Congrats on reaching your word count goal! That’s great news, David.

Ahhh, now I see. Thank you. I’ll give this a try. I’ve been writing a short story about my dog going missing in the city, and being found 27hours later and miles away from where I last saw him. Following your advice about showing up each day with a word count and I’m almost at my goal of 5000 words. 🙂

Yes, you can continue where you left off the previous day, but I’ve found that if I give myself some specific instructions about that, it makes the job a whole lot easier. For example, let’s imagine you were writing a piece (or a chapter for a book) on the topic of blue cheese. You might write yourself a note like: “address the nutritional aspects of blue cheese,” or “describe the taste of blue cheese.” Do you see how such a specific directive is likely to get your mind working?

Hang in there! Kids eventually grow up — usually faster than you think.

I really wanted to write about the passing of Joan Mondale, who died on February 3. I searched online for her obituary, and her daughter Eleanor’s death in 2011 came to the top. I failed to notice the date, until I mentioned Eleanor to my wife. The New York Times obituary in 2011 was excellent, while our local Minneapolis Tribune was unkind. I went directly to the New York Times online yesterday, and searched for Joan. What a rewarding, excellent piece of writing! I set aside the printout on top of my journal. I had had no idea what an influence she was on the “Politics of Art”, as Second Lady in the Carter Administration, and ever after in social action related to the arts.

I wrote only about her this morning, recalling a visit to her father’s home in Afton, MN, while he was Chaplain at Macalester College. I never met her.

though living in different countries and following different cultures. All your suggestion are super and great reminders to fix the writing activity first thing in the morning. Your idea of planning the next day’s strategy beats all.
Thanks for the great advice as always!

I use a timer too Kelly…the pomodoro technique. 25 mins of ticking and 5 mins of break to get tea, go to the loo or do a little yoga then back to it. It is a very productive way to get things done.