One Hundred Words

Jessica Trapp has this thing going on called One Hundred Words a Day for One Hundred Days. The purpose of it is to get you writing, setting doable goals. Mind you, you can write more than one hundred words a day - you just have to write one hundred words, a day. If you miss a day, you have to start all over again at day one.

She's been doing this for a while now but I decided to join June 1st. So, I went to the yahoo group to sign up, only to see that it was closed to new members. I sent Jessica an email, asking her if it was truly closed to new members because I really wanted to join.

Well, I got an email invitation to a second group that she decided to open up. I think I got that invitation on June 3 - the day my computer crashed for the first time. As you may recall, my computer wasn't stable for a couple of weeks and then it died for good, leaving me without a computer for another couple of weeks.

By that time I was giving very serious consideration to going to Dallas - where I knew I wouldn't write, so why start beforehand, right? I mean, I had been reading the posts (you have to account for writing each day on the loop - although no bragging is allowed, just a post saying you accomplished the one hundred words for the day) where people were saying they were writing their one hundred words long-hand. I was so impressed that people were writing four manuscript pages long-hand.

Now, I know what you're thinking but we aren't quite there yet - but we will get there.

So, I'm really impressed by these folks, thinking I must not be as dedicated as they are that I won't even attempt to write four pages out long-hand. But I did plan to start writing as soon as I got back from Dallas.

Then I get an email with a link to an interview with Jessica where she talks about the one hundred words a day. She's going on and on about how it's a doable goal and it's not that much (and really four pages a day isn't that much if you're really dedicated, right?) - only like ten lines.

Huh?

Just what kind of big-ass font is she using that ten lines equals four pages??? I wondered.

And then it hit me. It's a HUNDRED words - NOT a thousand. Even I could have written that out long-hand! Geez! I'm telling you, numbers and I are no longer friends - we ended our close relationship my senior year of high school I think and this is just evidence of that fact.

Anyway, I finally started writing last Wednesday. But then last night I had a bit of excitement around here and kind of lost my motivation. I had resolved to starting on day one again tonight.

Fortunately though, I couldn't sleep because of the excitement (and the adrenalin rush that came with it) so at about 11:00 p.m. last night, I pounded out my hundred words and post my "did it" email.

I just completed day seven and already have at least day eight mapped out in my head.

So I'm using the hundred words a day motivation to write and it seems to be working. What motivation tactic do you use, and how's it working for you?