The Start of a 365 Day Journey
365 Pages for the Year Ahead Translates to 365 Posts
Happy New Year! With 2020 underway, it’s time to undertake those big challenges, tackle those dreams and begin writing the novel of 2020.
One of the biggest challenges I decided to undertake this year is to get into a daily ritual of writing and publishing. The idea is not new, but every time I see someone else doing it, I think it’s a worthwhile project.
It’s something that the writer in me wants to incorporate into daily life. So, this is the beginning. I’m committed to writing on Medium daily, and if I fail, to get up the next day and keep going. (I’ve also decided that if I fail, I have to put $5 of spending money in the bank account.)
What to expect: Of course, I’m going to continue writing my emotional wellness articles. They have been my passion for the last three years and passions don’t let up easily. I also plan to continue to write poetry a few times a week. However, I want to experiment outside my comfort zone. I want to write raw, vulnerable pieces about the lessons that life has taught me. I want to write about my other main project this year, which is an increased focus on happiness. I want to write about mental health- the struggles with depression and anxiety that I haven’t really written about on this platform.
There are many reasons to take on a project like this. I have a few of my own which include:
Getting Better at My Writing
I started writing blog posts and articles back in November of last year. While it’s true that my initial year has passed, I still feel like I have a lot to learn.
While it is completely possible to learn better writing from studying other’s work and books on craft, the other part is putting the days and hours into crafting your own work.
I know that I’ve gotten better at writing since last November. If I want to keep getting better, I need to be practicing on a daily basis. It’s also an exercise to see what I want to write when under deadline.
It Provides a Deadline
By nature, I’m a procrastinator. I’m the girl who stayed up until 3 am the day before the final essay was due because all I had was an outline of what I wanted to say. The 10 pages had yet to magically materialize and I knew my grade was on the line.
I’m trying to get better this year with doing things in a timely manner. Writing and publishing seems like a good place to start. It’s a passion of mine which should provide more of a drive. Hopefully, that will spill out to other areas of my life, but one thing at a time.
Having a daily deadline instead of thinking “draft and publish twice a week” will keep me from late nights every Saturday.
It Fights Writer’s Block
Writing for me has always been like a faucet. If it’s turned off for a few days, it likely remains off until I need something. Unfortunately, more likely than not, it’s not going to be turned on for a few days or weeks.
However, if that faucet is turned on, it likely stays on. The muse meets me halfway when she sees that I’m trying. It’s easier to come up with new ideas and craft new posts.
Writer’s block for me is an indicator of procrastination. I want to turn that on it’s head this year.
This is Something I Dream About
The dream of being a writer (even if that’s a part time writer) began for me in 2010. I remember that night well. I was in The Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) at Tony Town Square (Lady and the Tramp themed Italian). I was looking down the street towards the Castle and I thought about what I wanted to do with my life.
I realized that dream and for years I did, nothing. Nada. Zip. I wrote some beginner poetry. However, I refused for the longest time to publish it or to ever attempt to make money from it. I thought that it would suck the joy out of doing it.
Ten years later, I’m wondering why I didn’t start pushing this dream harder earlier. Why I didn’t start any of the numerous times I thought about starting.
Writing still doesn’t pay any of my bills (though it has started to buy me a really nice Sheet’s lunch once a month). However, it still won’t be silenced as a driving force in my life.
2019 was the time to start. 2020 is the time to keep working and build from that start.
It Builds a Backlog
One of the ways that I’ve thought about pursuing writing is by freelancing. Writing daily gives the opportunity to have plenty of samples to choose from when sending out pitches.
The posts created here can help in the future when we decide to begin to contemplate writing a book, starting a podcast or even just fighting writer’s block (what else can you say about a previously touched on article? What is the opposite view of that article?). Repackage the content, but let your current body of work inspire you in the future.
Final Words
I realize that I might fail at some point. However, the opportunity lies in getting up the day after perfect and going back at it. It’s easy to say on Day 1 that this journey will be perfect, but I know that that is simply not the case.
However, I am optimistic about this journey. I think it’s going to be a good one, both in discipline and in improving on what I know and am learning.
Please join me on this journey, whether that is through following or through considering taking the plunge and doing a 365 post project as well.
As always, thanks for reading!
