write every day for 15 minutes or more

It hasn’t been 15 minutes yet, but I’ve written for 100words.com for 3 nights in a row now.

I wrote for 15 minutes yesterday but I doubt I’ll be up to it tonight. We’ll see.

I want to do this for at least a week. Maybe longer, if it goes well.

Well, I’ve gotten a little side-tracked in the information gathering phase. I’ve been playing around with Google & MapQuest maps of Wales (where my story is mostly set) and England – Oxford area and I find myself imagining myself driving down the road in my mind, and getting my ideas about my main character in this mode.
Sometimes, I do find listing to a certain type of music or being in a certain place helps me to visualize the sense of place. I also have been reading a lot of PD James to get into a certain mood and mindset. Her writing is so descriptive and creates such a mood.
It’s not exactly writing or getting words on paper but it is at least continuing to think about it.

Although work has been extremely hectic, I have managed to get nearly 60 pages written along with some very basic research on the book idea I had at Christmas.
I feel energized by this story and inspired by it and I really try to keep it foremost in my mind so at least my sub-conscious is working on it!
I am looking forward to the first part of May when I’ll be on a mini-vacation to the Outer Banks (NC) where I plan to write as much as I can!

So, I went off my 15 minute a day writing habit due to some ugly times at work in the past several months. Needless to say, I was at least encouraged by the fact that I desperately missed writing and had some ideas I wanted to flesh out. The best Christmas present I got was in the form of a ‘dream’ or an inspirational thought just before waking, whatever one wishes to call it. I got an idea for a story that really fleshed itself out in my head, and for once, I not only could see the beginning but the middle and to some degree the end. I feel ridiculously encouraged by this! I have spent at least an hour a day since then writing, outlining, researching and generally telling the story. On Christmas Eve, I was telling my mother’s friends about it,and one of them said, “I wake up and want to watch ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ and swoon over Will Smith and you wake up and write a f**ing novel!” I laughed so hard and really felt even more encouraged. Now all I have to do is keep to it and tell the story and let the story take its course. Then maybe I can actually move forward and get something published! Happy New Year!

I’ve not been as successful as I would have liked in the past month in writing every day for at least 15 minutes or more.

I have been letting life get in the way, and work, and making excuses…

But, trying to get back on track!

Wish me luck!

OK – Haven’t done this EVERY day but I have managed to write most days for over two months. Sometimes, I get a chance to write for a couple of hours so in a strange sort of way, I justify that makes up for the days when I don’t write at all.
I know – I’m fooling myself. I just need to discipline myself.
When I do write, I feel terrific though!
I also try not to pressure myself at present as to what to write – some days it is just noodling around with sentences, or character profiles; other days I will start a story, and others I do writing exercizes. I think it is just important to write every day and let my brain get into the flow of it. I do notice a difference when I have written every day as opposed to weeks when I haven’t written much at all.
Hope maybe this helps others trying to write as well!

I have been working on writing every day since January 2007 for at least 15 minutes a day. Some days, it is really easy and I have so many ideas bouncing around inside my head and it flows. Some days, I can’t do it (ok, probably don’t want to do it) and instead of beating myself up, I vow to do it again the next day.
I also try not to pressure myself in terms of what I will write about. It is more about making it a habit instead of forcing myself to write about specific things.
The interesting thing, eight months down this road, is that I find I really miss when I don’t write and I do feel as if I am making progress.