The Habit of Writing : An MFA Experiment: August 2014

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

This blog is a spin-off of a lecture about habits given by Andromeda at the July 2014 residency.

Premise: much of writing is about aligning our habits, routines, and rituals with our goals and with our own temperaments and creative metabolisms. We should experiment often in search of our best processes. (To succeed, we should usually do only one habit formation or habit change experiment at a time.)

Research rationale for this one-month writing log experiment: In one study, dieters who tracked their own food intake succeeded in losing more weight than non-loggers. The simple act of becoming more aware and creating a written record, even in the absence of highly specific goals, can create positive life change.

The challenge: Track your writing life every day for a month, beginning Sept 8 (after Labor Day Week).

Option A: You may want to try to become a Daily Writer. Good for you! Aim to write every day, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Note how regularity changes your ability to slip into the writing mindset. Question your own assumptions about the minimum time needed to do worthwhile writing. If you slip up, don't give up, since slip-ups are frequent in many "don't-break-the-chain efforts."

Option B: You may have no interest in becoming a Daily Writer. No problem. Become a Daily Logger. Pen down each day simply whether you wrote or not. Even if you didn't, still log. Note productivity and thought patterns, or whatever you like.

FAQs

Where do I log my writing?This blog is pre-set to post a daily blogpost (inspiring quote or other). Add your own writing log as a "comment." Click on the #comments button, to the right of "Posted by Andromeda" at bottom of blogpost. Write your comment, add your identity (Google login or choose "Anonymous" to avoid needing to do an official password-protected log-in; you can still sign the comment with a nickname if you choose). If you're baffled, email Andromeda.

How should I log my daily activity here?
Any way you like. To be efficient and avoid turning this blog into a time drag, why not just come up with a code? For example: WRITING Y OR N; TIME SPENT; WORDCOUNT ADDED, IF NO WRITING TIME ANY TIME SPENT RE-READING WORK OR ACTIVELY PLANNING? Y OR N; # OF STARS 1 TO 3 FOR CONTENTMENT WITH YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL TODAY. And then, only if you like, a sentence or so of greeting or self-congratulation or inspiration to others. (Can you use another format? Absolutely!)

Example: Y, 2 hours, 1200 words, also time pm re-reading ms to date, **. Hey everyone, keep up the good work -- rainy weather is good for writing!

What if I hate the idea of getting online every day?
We get it! In that case, do a longhand journal and feel free to catch up every few days or once a week at this blog, entering your data here in order to take part in the collaborative spirit. (Research: community efforts at habit change are often more successful.)

Who am I competing against?
Only yourself. You're not trying to write more or longer than anyone else. You're simply discovering whether daily logging or community accountability makes a difference in your own writing life.

What if I WANT to make this a stricter, bolder challenge?
Bet against yourself. Commit to either daily logging of any kind, or daily writing of any kind, and make a pledge to donate money to a cause you admire, or better yet, to a cause you detest should you fail, or create a public accountability system in some other way. See the research-based Stickk.com website to see how you can join millions of other users in creating consequences for your habit change. Weird. Fun! (And if you sign up, tell us about it.) Via Stickk, I have personally committed to donating $49 to an "anti-charity," a cause I detest, in the event I fail to write daily. Wish me luck!

The Habit of Writing : An MFA Experiment

Monday, August 25, 2014

Month-long Challenge Starts Monday, Sept. 8. Commit and Comment Here!