Herb’s blog, Herbdate 16320-009:
I have been told in sundry times and in diverse manners, that what i need to do is set some goals for myself as far as my writing is concerned.
The idea that, no matter what, I will write three hundred and fifty words every day is a great start but a little tougher than you might at first expect. I think the author of the original article meant that you should add to your current project or projects, but writing about something new each day, or, more accurately, scrawling a thought a day, should get the creative juices flowing. I already write long e-mails to friends on esoteric subjects. I like the idea also because it reminds me that I want to make this my work, not just a pastime.
This brings me to the goals. What do I really want from writing? I think I want two things. I want to make money as a writer and I want my writing to have artistic merit as well. Here is my tentative plan:
1) Complete a short story of 1000 to 3500 words and submit it somewhere, either to a contest or to a magazine before the end of, ummm, er, ah, well, how about before the end of 2005? I will try not to take rejection personally.
2) Submit at least five poems somewhere other than Poetry Dot Com for publication.
3) Work on plotting a novel.
While this will not make me a superstar overnight, we can hope that it will help me to become more organized and more committed to writing. I think it may also influence other areas of my life, such as my business, which I need to kick-start as well.
So, the “Long And Winding Road” may lead, not to someone’s door, but to the door of success and opportunity. I must keep this small, three-hundred-fifty word commitment and meet these goals, and I will be on my way.
The last question I have is something I have noticed when trying this. Why is it so hard to come up with three-hundred-fifty words?
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