When a new practice is begun and the intention has been set, no matter how small, the resistance will rise up and attack. This is incredibly frustrating and can be disheartening. Fortunately, if we can fight back and move forward with our art, an encouraging bit of support or good fortune will usually come our way. I know this is a very fuzzy and non-qualitative way to start an article, but I believe it to be true. Plus, this writing is part of me practicing and fighting back, so it still serves a purpose, no matter how odd.

When I put this little practice out, it was surprising to see the response, no matter how small a step I had taken. Today is the 8th day of practicing with intention, and ironically I’ve also been a podcast guest (not interviewer) for the first time, and been asked how I practice writing on a regular schedule. So today, I get to practice by practicing. To be clear, I find all of this very amusing too, and am not the type of artist who gets full of himself (a clear indication I am very full of myself). Hopefully I always have the gift of self-awareness, or friends to kick me in the ass when I’m becoming loathsome.

Being a writer is paying attention and giving structure and meaning to the mundane. There are two primary gifts from practicing every day.

1. I DON’T NEED TO SELF EDIT AND THINK IF A PARTICULAR PIECE OR TOPIC IS GOOD ENOUGH.

I have to write about something, so I write about something I noticed recently, or a story scene I’m working through. If the short practice grows and splits into something useful and worth shipping, all the better. It’s kind of like sex before marriage and during marriage (and this is a terrible analogy I will have to answer for later).

Before marriage, the opportunity to have sex (or do anything physically stimulating) with another person doesn’t come around often. So if you miss the opportunity, you’ll be pissed off and have to wait until next time. When you’re married, if someone is tired, sick, or just doesn’t feel like it (all earth-shattering for the unmarried-gotta-have-sex person), it’s ok! There’s always tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Every day is an opportunity. I suppose everyone could say the same, but for happily married folks like me, the likelihood (and safety) is much higher. I don’t have to blow everything on making a single idea the tipping point of my work. I simply need to sit down each day and get to work, and play the long game (another marriage lesson in the works).

2. A DAILY PRACTICE GIVES YOU PERMISSION TO WRITE ABOUT ANYTHING.

Like master comedians who make a living off the regular occurrences and interactions of life, everything seems to grow a little grander in scale. Jerry Seinfeld has based his entire career off nothing, because at the core nothing is everything. We all live in moments we think nothing is happening, but if we raise our awareness a little bit, we may see that everything is happening all at once.

Ok, now to the nitty-gritty of my practice.

The Goal: 500 words per day, 6 days per week.

The Tools: Macbook Pro, Coffee.

The Timing: Morning (the earlier the better).

I begin the day as early as I’m able, before the demands and distractions seep in and do their necessary work. To other parts of my life, a writing practice is a distraction too, so it’s best to get it out of the way.

I do the little things, taking care of the dog, making coffee, having prayer. But I try not to delay the start too long, because of what I just mentioned. The longer I delay, the more difficult it is to begin.

Hopefully, I have hand-written myself a little note the night before, and placed it next to my computer. This helps shake my mind back to the topic, and has been one of the most useful parts of staying on task. If the note didn’t happen, I usually have jotted something down in my journal or Spark file that will get me going.

So I sit down, open up the computer, and go to Evernote or Google Drive. I have a specific notebook and folder for the practice in each place, and I just open a new one and get to work. I simply title the day’s work with the date, so it’s easy to sort and search later on. I prefer working in Evernote because the search functions are so powerful, but if I’m not at my personal Mac I’ll use Drive.

Then I just have to begin writing. Again, the little note really helps, as does a Spark file of ideas and common threads. Sadly, the words do not simply flow out in harmony, and I doubt they will for you also. But, I’m always surprised how quickly I can move past the initial wall, high as it may be. The words want to come out, and I just try and guide them on to the page. In order to guide the words though, I have to completely surrender to four little rules I made for myself.

NO EDITING.

NO HATING.

NO DOUBTING.

JUST WRITING.

When I get tripped up, it’s because of this. I hate the words, I doubt my voice, I edit relentlessly. To be a writer one must write, and that’s what I need to remember. I also try and remind myself that not everything becomes an article or book chapter, and I just need to keep digging through the topsoil to find the gold buried deep.

After I’ve made it through 500 words, I can stop, even though many days I’ll go over the minimum. For example, this day’s work is currently at 982 words, and will easily go over 1000.

When the day’s practice has been fulfilled, I paste it into a new post at 500words. It may be a little self-indulgent to do this, but for me it’s a great way to stay accountable to the work. I don’t try and promote it, I just practice and post.

Finally, I attempt to approach each day and the week at large with some personal grace for the work. If I get pulled away or the work doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, the way we bounce back from a tripped practice speaks volumes about how much the discipline means to us. So, if 500 words x 6 days = 3000 words per week, then I can be a little easier with myself on the weekends if I’ve already reached the larger goal. Maybe I just get down 200 words one day and 800 the next. The process of practicing is what matters, not a rigid set of deadlines.

I hope this helps give you some ideas for starting your own practice. A couple other resources you can check out are TheWritePractice.com (edited by my friend Joe Bunting) and The Writer’s Room collection on Medium (edited by Steven Johnson).

Thanks for reading, now start practicing.

I’m Matt Ragland, and digital base camp is at MattRagland.com. I’ll bring the beer. I also ship my 500 word practice six days per week at 500words.

Want to hear a podcast episode on this topic? Check out Story Signals #24, The Power of Practice.

photo via Death to the Stock Photo