1,000

In lieu of the kind comments from yesterday's Facebook post, I'll go a little more into what I've been making myself do each day (whether I want to or not).

One-Thousand.

1,000 words. A day. 

For a little over two weeks I've been taking up Stephen King's inspiring advice for authors: write 1,000 words a day.

Ok ok... I can hear all the mental complaints moaning through the internet right now... (I know, it's a neat trick, isn't it?) Me? Write a thousand words a day? Why yes. Yes you. To entirely honest I was a little intimidated, myself. Near the end of writing Rienspel, I forced myself to sit and do 5 pages a day... but I was then unemployed and it deter me from simply playing so much Skyrim I transformed into Talos. But anyways... 1,000 words a day is already helping me write... and not just on my literary stuff, either. 

I'm also a pastor at Payson Christian Church in Payson, IL... and more often than not, I find myself cramming for sermon ideas... staring at a blank screen. But now, after a few weeks of intentional writing, I don't have to cajole the writing fairies into sprinkling their magical idea dust just so I can turn something out. 

Don't get me wrong. I love inspiration. I prefer it, really. But like Stephen King said, dedicate yourself to be in your own writing nook each day around a certain time (a nook in room preferably with a door you can shut). And come what may, those pesky writing fairies will soon learn that you will be in your writing nook, at such and such o'clock each day. They'll know where to find you.

To be quite honest, writing a thousand words, assuming you're in 12pt Times New Roman, means you're getting about 3-4 pages worth. I mean, come on here people... it's not that much. It usually takes me about an hour to do that. And when you write, just write. Save all that soul-crushing editing for later... Begin with a vision in your mind and a smattering of desire to see your story told - then go for it. However you need to tell your story, tell it. Like Niel Gaimon once said, "Make. Good. Art."

If you write your 1,000 a day, and give yourself one day off a week, and you'll have a novel in 3 months. (3 months!). How long have you bemoaned never 'writing that book'? Well, there you go. Just sit down in your nook, shut the door and turn off the social media... light some candles... heck, I don't know- pour yourself an ale, turn the mood music on. Romance yourself. And then write.

Tweet your own tips and tricks at #whatgetsyouwriting

... and WRITE ON!