Happy Tuesday, writers!
This week, to the relief of at least a few of you, we're putting our recent deathbed discussions behind us -- but we are staying in bed! It's just so warm and comfortable and inviting.
Yesterday a friend of David's said something about writing that rang true to us both: "I don't really like writing," he said, "but I like having written."
When he goes to bed at night without having written, this friend tosses and turns and tortures himself for being unproductive. It takes him longer to fall asleep, and he sleeps more fitfully.
On days when he does write, he falls asleep quickly and sleeps more peacefully.
In this week's blog post, David explores the concept of "having written" and offers an exercise you can do from the comfort of your own bed. Or someone else's bed. We don't judge.
And since we don't want you to miss it, we're sharing it with you all here, too. All you need is a notebook, a writing utensil, and a healthy amount of self-awareness:
"This week," David writes, "be aware of, and keep track of in a nightstand notebook, your feelings toward writing as you climb into bed. If you’ve written today, do you feel good about it? And if you haven’t, do you feel dissatisfied and unproductive? Grade yourself as a writer today on a 1-10 scale.
"When you wake up, grade your sleep on a 1-10 scale. Take note of how you feel toward writing and toward yourself as a writer this morning.
"At week’s end, examine your notebook. What have you learned about yourself? Can you create a writing strategy based on these numbers and feelings?"
And that's it! It's super simple. But sometimes the simplest exercise can lead to a sharp increase in productivity.
Let's break down some barriers this week, writers! Because often, writing leads to more writing, and more writing leads to even more writing.
And pretty soon, "having written" becomes the new norm.
