The Writing Contract
Remember three weeks ago when I blogged about my friend who drew up the writing contract? Today we had our follow-up meeting. She had not written every single day, but she wrote most days, and sometimes for a couple of hours instead of for the agreed-upon 20 minutes. This despite having the flu for a week. She was satisfied. I read a couple of her pieces–along the lines of personal essay. I nagged her about revision. We wrote for 20 minutes, talked a little more, and ran off to our various meetings.
I met with another writer friend on Sunday, and she shared one of her contract-like stories. She has a friend who didn’t need a critique group for NaNoWriMo, but she did want to be able to call someone twice a day–once when she started writing, and once to report how much she had written. I like that idea.
So far this month, I have written at least a little bit every day. Many days I spent 3-4 hours writing. I’ve written about 9,000 words total. I have also cleaned up (again) the first 102 pages of my novel and I’ve given them (today) to my screenwriter friend, Deb, who has been begging me for them.
What have you done?
Except for Robert Lee Brewer’s poem -a-day challenge at http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides and a post on my blog at http://abbiescorner.wordpress.com, I haven’t done much writing this week. I just got a new computer and have been busy learning Windows 7 which is different in some ways from XP which most everybody knows I’m sure. I’m working on a collection of short stories which I hope to send to Press 53 next month for its award for short fiction. Maybe I’ll have time for that today. Will see.
That sounds like plenty of writing, Abbie. Good luck with the short stories!
I like these contract ideas (and reports)! Having someone to be accountable to works really well for me, too. I’ve done a couple of poem-a-day months, plus a “patchwork” month covering a six-week span (we called it “PaPoWriMo”) to work around some necessary interruptions. This type of writing partnership can be so motivating; I’m glad to hear yours is so productive!
Hi Bethany: Last week I listened to part of an interview with Roald Dalh’s daughter, about her dad, on NPR. She said he wrote from 10-2 and from 3-5 out in his little hut, wrapped in a sleeping bag with a lap desk. She said even if he was not inspired to work on his story he “sat his bottom down for those hours’ regardless and usually was able to accomplish something. She is a screen writer – he was too part of the time and hated it – and she said what she learned from him was the sitting-the-bottom down part.
Thinking of you! Love, Abby
Abby, I’m inspired. Thanks for sharing this story.