Score one for coming through

This is the time for some indulgent self-congratulations. Last Thursday I declared I would post material here every day through February 14th. Well, I did it.

What does that mean? It merely says that in a field so fragile as the creative work of blogging (all writing careers are fragile, not only for the actual means of making a living, but also for the very act of writing itself), what you say you will do is as good as having a boss who demands performance or you're out the door.

Writers must get up every day and do the hard work of writing, which has almost nothing to do with inspiration, but everything to do with commitment and determination. As a writer (or blogger) you ARE your word! If you keep your word to write your words, you have a fighting chance.

My own struggle with writing has to do with seeking and rarely finding the free time to do the hard work of writing. Now, consider this: when you or I find a window of free time, what do we want to do with it? Work? NO. Hard work? Definitley NOT!! I seek to luxuriate in reading, bathing in hot bubbly tub water, calling a friend, preparing a special meal, catching up on housekeeping chores and laundry, grocery shopping, or, god forbid, watching more TV! So the shift has to happen differently, as a way to get into the habit of doing the hard work necessary to get to the joy of having delivered on my word and then the joy of having delivered words I might be proud of.

What I like about blogs for writers, as a means of getting oneself into the writing habit, is the fantasy that there are hungry readers waiting to catch that daily entry, that brief but pithy slice of thinking that will inspire or arouse their curiosity. So today I did it: I have a week under my belt of daily blog entries. And today I pledge another week. Onward to February 21.