If you haven’t already heard, #1000wordsofsummer has just concluded (ish) and it’s been a wordy two weeks! The concept is straightforward and relatively simple: sit down once a day for two weeks and write 1000 words each time. OR, set yourself a writing goal based on time (ex. 60 minutes) or pages (especially if you’re writing freehand). Ultimately it’s about getting something down on the page, be they new words or edits. It’s about making time for writing, or even more loosely, creating, in the midst of everything else that’s going on in this wide wild world.
This year I thought I’d document the process and this blog post wouldn’t be complete without a reminder that I read conceptor Jami Attenberg’s book 1000 Words this winter and read her weekly substack posts which I recommend. So I’ve been getting her reminder notes this past month that encouraged me to think about and plan for #1000WordsofSummer. Which I more or less did in two ways. One: I started a note on my phone with ideas for writing. You know, perhaps, when you have an idea for a writing or other creative project but you’re somewhere very unconducive to actually doing that project (like in a meeting at work or at the dentist?)? This happens to me ALL the time. And 2% of the time I remember that idea. So I’ve taken to writing them down. Even just a few words. One of the prompts says “boob grab.” I know exactly what it means.
I thought I’d document the process and some of the content for you generally because I want to demonstrate that (a) it’s not easy, (b) it’s not automatic and (c) every day looks different.
Day 1
Writing Time: 50 minutes (evening)
Writing space: Outdoors
Words written: 1003
Content notes: New words
Day 2
Writing Time: 35 minutes (evening)
Writing space: Indoors
Words written: 1026
Content notes: New words
Day 3
Writing Time: 20 minutes (afternoon)
Writing space: Outdoors
Words written: 1005
Content notes: New words, driven by emotion
Day 4
Writing Time: 45 minutes (evening)
Writing space: Indoors
Words written: 1019
Content notes: New words, driven by imagining a real life scenario with a twist of fate
Day 5
Writing Time: 45 minutes (afternoon)
Words written: 977
Writing space: Indoors (various)
Content notes: New words, very logical/sequential
Day 6
Writing Time: 30 minutes (evening)
Words written: 896
Writing space: Indoors
Content notes: Reflective piece about beach-going on the anniversary of the Invasion of Normandy
Day 7
Writing Time: 40 minutes (afternoon)
Words written: 755
Writing space: Indoors (it’s raining, it’s pouring…)
Content notes: I know this is short of the mark but for today it’s great, and I got to sit down and write! Mission accomplished!
I did not write on days 8 and 9. I just didn’t have it in me.
Day 10
Writing Time: Afternoon, 45 minutes
Words written: Unsure (I wrote longhand)
Writing space: Cafe
Content notes: I wrote in a notebook, longhand, with a writing buddy across the table from me. We both were surprised when the 45 minute timer sounded. It was the first day I wrote words for my manuscript. They probably won’t make it in – they’re very extraneous to the plot, but they’re not extraneous to the relationship at the heart of the story. They’re scaffolding.
Day 11
Writing Time: Morning (30 minutes)
Words written: 991
Writing space: Indoors (it’s cold!)
Content notes: More scaffolding, some that I’m more sure might make it in somehow. I basically thought about a scene that is central to my story but that I feel is just a bit weak and I’ve written an almost 1000 words of extra support for its beginning. Tomorrow I might tackle something in the middle. Challenge myself to add 1000 words to the scene – see where it goes…
I didn’t write on days 12 or 13…
Day 14
Writing Time: Evening (Night) (1 hour)
Words written: 751
Writing space: Indoors
Content notes: Same characters, new scene, just imagining something between them.
I didn’t get a lot of reading done during these two weeks because my “liesure” time was limited and I made some hard choices about how to spend my time when I wasn’t doing paid work or parenting. I really tried to only write if I wanted to – I didn’t push myself too hard to write when my only “free” time was at 9pm and I didn’t force myself to get to 1000 words either – for me the act of sitting down to write, making time and space for it, was what was important.
Did it go exactly as planned? No.
Did I keep up the habits I established during the two weeks? No…and I would argue I didn’t re-establish the habit.
Do I still want to keep writing? Yes.
Back to regularly ish scheduled content next week with second quarter faves! There’s a lot of them!
RebeccaReads 