then I write about it and it becomes clearer 3) I talk about my writing some more 4) I revise 5) Then I leave it alone so that it can marinate and brew. If there are days in which I am stuck and cannot write, this means I’m not being a writer. “Writers write,” I tell my students. Some days I only put down a few words, but these days I really need to do some hand writing, i.e. taking out a journal and pen. I need to get the rest of the words out that way so that I can overcome the block. But “writer’s block” should not be the case, since people have said there is no such thing as a “talker’s block.” It’s perhaps the self critical part of the brain trying to block a person from creativity. “You can’t do it!” adult ego telling the kid. But the child should aways say, “Why not?!” and “I want to try!”
I use a program called Ulysses that keeps score. There is a progress meter and I can set a goal. It is extremely satisfying to see the blue circle slowly closing as I type away and a rush to cross the finish line. One thing that it keeps me from doing is burning out, because as soon as I exceed 1k words, the meter turns red. Sure, I can continue to work, but doing too much is also counter productive to being consistent. At times I’ve stayed up too late to write or paint, and the next day I feel like doing nothing. Lifestyle hacker, Tim Ferriss provides his personal goal: “My quota for writing is two crappy pages a day.” This is the equivalent to 1k words and is a modest and achievable task that will allow a person to do 30k words a month and therefore finish a book length manuscript in three months. When the writing goal is achieved, I can spend the other time in reading, revising, and continuing to work out other ideas so that I can have them ready for future writing projects.
Some people find that the strict schedule is a set up for failure since the brain has a difficult time distinguishing this goal from the overall goal of writing a book. So, a one day lapse in writing would feel like a failure in the grand scheme of things. This does not have to be the case if one tracks their writing time and minimizes distraction time. To the mind, one hour of writing is the same as one hour of scrolling on social media, if done correctly. This means distraction free writing. Setting focus features on your computer or using a writing program is Omm writer is also idea for this. Omm is the Zen Buddhism of writing program where the computer takes on the sound of a manual typewriter and the music is sure to please. I’ve started many projects with Omm and if it was not for the limited features, I would use it more than other apps. The key setbacks is it lacks any cloud base functionality, where I can go from my Mac to iPhone easily, and no word count or attachment features to add pictures and links. But if I want to write a short poem, it’s perfect!
If one has a sub-goal of finishing a paragraph or article or speech, this helps make the possibility of completion achievable. Dividing the book or project into sections and then working on each section is another easy way to accomplish this task. Each chapter can be outlined and subheadings and research questions can be laid out. Then it is just a matter of filling in these chapter headings and working on the exploratory questions. Writing should be also a fun way to explore ideas we’ve not thought about and come to some surprising conclusions. These goals in themselves should be enough to keep a person on track with this daily goal.
Here is a quick writing task that Ferriss talks about in his TED talk, “Why you should define your fears instead of your goals.” This is a great excise that will take about three pages and perhaps not meet 1000 words quota, but would be a good exercise for anyone, writer or non-writer alike. First is to define your fear by asking, “What if I…” So, “What if I finished another book about something I was excited about?” Ferriss goes on to say, that on one page I would “Define” the fear by listing 10-20 things. For example, number one: The book would not be of interest to any publisher. Number two: After three months of work, no one would want to read it. Then the second list would be entitled, “Prevent” to list all the things that I could do to prevent or minimize the items from happen. So, number one would be: I want to do a quick research on my topic of interest and look at current published books in the topic. Number one: What am I bringing that is new to the topic? What is my unique point of view? Number two: How do I write it in a way that is compelling to a reader who has never read this topic before? What is really good writing in this genre like? The third list would be entitled, “Repair.” Here, I’m asking If the worst thing were to happen, how then do I repair the damage:
So one question to keep in mind as you're doing this first page is: Has anyone else in the history of time less intelligent or less driven figured this out? Chances are, the answer is "Yes."
So, for one: I would say I could revise my manuscript. I could hire a general editor who can help me focus or revise. Two: There are friends and people who would read my book, either for free or for pay and give me honest feedback.
The second page would be about the potential benefits of I had any type of partial success? I would be encouraged. They might ask me to revise certain sections or they might even offer me a contract. I might gain interest from others who have not read my first book. Page three, Ferriss says is perhaps the most important part of the exercise: What would be the cost of inaction? Here is where we have to face the fear head-on. I could live a life with regret that I did not do something that would be of profound importance for me and for others. I would not tried to contribute something to the world, especially in my own POV, which is the only thing that anyone has to offer to the world.
I’m at 1,329 words already and it was really under an hour and a half of writing. I have more work for today, but If you are a writer, aspiring or otherwise, maybe consider this habit. If you are an avid reader, continue to read my work and thank you for being part of the journey.
Summary
1) If you a writer, I encourage you to write 1000 words a day. You can connect and keep me accountable if you want.
2) If you are not a professional writer, then perhaps journaling, reading, and taking notes works also.
3) Tackle your fears instead of your goals.
Interesting on this writing-tracker. I had no idea!