1000 words per day for 1000 days.
I have to do it.
Calling yourself “a writer” is not easy. Or, at least, it wasn’t for me. Stephen King once said (and I’m summarizing here) that in order to be a writer, you have to write something, be paid for it, and pay a bill with the money. I did that two years ago. I wrote about the outdoor rink experience in Canada and exploring a northern river passage in the Northwest Territory. Both pieces were not how I imagined my “writing career” taking off. But I got to call myself a writer.
To date, both pieces are the only things I’ve been paid to write. But I don’t care.
I’m in the midst of editing my first novel. It’s called Yolo: A case study in excess. Sure, I’ve been “in the midst of editing” for almost two years but I have 108,000+ words of fiction I’m proud to call my own. And they will be published one day — either by me or someone else.
I’m also writing on Medium. I heard about this wonderful place prior to Christmas 2013 and made my dive into things in February of this year. I love the UX. I love the community. I love the content. I love how I am inspired to write here. I love Medium.
And I love thinking. Turning off my brain doesn’t ever feel useful and I’m certain I’m not alone in my, well, thinking. Truth is, there are a lot of things to think about from the time you wake up to the moment you start to dream (perhaps the best kind of thinking?): Sports, the weather, political conflicts, social compositions of communities, the latest album by some band, the really old album by the band every band today is inspired by, love, loss, crushes, wishes, dreams, and the list will never end.
Since participating on Medium, I’ve found my thinking has intensified. I question more things. I wonder about new scenarios. I feel the need to explore. And I bring that with me here.
I need to keep this up. In fact, I need to amp things up.
I need to write more.
So: I’m going to write more. 1000 words per day. For 1000 days. That’s 1,000,000 words.
So: I need structure to make this work. And I have some.
- I’m going to start writing what could turn out to be either a shorty story or novella. This will begin next week. I will publish a new chapter each week until the story concludes. The title of the story is The Amazing Life Of My Doppelganger.
- Report and/or analysis writing will not count towards my word count. The words that count can only be fictional or exploratory, not work-related.
- Outlines for novels, essays, novellas, or short stories will count towards my word count. Often times I write character biographies in my outlines. And doing so, I find, requires a fun bit of exploration as I utilize past experiences and viewpoints.
- The writing does not need to be focused on one single thing. I could write four pieces of 250 words each ranging from Brand Loyalists to Why Girls Talk The Way They Do On Tinder and I’ll be achieving my goal.
- I am not allowed to have “catch up days.” There will be no 3,000 words written to make up for missed chances to write. I will and must be dedicated. Because this will be fun.
