Tulips are blooming in Vancouver and the air is fresh and clean. I glimpse red and yellow petals on the street below from my high-rise hotel window. I yearn to go to the flowers, bend down to the ground in the middle of a busy intersection and breathe their scent. But I don’t permit myself to leave the room. Commitment and a need to write; a need to finish my novel. Instead, I’ll write in view of spring with the aim of achieving today’s goals.
Where do you write? Do you have daily goals? Do you achieve your word count each day?
Normally, I write in my office at home, each and every day with the exception of Sundays. I’ve found over the years that repetition has earned solid results. Dr. Patrick Finn, a University of Calgary professor said at writing workshop:
“You are what you repetitively do.”
He’s right. A regular routine has earned this author a reasonable word count each day. I’ve watched words grow into something amazing as book two of my Odin Saga (1st draft) nears completion. (55,000 words and growing.)
I work to achieve between 500 and 1000 daily words. Recently, I tried something new, a writing date with friends. Writing can be a very internal, lonely place, so it’s fabulous when you’re working through plot issues. It’s also a great way to get to know your writing colleagues!
But wherever you choose to create, be it in a coffee shop or at home, be sure you sit yourself down in a chair and write. For words cannot grow into stories, without your regular writing commitment.