Post #236 – Memoir Writing Tips – Matilda Butler
Try This Memoir Writing Motivational Tip
I recently read an amazing statistic. Since Fitbit introduced its first fitness tracker, the millions of users using it have walked more than 23.2 trillion steps. First of all, that number is incredible. Second, I wonder why so many steps? It turns out that tracking physical activity provides its own motivation. And with greater motivation a person is eager to become even more fit and hence walk more steps.
It certainly works for me. When I go out on my daily (well, almost daily) walk, I always measure the number of steps. The software I use isn’t a Fitbit, but an app on my iPhone. Not only does it keep track of steps, it also converts the steps into miles and lets me know how many flights of stairs I’ve climbed. I can look at the day-to-day changes, look at the past week, the past month, etc. When I see a drop in activity, I know it’s time to renew my walking plan of action.
Get Fit With Your Memoir Writing: Try This
Here’s a suggestion. Keep track of how many words you write each time you sit down to work. All word processing software lets you highlight a section of text and it will report on the number of words. Keep a small notebook by your work area and write down the daily total along with the date.
Prefer to work by the clock? Write down the date and how long you wrote. Add data each day that you write.
Before you know it, you’ll have your own statistics. 10,000 words in a month? 20 hours in a month?
Set your own goals and then measure your progress.
Here’s what a few other writers say are their daily goals:
3000 Words, Anne Rice
3000 Words, Anthony Trollope
3000 Words, Arthur Conan Doyle
2500 Words, Maya Angelou
2000 Words, Stephen King
1500 Words, Jack London
1500 Words, Susan Wittig Albert (Founder of Story Circle Network and author of several New York Times Bestselling series)
I’ve left out one well-known author who wrote much less per day:
500 Words, Ernest Hemingway
And then there is always the famous James Joyce story. One day a friend asked him if he’d had a good day writing. He smiled and said “Yes.” When asked how much he had written, he responded, “Three sentences.”
So whether you write three sentences or 3000 words, I suggest you try tracking your progress, your writing fitness, as your log just may be the motivational force that keeps you moving forward.
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