Building on a Streak: Day 10 of the Writing Challenge

For those of you who’ve participated in the December Writing Challenge from the first day, today is day 10 (at least) of your writing streak, but even if you’ve just joined us, you know that each day stands on its own when it comes to making time to write. You might think to yourself, “I’ve managed to write the last nine days, so surely I can write today!” And you’d be correct. But that doesn’t mean each day doesn’t introduce its own challenges and distractions. Those little suckers love to crop up when you least expect them, especially this time of year.

So, at the risk of sounding like a 12-step program, take it one day at a time. Yes, get excited about your streak of writing days, because every day you write should be celebrated and appreciated. But don’t get cocky. That’s asking the gods of fate to send you an emergency project at work or for your kids to get the stomach flu.

Recommit each morning. Remind yourself why you’re doing this. Use your writing streak as motivation — because the longer you maintain your daily writing habit, the more exciting it can be to realize how many days in a row you’ve written. But don’t assume that a great streak can’t be broken. As the saying goes in financial circles, past performance is no indication of future results.

Congratulations on your writing days so far, however many there have been, and good luck keeping up with the challenge. Write daily, at least a little bit. You deserve that time for yourself and your writing goals.