250 words
Filed under Writing Journal on May 17, 2004
Tagged: Maiden of Pain
Tracking my word count has been both a blessing and a curse. As the deadline approaches, however, looking at my recent pace only serves to raise my level of anxiety. Believe me, that does wonders for the flow of the old creative juices. (Read that last sentence with the sound of sarcasm dripping in the background.)
Early Sunday morning (we’re talking 1 am), I had an epiphany, the result being peace of mind concerning my ability to complete the book. Unable to sleep, I had gotten up an hour earlier, powered up the computer, and wrote out another 250 words for Chapter 5. As I sat there pondering whether I was tired enough to go back to bed or could think of more to write, I realized how little time it took me to write just 250 words.
You see, when I sat down to write in the past, I focused on a pace of 1000 words (or more). The weight of that goal is a heavy one for a new author, and because of the way my mind works when it comes to time management, I feel like I need a large window of availability to accomplish such a task. As that window starts to close, I begin to tell myself I can’t meet the goal and suddenly I lose the desire to even try.
But I only need an hour to write 250 words.
(Oh, by the way, for your reference, this article is exactly 250 words long.)
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