Writing Streaks

I started writing again. I've not missed a day for three weeks now. So, I'm officially in a writing streak. I heard about streaks when I started reading Dean Wesley Smith's website three years ago. While I entertained the notion of officially doing a streak, I hadn't done so. This isn't to say I didn't have lengthy periods where I wrote every single day without fail. I did. But these periods were always separated by much longer stretch where little if any writing got done.

I know there are plenty of factors that cause one to not write during a given day. I won't talk about any of them. I'm sure any writers reading this will have their own lists of personal reasons. They may be good ones or just lousy excuses. Sometimes, a little of both. One reason I think I'm still going on the streak is that I just totally abandoned my efforts to maintain a writing quota. It seems I alway set myself up for failure by saying that I would need to hit a certain number of words daily or weekly.

The best I can say is that I try to get a single manuscript page. That's 250 words. Sometimes, I don't quite hit that minimum and, really, that's okay. I don't care if I get 100 words as long as I get some words. It all averages out. The goal is only to not miss a day of writing. 

I'm going to see how long I can keep this streak going. I'd encourage my fellow writers to try the same thing. Aim for a manuscript page. I've heard that even a page a day will get you a novel written by the end of a year. Just think if you get two pages a day. You could have two novels written. I know that sounds good to me.