In front of the John Lennon Wall in Prague.




Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Happy Anniversary! 365 Days of Writing Practice

One year ago, I sat in the Albuquerque Airport with my good friend and writing buddy, Barbara Ann Yoder waiting for our flights back to the Bay Area.  We had just finished our second A Room of Her Own Foundation's Writing Retreat, still riding high on the glory of the past week.  We had spent our time among 100 writer women:  writing and talking about writing, reading and listening to others read, reveling in the gorgeous high desert scenery of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.  How could we keep this all alive when we re-entered our daily lives?

I'd been here before; after the 2011 AROHO retreat I had sat with  Tania Pryputniewicz, another AROHO friend, trying to make a writing plan.  Back then I still thought I could get myself to write after teaching all day. So that year my plan included locking myself in my room when I returned from work each day. I thought I now had enough fortitude to do this.  After all, I've struggled to write after work for years, sometimes successful but mostly not. Could I do it this time? What I worried about came true: the mental and emotional drain of teaching still won out. No amount of "you should", "you can do it" and "you want to this" self-pep talks could make a real difference. Yes, I wrote more consistently after that first retreat, but not every day. 

And now a year later I sat facing the same problem. I couldn't - and didn't want - to quit my job. I still felt too overwhelmed to write every day after work. What was left for me to try?  Oh, yes - the dreaded early morning wake up call.  

I have always hated the idea of getting up early to write, having resisted the idea that I would ever, ever, ever willingly get up before the sun rose each day. But on August 18, 2013, I made a desperate decision to do just that:  I would get up a half hour earlier each morning to write before going to work.  I was terrified that I couldn't keep it up, but I promised both Barbara and myself that I would at least give it a try.

The next day, August 19, 2013, the alarm rang at 5:45 a.m., and I jerked myself out of bed to sit in
my chair with my notebook.  Since school didn't start until the next day, this was my practice run.  I survived.  I wrote and it felt good.  Now I just had to keep it up. 

That was one year ago today. I have gotten up early every single day since then and written.  365 days in a row. The first time in my writing career that not even a cold or late night celebration have kept me from writing. I have even set my alarm for 4 a.m. to write before catching an early morning flight.  
To commemorate this momentous anniversary, I did a little accounting. During the last year I have filled eight notebooks and am half way through a ninth one.   I have used countless pens. To assuage my guilt at adding all those used carcasses to landfill, I found a new type made from recycled soda bottles. Out of all those notebook pages, most, of course, are just filled with gobbledygook that will never see the light of day.  I remind myself that's not the point.

Today summer vacation ended, and I returned to my full-time job for the school year. This morning the alarm rang at 5:40 a.m., and I wrote for a half hour before getting in the shower. And tomorrow I'll do it again.


What works for you? I'd love to hear.


13 comments:

  1. This is such an affirming post, Lisa. It's encouraging to all writers everywhere that, no matter how impacted, it's possible to get some writing time in! Congratulations on reaching the one year mark. Raising a glass to year 2!

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    1. Thank you, Sandra! Today was day 1 of year 2. It feels wonderful to know I've finally found space for my writing. I wish this pleasure to all writers everywhere. I'll take that glass!

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  2. Congratulations, Lisa! You're my model for stick-to-it-ive-ness. I think having a job can provide a great incentive for maximizing your writing time. Being busy with work you love feeds creative energy. That's been my experience. Thanks for a great post, and thanks for linking to my website. It's been fun to swap notes with you on writing process and life. Carry on!

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    1. Barbara, you are one of the reasons I've made it this far. It was your coaching and encouragement that made me feel I could succeed at this. Carry on as well!

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  3. So amazingly proud of you! This is really inspiring. I am NOT a morning person. I have tried to do this before and failed. But really, what counts, is the daily commitment. And I know, all I need to do is figure out the timing. I can't tell you how much this motivates me, hearing that you have done this for a whole year...You rock, girlfriend!

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  4. Thank you, Michelle! I was never a morning person either, but necessity has made me one! You are correct, of course, that finding the right timing that works for you is the key. I'm honored that you say I motivate you - you who always inspire me to greater heights.

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  5. Oh wait, I wasn't finished...This inspires me. I love teaching , but it is always so demanding . I always start off with a writing routine, but as the workload increases it gets harder and harder to keep up with the creative writing . What I do is use rocks/stones as visual reminders. For every day I write, I put a rock in a glass jar. My dream is to one day be surrounded by these rocks and use them to build something in a garden. The rocks help, but I still struggle with daily writing. I'm gonna try your method for a month and see if I can keep it up beyond that.

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  6. Olga, it is so wonderful to hear from you! I know exactly what you mean about teaching; so rewarding but so demanding. Too often our writing gets lost in the mix. So whatever can keep us writing is worth it. I love your idea of rocks in a glass jar. What a great visual reminder. It's funny you say that because I have rocks and pebbles from all my travels on my writing desk, including those I got at Ghost Ranch. Thank you for reading my blog.

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  7. Thank you for this inspiring post. It reminds me that the most important act I do as a writer is to sit in the damn chair. This too reminds me of a piece I read in the current issue of Poet and Writers Magazine...the author argues that it isn't talent that makes a writer but rather "perseverance of spirit." Your dedication to your writing in the early morning hours exemplifies just that! Abrazos.

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    1. Florencia, Thank you for reading this post. I'm with you -- most of the battle is sitting down with the pen and paper (or computer). Being in the presence of such dedicated writers at AROHO gave me the inspiration to do this.

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  8. Lisa, congratulations. What an enormous accomplishment! I am in awe of and inspired by you. Hug, Tracey.

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    1. Tracey - Thank you so much for re-posting my blog post on the AROHO website. It is f all of you wonderful women that has given me the inspiration to do this. Lisa

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