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The power of writing every day

Eighteen days ago, I made a decision that changed the fate of my third novel.

I decided I would write a thousand words each day, every day, without stopping, until I was finished.

At first it was hard to know if this was even going to work. My writing schedule for the first two novels was maybe 350 words on weekdays, occasionally doubling that if I was really productive. It took about a year to finish a novel, as long as I didn’t get distracted or miss too many days in a row.

I worried a bit that I would just be writing crap to make the word count. Sure, I could always go back and fix it later, but what if it was unfixable crap? It turns out that’s not how it happens. The fixed word count policy actually increased the overall quality of the text.

How could this be possible?

If you don’t take a day off, even on weekends, your brain never stops thinking about the story. Every day you have to have something to write, so during the day your mind is always thinking about what you wrote the night before. When it comes time to write, you rarely feel blocked.

I chose to write in the evening, on my laptop, just before I go to sleep. To avoid staying up all night, I installed f.lux, a free application that changes the color temperature of my laptop after sunset to look less like the daytime sun. This ends up working perfectly. By the time I’m finished writing, I’m satisfied and ready for rest.

I’m going to keep writing every day in this way until I finish my novel. It really is a great way to write. If you find yourself struggling for motivation, I definitely recommend doing this.

Jeremy Reimer on 2013-09-19 13:44:55.000

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I’m going to keep writing every day in this way until I finish my novel.
[/quote]

I'm so close! I'm at 88,000 words and I'm pretty much at the climactic scene.

I CAN DO THIS!!

Jeremy Reimer on 2013-09-21 23:29:22.000

92,815 words.

It is done.

I have done it.

I DID IT!

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