Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Writing on the Run

Last week I discussed Club 100, suggesting that establishing the writing habit involves consistency and diligence. But we all have those days when our lives steer so far off the "plan" that we end up in the ditch.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. Yet I managed to scribble 100 creative words in a notebook to keep my count going. Today is day 8 for me.

I scored last minute tickets this morning to a Toronto Maple Leafs game and spent most of the day getting organized to get to the game. At this very moment, I am on a GO bus headed to Toronto. A few minutes ago I realized that today is Tuesday, my day to blog for the SWG.

Thank goodness for technology!

Most of us carry a smartphone or a tablet and I often have both. Once I chose to take my writing seriously, I made sure I possessed the technological toolbox to get the job done. Luckily, I can claim portions of the purchases for income tax purposes.

If you are having trouble making writing a habit, try jotting a few words in the note-area on your phone, or on the word processor on your tablet. I wouldn't recommend writing a 200,000 word novel that way (though I've heard it's a trend in Japan), but a few hundred words are a snap.

And it all counts.

You might be thinking that this type of writing might not seem as productive as butt-in-chair time in front of your laptop, but that sort of thinking might be worming it's way into the excuse/procrastination column of your word-count ledger.

Sometimes your only option is to write on the run.

Try it as a challenge this week. Write on the bus, or in a line at the store, or at your kid's hockey game.

Don't waste the opportunity to stay in the heads of your characters.

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