A Writing Proposition

[penmage]

When I went to hear Terry Pratchett a bit ago, someone asked him for advice for aspiring writers. He said a bunch of things, but one thing that lodged itself in my brain was that for the last 6 years, he's written 400 words a day. Every day. If he knew he was going to miss a day, he'd make it up in advance; if he missed a day without meaning to, he'd make it up the next day. 400 words, about anything. Just make up characters and have them talk to each other, if you have nothing better to write. The idea is to keep constantly writing, to keep in the habit, to keep the words flowing.

I'd like to try this summer. To write 400 words a day, every day. Is anyone interested in doing this with me? If there's enough interest and someone's got a spare code, we can make a community, maybe have it be a different person's job to suggest a loose topic each day.

Anyone interested?

Comments

[jenavira.livejournal.com]

Yes. I've been meaning to do this anyway this summer, but I haven't gotten around to it just yet. (Typical of me.) Brilliant idea.

[rosaleendhu.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a plan to me! And it's better than my sentence a day plans. ;) Would the topic be for if you don't have any other writing ideas?

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Yup. You could write whatever you wanted to - more in your running project, or whatever random idea you have - but if you need a snap idea, this community could be a source for em.

[magiien.livejournal.com]

That sounds like an interesting idea. I'd join a community like that. Maybe you should post it in the NaNoWriMo community as well. Some of them might like to use it as a warm-up. :)

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

Can't make any promises, but this certainly sounds like something I'd try. It really is interesting, especially if I had enough of a support group to kick my ass if I didn't keep up with it.

[canthlian.livejournal.com]

I'll give it a go! And I'll even donate a code for the community. Gods know, I need something to keep me writing. :P

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

How many pages do 400 words occupy? (on average, single-spaced)

[dhole.livejournal.com]

It depends on the font you use. A good rule of thumb is that a double spaced Courier (12 point) page is in the neighborhood of 250 words. Single space Times New Roman, 400 is probably less than a page.

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

I actually pulled 400 words out of the piece I'm working on to check. One 400-word block in single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman with 1-inch margins all around is approximately 4.75 inches.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

So we're talking less than a page. That sounds doable. (I usually do two pages a day of journaling; I guess the trick is to do something story-like.)

[etoilepb.livejournal.com]

Thanks to the thing in Neil Gaiman's blog long ago that Stephen King said 300 words a day will make a novel in a year, I've actually already promised myself that between June 1 and whenever I find a job, I must write 300 words a day, and make them up another day if I miss one. For now, though, I plan to write them all in my story that could really be a novel if I ever WROTE MORE. :)

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

This is not the first time I've heard advice of this sort; Gene Wolfe and Harlan Ellison have both given similar advice in print. Basically, it works if you have a life you can bend around that way. There is a valid point that in order to write, you have to get writing done; but I don't think doing it daily necessarily works for everyone. [ Published counterexample; Iain M. Banks, who writes like a maniac two months of the year and does nothing the other ten. ]

Myself, I aim to do a chapter a week, on one or two evenings a week, and that has, since I've started doing wordcounts here, tended to come out as 3000-4000 words every week. Which seems reasonable to me.

[peartreealley.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in joining--I love writing communities and various topics would help me out with being able to write more spontaneous material.

Erg... but I already do write every day so I dunno if I'd "qualify."

[nleseul.livejournal.com]

Well, I just did a wordcount on what's supposed to be a simple bio for a new D&D character that I've been working on for three days, one of which I didn't touch it, and it's over 3000 words at the moment. 400 words apparently really isn't all that much. :-P

Based on that, if you make a community of this, I'd probably be interested. Although I can't really guarantee my consistent participation, which might rather defeat the purpose of joining. :-P

[azazel.livejournal.com]

aye

[vass]

I'm interested.