I started my career in writing as an entertainment journalist. I spent 13 years writing articles, interviews, and columns for a variety of magazines and newspapers in the Los Angeles area. I learned a lot about writing over those years, but perhaps the most significant lesson was the importance of having deadlines. I can proudly say that I never missed one, but happily admit that without them, a lot of work would never have been completed.
Let’s just say that I spent a lot of last-minute minutes racing to hit my word count by the deadline. That wasn’t necessarily the best thing for my nerves, but the truth is it did a hell of a lot for my writing. I learned how to compose thoughts in a precise and ordered manner. I learned to put together words without a speck of cereal to weaken their impact.
Let me repeat myself. One of the keys to good writing, for me, is having a deadline. Without one, I can wander off course and lose myself in delightful but unnecessary tangents, and never finish. My inner-editor can then rake my words over the coals endlessly as I try to mold them this way and that. A deadline puts the reins on all of that.
That is why the 100-day book program worked so well for me. With its one-two punch of deadlines and consequences, it fueled my writing with intense focus. And it is important to attach a consequence to a deadline or said deadline is just lip service. Joe Bunting helped me realize that.
There were other reasons the program served me well. The process of sharing my work and critiquing that of my fellow participants as I went along emboldened my confidence to a great degree. Reading the critiques of my work helped me to nudge the work in the right direction when it needed it. And I found that my writing improved through the efforts of critiquing others. It’s all about recognizing what works and what doesn’t.
The encouragement and inclusivity by the Write Practice Staff and fellow writers created a warm and wonderful atmosphere that would be hard to duplicate elsewhere. I really felt like part of a community, one that wanted me to succeed almost as much as I did. Plus now I have a finished draft of a novel I’ve been working on for longer than I care to admit.
I am a better writer from participating in this program, and I am grateful to Joe and Sarah for being such good and faithful guides through it all.
If you find yourself interested, be sure to check it out at: thewritepractice.com/writeabook!