After watching the honest but sad Anthony Bourdain’s documentary “ROADRUNNER,” I can’t help but think how brilliant a writer he was. His powerful voice gave life to the rich words in his books and TV shows. I’m grateful that we got to hear his eloquent insights.
The man was a cultural force whose impact spanned generations—an inspiration for food, travel and adventure.
Anthony’s fame started well after his 40’s. It goes to show you how much one can accomplish. It gives me hope that my life could take a turn at any moment. I could write a book, start travelling the world, have kids, or become a superstar.
In the documentary, I watched Bourdain talk about his morning routine. Every day, he got up and had a smoke. After the cigarette, he swung his arms and started typing. No one could doubt his diligence and work ethic. He had a purpose. Even his emails to his friends were worthy of publication.
As a writer, you must love the craft and make friends with people who know it well. My question becomes, how may I create a unique routine where I write for hours?
Training for NaNoWriMo, the marathon of writing
As you may know, every year, I participate in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. Every November, you get to write 50k words or 1666 words a day.
I’ve used writing frameworks in the past, which allowed me to structure and make sense of the words, but this game is not about quality but numbers.
In preparation for the special event, I’m building a writing habit that allows me to show up every day and grind out the words. I started with a 400 word a day goal, and every day I incremented 50 words. After the second week, I was comfortably writing 1k words a day.
After sitting down at my desk, I first set up a writing sprint with the Insight Timer app for 15-minutes along with 3-4 interval bells, which keep me present without editing any words. I also use the Centered app for extra accountability. (Use ANOTIONTOWORK20 to get 20% off)
After gathering some data, I found I would need to complete three or four writing sprints to reach my daily goal. 15-30 minutes is all it takes to write 500-1000 words.
Notion is the app where all the action happens. Here’s our Notion template you can use to track your words for NaNoWriMo.
Keep writing junk
Starting a novel can be intimidating. The hardest thing about writing one is getting the words on the page. The second most challenging thing is keeping them there, not giving up and holding on till the end.
How can you do this? By having a game plan. A game plan that tells you where you’re going and how to get there. October is the time to prepare and set up the game to get the writing done. Check out this NaNo Prep 101 Course.
I’ve been reading “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg this past month. A lot of her insights have radically changed the way I write. I’m lucky to have such generous clients that gift me books about writing. What’s remarkable about this book is that it focuses on getting words out.
I’ve been able to write more after allowing my writing to be “the worst junk in the world.” Natalie suggests you must be “willing to write junk for five years”; even if all you write is how awful a writer you are. It doesn’t mean we give up on having high standards. But it does mean we let go of our fears and perfectionism. Instead of writing perfectly, we write more.
Not only must we believe in our capacity to write, but we must be consistent. Through consistency, we develop a visceral dedication to our writing.
We can only improve if we practice. Natalie and Anthony helped me see it takes a lot of practice to find our voice.
But you can’t run a marathon without running 5k first. Patience and perseverance will pay off.
When we aren’t constantly looking at our weaknesses, we can focus on cultivating our strengths. When we allow ourselves to write “in the mess,” we pay attention to what we say. Because we never know when we uncover our most authentic, powerful voice.
Wish me luck!
