Been home from a long-ass road trip for almost two weeks now. Clothes are washed, the weeds in the yard pulled, the refrigerator restocked, and the daily routine back to normal (such as it is).
Time for a challenge.
To put this in some context, let me confess that I’m not a planner. I’d like to be a person who schedule their day, week, month, and year down to the nearest half-hour. I’ve even tried it now and again. But I can never bring myself to follow little squiggles on a calendar that I know are as arbitrary as waking each day and winging it.
Problem is, lack of focus often means lack of progress in a creative project. At my age, the last thing I need is a lack of progress. I’d like to accomplish a few things before the bell tolls, but I’m not taking the necessary steps. Too many things get in the way. Check that—I allow too many things to get in the way.
Thus, the challenge. I’m going to start off small hoping success in the next few days will give me the motivation to continue in the weeks ahead.
Even when other demands on my time poke their ugly heads out of the muck. Even if I end up traveling (which I will in early November). Even when everything and everybody wants a piece of me.
No pressure.
So here’s is what I’ve promised myself. By the end of this coming Sunday, I will have written twenty-thousand new words. It’s not much (at least by the standards of many), but I want to start small and build. A little under three-thousand words a day should be doable, even for me.
But that’s not all. I’ll also have finish the rough construction of a driveway gate similar to the one in the picture. I don’t know about you, but I’m a creative who likes to use his hands. There’s something calming about working with wood, especially when I’ve taken it from a standing tree to a board. The process takes a few years, so the necessary perseverance exceeds that of producing a novel. At least for me.
Each day this week I’ll post updates on my progress. Words will be counted. Gate preparation and build will be pictured. I’m sure my mental state will find its way into the mix.
Wish me luck.
Recent Comments