Challenge

I’ve been doing some soul-searching recently, thinking about my life and where I’ve been and where I’m going.  Thinking about goals.  Thinking about challenges.

It’s so easy to turn away from challenges, to stick with the normal and the mundane.  It’s easy to believe that your life will just coast along in the same path forever.  But time passes and none of us lives forever and things happen and change comes.  And one day you’ll wake up and say “hey? how did I get here?” (thank you, Talking Heads) 

So, what do you want out of life?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself.  And one of the answers is – “I really want to write.”  Tha’ts not the only answer, but it’s an important one.  And when I say “I want to write”, I mean, I want to write productively, and consistently and well.  And blogging doesn’t count. 🙂

And then I asked myself – “Have you been doing this? Have you been writing productively and consistently and well? And the honest answer is – no.  My writing has been sporadic.  There are reasons for this, and some of those reasons have given rise to other goals, but as I’ve said before, if you want to be a writer, you have to make a commitment.  A commitment to yourself and to your craft.

So, I’ve issued myself a challenge.  I’m making a commitment, and I’ll track it on Facebook and here so I have some accountability (well, to the 3-4 people who might eventually read this – LOL).  Here goes:

1.  Starting May 1, I’m going to write every day for 58 days.  (this is 58 days instead of 60 days because I’m going to the RWA conference on June 28)

2.  I’m going to write at least 1,000 words a day during the week, and at least 1,500 words a day on the weekend.

3.  I’m going to finish the first draft of my next book by the RWA conference. 

I’d issued a similar challenge to myself earlier this year, but then it fell apart when I got the edits for HOLD ME and had to concentrate on them.  So I’m going to start over again.

I’ll be posting to tell you how it goes.  But I am committed, and I do want this to work, and I do want to establish the discipline. The desire to succeed will help as I move forward. Or so I tell myself.

And now for you.  What do you want to do with your life?  I know not all of you dream of being a writer, but what do you dream of?  What steps do you need to take?  What goal can you move towards productively, consistently and well?  What is the desire lodged deep in your heart?  If you don’t know what it is, well figure it out!  And then challenge yourself!

And get moving – neither one of us is getting any younger. 🙂

Comments

  1. But I don’t KNOW what I want to do with my life! Sheesh. Now you have me all thinking.

    Shall I poke you about your writing? Be your heavy?

  2. So true! Can’t wait to follow your journey over the 58 days!

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  1. […] you may, or may not know, last week I issued myself a challenge.  Basically, starting May 1st, I challenged myself to 1) write every day for 58 days, 2) write at […]

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