100 Words A Day: First Month's Report

One month ago, my friend Heather and I decided to take on our "100 Words a Day" challenge. So how's it going?

Here are some lessons learned:

1. 100 words is nothing. I find I write 200-300 words before I even realize I've started. Which is fine ... in fact, it's kind of the point. By committing to write 100 words, we're not committing to writing a a whole chapter each day, nor a whole page nor even a whole paragraph. We are simply committing to writing something every day. (BTW, this post is now just over 100 words ... see how quickly that went?)

2. Writing on demand doesn't diminish the quality of my writing. This one has surprised me. Like many writers, I like to wait for the muse to strike, the creative juices to flow and the stars to align themselves just right before I sit down to compose my masterpiece. Turns out, none of that actually affects the quality of my work. Even though some days my muse is nowhere to be found and my creative juices have formed a sticky, smelly mess on my mind's floor, my writing comes out pretty much the same as ever. Some is good, some is lame-o, but overall it's not much affected by my mindset.

3. Everyone should have a writing partner who is not a critique partner. Each night, Heather and I listen to each other's 100 words. We don't evaluate them. We don't suggest revisions. We don't ask where the story is going or why it's going there. We just listen and congratulate each other on having written. Nice.