All writers should print this and post it on their walls–their physical walls, that is.
Some writers are very disciplined. Me? Not so much. As life happens, my writing pays the price. It tends to be the first thing that gets moved to the “I’ll do it tomorrow” list and I end up feeling frustrated with my lack of progress. I admire writers who stick to schedules, who recognize the importance in what they do. In an effort to make some changes in my writing life, I came up with a set of commandments that I hope will help me stay on the path.
Very true for work such as this.
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It is a great piece to hang up on the wall!
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1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, & 10 I can do. 2, isn’t going to happen. 6, not as easy as it sounds when you work full-time and live 20+ miles from everywhere. 8, sometimes you need a long, rambling sentence. 🙂
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Excellent points!
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Loved all the points 🙂
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Yes, this is a wonderful list.
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Good advice. I have trouble with #2. And #6 is hard for me too. I always feel like I’m intruding when talking to other writers.
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Do the best you can with the ones that work best for you.
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I try.
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That is all we can do.
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1. I am a writer.
2. Does a daily goal count? 1,200 words or bust.
3. I need to work on this. I used to tear through books, but now everything is an analytical (what can I learn from this) sort of style.
4. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
5. They’re near and dear to me. Old friends and new.
6. This! So much this! A great group of writing friends is so important.
7. Allways? hehe
8. Commas? Hyphens? Semi-Colons? Right? haha.
9. I use the blood of my heart as my ink.
10. Critique is what makes us better.
I thought 2 would always be an impossible task for me. I started with a daily goal of 100 words. That grew into 500, then into a thousand. I settled on 1,200 for whatever primary project I am working on, 500 for any ancillary projects. Although, the ancillaries can change. While I know this is a cute list of 10 rules, most of it is very true. Thanks for sharing.
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You are very welcome.
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This is good. I need to follow #1, I think #9 should be top of the list, and I’m always shocked that writers have difficulty with #7. Thanks for this post!
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You are very welcome.
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Nice concept, but somewhat restrictive. We have enough rules around us, why bind ourselves anymore with an additional set? In fact, why must we have to struggle with our writing? If we struggle so much, then we ask ourselves, why do it? Is it really for the love or is there that desire to be rich and famous? What is really the truth? If we can be truly honest with ourselves and say it’s for the love, then there should be no struggle because who is judging? Who cares? If you share your creation and worry what others will think, then ask yourself why do that to yourself? Is it worth all that mental pain and worry? What do you think?
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I hope it is not restrictive. I saw the post and loved it, because it is meant, I believe, to offer encouragement and discipline to writers. That is what is important, but you are correct that creativity does not need to be confined.
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Yes, I guess it is a matter of perspective or perhaps the title is what made me initially think of it as restrictive.
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That is very possible, and I certainly do not want to offer restrictions on creativity.
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Good info. Thanks for sharing! Have a good weekend Charles!
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You are very welcome!
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😀
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Amendment to No. 1: Thou shalt see thyself as a writer FIRST. It does something awful to the creative brain when you admit you are (for instance) “a retail worker — oh, and a writer” instead of “a writer who works (retail)…” There is quite enough minimizing in the world to do it to oneself!
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Excellent–that is the point! We are writers!
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For some reason I struggle with #1 and #2 even though I always intend to write and enjoy it.
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We all struggle with some of these!
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