The Dreaded Daily Word Count
The Dreaded Daily Word Count
Open any book on 'how to write,' and somewhere you will find a discussion of how many words you should write every day. Forget the struggle to get ourselves to the paper or the computer every day, now we have to produce a certain number of words?Me? I don't write every day (Quick! Call the Writer Police!), I don't do 2000 words, and you don't have to either. So what's the pace you should aim for and how do you figure that out? I'll show you.Rather than order yourself to write a certain number of words a day, join the Design Your Own Word Count program. Here's how to find your daily word count in 3 easy steps:1) Give yourself an easy word count limit, say 10 words. Ready? Go. And.....stop. Hurray! Congratulations, you've met your goal. You're free to go do the laundry or have some ice cream. Your choice.Seriously, note how you'd feel fairly ridiculous if you stopped there. Remember that feeling and keep writing. Check in whenever you find yourself pausing and see if you still feel that way (i.e. lame, lazy, if you're laughing--picture yourself telling a writer friend, "I wrote 27 words today, isn't that awesome?" Picture the look on their face). Now, keep writing.2) As long as you feel interested and excited in what you're doing each time you check in, keep going. Even if you're nervous and a little scared, keep going. Those feelings will propel you past superficial writing about how much you're looking forward to that bowl of Ben & Jerry's.3) When do you stop? When you first notice you're controlling word and image choice. When you notice your thoughts turning negative. When you feel yourself sliding downhill into The Tar Pit of Despair. Dig in your heels and turn your eyes back to the sun (your page or computer screen). Look what you've accomplished!It's important that you end the session still feeling positive and excited about what you're writing. Hemingway always stopped at a place where he could leave himself something to start with the next day, something to look forward to. Do the same. Jot down where you want to pick up the next time and stop.Work your way up to the count that feels right, through practicing the above exercise. The amount of time you spend lost in your enthusiasm (sometimes even the nervousness) for what you're writing will get longer and longer the more you stick with it.We all really LOVE writing. It's not the act itself, it's the fear that everything we produce will stink and everyone will find out. Pssst, let me tell you a secret: everybody writes garbage. I'm including the greats too. Except maybe Shakespeare. Some publisher should dig up some of this bad writing from the best writers of our time and publish it. It would make us all feel better.Here's another tip - STOP TRYING TO IMPRESS THE PEOPLE IN YOUR HEAD. Whoever they are. Who cares what they think? This is about discovering what interesting things you have to say, what visions are in your mind's eye. Maybe they don't come out as polished as you'd like, but they are still important. You're not going to write a Pulitzer Prize winning novel right out of the gate. Give yourself a break. Just get it on paper. You can fix it later in the editing process. If you've got a blank page, you've got nothing. Can't give a haircut or new hairstyle to a person who is completely bald, right?I'm giving you a free pass to write garbage. In fact, that's your first assignment. See what truly awful stuff you can write. I dare you.As for writing every day: Promise yourself you'll write 3 or 4 days a week and stick to it. If you end up not writing for a week or even two months, and the next time you do you really enjoy it--and end up writing for two weeks straight before taking a break--I'd consider that a SUCCESSFUL writing practice.I believe what keeps you writing is that electric loss of self--when you're inside the experience, flowing with your thoughts and vision--even if that feeling only lasts for 10 minutes.IT'S THE PROCESS NOT THE PRODUCT. Stop when you're still feeling good. Leave yourself wanting more.By the way, the word count for this article is 796. Not 2000 but who cares? What matters is: I wrote today. Did you? More importantly: did you have fun? Good for you. Write it on a Post-it note and slap it on your computer screen. Make sure you use lots of exclamation points. You deserve it.Christine Stewart is an artist-in-residence with Creative Alliance in Baltimore. She has an M.A. and M.F.A. in creative writing and poetry, is the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and has been published in Poetry, Ploughshares, and other literary magazines. She mentors and leads private workshops for adults and teens, and has taught writing in the extension programs at Los Angeles Valley College and Pasadena City College in California. Check out her website at: http://www.therealwriter.com
The Daily Rite
The Daily Rite
If you want to be a writer, then you must write - you must write something every day.If possible, have an established time to write every day. Budget your time to make that period available even if it is only a few minutes. You will be surprised how much you can write in a short period of time. This writing should have a dual purpose: first, to improve your writing skills, and, second, to record your ideas.As well, a special writing place is also helpful. It should preferably be a spot where you are free from the distractions of daily living-a corner of a bedroom, living room, or even kitchen, but it should be your writing site. Of course, an office of your own would be a preferred location. It is surprising how the mind can develop creatively if given the chance.To write every day requires a plan; it requires a time; it requires a location; it requires a focus; and it requires a reason. The first two have already been dealt with, so what is a focus plan? A focus plan is a decision of what kind of writing one will do: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, articles, short stories, etc. Here, the writer has to find his/her voice. Do not spend the writing time thinking about it; the important thing is to write and the voice will come.Of course, a focus requires a reason for writing. Is it for personal satisfaction and enjoyment only? On the other hand, is it for public consumption and financial augmentation? Perhaps both. Usually, though, one writes to share one's thoughts and ideas with readers.What about ideas and topics? Without them, a writer is lost. In writing every day, the goal is to express whatever comes to mind-a memory, a gripe, a desire, a feeling, an incident, or grammatical exercise. It really does not matter; the important activity is the writing. Once started the words usually flow.So, write something every day.Charles O. Goulet has a BA in English literature. He has published several novels that are available through Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and many other online bookstores.His website is: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/go1c
How to Sense Low Levels of Asbestos in Your Daily Environment. (Part II)
How to Sense Low Levels of Asbestos in Your Daily Environment. (Part II)
Most people find it difficult to believe that a tiny dust material, too small to see, can cause such havoc with the human body.
As a construction worker, I may have an advantage in identifying the materials which shed this residue, but this also tends to make me more vulnerable to it's effects. This, in turn gives me the incentive to do what it takes to avoid it or possibly shed it myself if I should accidentally make contact with it from any number of situations.How do I determine that I've accidentally contacted the residue?To start with, what you have to understand is " this material is light enough to stay airborne for long periods of time, it is very dry and staticy, it can leave a bitter-salty taste in your mouth, it can be irritating to the eyes and sinuses and it attaches to the hairs on your skin and head leaving a staticy-iching feeling over your entire body.( Sometimes this sensation is subtle and other times it's pronounced, depending on the type of asbestos material it came from and the amount of dust you've contacted.)" Combined with the many chance encounters of this material, this presents an interesting challenge for which few are willing to embark.If you are ready to take on this challenge, the first step in getting relief from this sensation requires removing and isolating the clothes you were wearing and showering thoroughly. After dressing, the next logical step is to backtrack and identify the items and locations that you made contact with between the time you made the contact with the residue and the point where the clothes were shed. If these were solid surface items, they can be wiped clean with disposable towels and either water or a spray cleaner such as orange cleaner. If they were cloth surfaces such as cloth car seats or furnture, the simplest method is thorough vacuuming with a vacuum cleaner which includes a hepa filter.Next comes the choice of disposing of the clothes or trying to clean them. If you try to wash them in a clothes washer, one washing wil not do it. Also, it's important to wash them separately from other clothes. Cotton clothes will eventually clear up, where polyester or nylon may never come clean of this residue.Given the previous information to be true, one soon sees the logic in wearing only cotton clothes and being aware of the path you take after contacting any suspected situations.If this routine doesn't interest you in the least, you probably have no incentive to follow it.If you suffer from any of the following maladies which I've been able to associate with an unfortunate contact with asbestos dust, you may want to try this routine just to see if the condition clears up.Any entry of this dust to the air passages can cause irritation, such as, the sinuses, notrils, eustation tube, back of throats, broncial tubes or even down to the stomach. Consequentally, illnesses, such as, sore throats, strep throat, toncilitis, sinus infections and inner ear infections can all have their beginnings with unrelenting irritation caused by asbestos residues. Irritation to the broncial tubes can be the beginnings of broncitis and pneumonia. A sour or sore feeling in the isofigus, which may mimic heart burn, is another result of exposure.The eyes and outer ear can also suffer from exposure causing
pink eye and blurring, as well as outer ear infections.This is another moist area where a fine dust can be desolved into body fluids. As these fluids dry out, the fine asbestos residue is left destroying the surounding tissue causing irritation and immune system responses.The largest surface affected is the skin. Many different effects can be seen, depending on the location. The face and shoulders commonly are affected by acne, if that individual is prone to it. Asbestos fibers become embedded in the large pores
and cause constant irritation and eventually infection by the acne bacteria which is commonly on the skin. Other areas of the face where contact with a hat, pillow or even ones hair that is embedded with some level of asbestos residue can show signs of acne. Other areas may have anything from dry, cracking skin to contact dermatitis or even yeast infection.I've also found athelete's foot to follow an accidental walk through an area recently stripped of asbestos tiles. The shoes become embeded with the substance due to the amount of asbestos dust left in the mastic adhesive and porous concrete. Wearing these shoes causes the skin of the feet and toes to become vunerable to fungus infection, such as atheletes foot. Some portion of this dust makes it's way up to other parts of the body as well, each with their own story of immune system compromise.This is just another day in the life of body exposed to low levels of asbestos residues encountered in any number of situations we should avoid when they are recognized.Rick Raymond is a Construction Electrician with a sincere interest in health and science. For more information see the following sites:http://www.ewg.org/asbestos/facts/fact1.phphttp://whitelung.org/pubs/workexp/dose/htmlhttp://ezinearticles.com/?id=20008http://www.livingwithasbestos.com