What counts?

 

Are you a writer?

Do you feel like a writer?

Back in my early writing years I remember deciding that I could call myself a writer if I was writing.  But what did that mean?

I determined that I would build a writing habit, working toward the goal of writing every day - for at least a few minutes - or to a specific word count goal.

But what would I write? 

What counts as writing? 

Then again… Who really cares? If this is my writing habit, then I guess I get to set the rules. Yes, I know there may come a time when I may want or need to set specific parameters for my daily writing – to discipline myself to move toward a certain project goal. But for now my main intent is to build the habit. So methinks it can be pretty open-ended.

Writing projects

I have lots of ideas of things I want to write about someday and have even started some of them. I can be working on any one of them in my regular writing time.

Blogging

That blog I started years ago is still sitting here patiently despite receiving sparse attention from me.  Once upon a time, I went to check out somebody else’s blog that I remembered liking…  but this time was disappointed to discover no new posting.  I found myself not wanting that to happen to my blog so I made a really small goal that I would post at least once a month.  I have succeeded most of the time.  Maybe it is time to punch it up to once a week.  Hmmm…

Journaling

I have written journals for many years – albeit sporadically. In recent years I have had a pretty solid digital journaling habit.  I like to have such journaling in electronic form so that I can easily cut and paste sections that I might want to use elsewhere.

Morning Pages

Back in 1992, in The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron introduced Morning Pages which are to be done with pen and paper.  I understand her reasons and do enjoy the pen-to-paper method, but still find myself alternating between that and keys-to-screen.  I’m mostly okay with that combination.

Letter-writing

I recently discovered that I had nearly forgotten how to write real old-fashioned letters – and I want to re-learn that worthwhile art.  Yes, I think that letters qualify as writing.

NaNoWriMo

Since publishing the first version* of this piece several years ago, I have added another powerful habit to my writerly life. I now participate in National Novel Writing Month every November, which is an intense push to compose 50,000 words in one month.  It has been an excellent exercise for me.

Everything counts

I’ve come to the conclusion that pretty much ANYTHING GOES. Anything I write counts as writing.  Duh.  Put pen to paper. That’s it. For this season at least, letter-writing qualifies. Journaling qualifies as well. Blogging earns extra credit. And those other projects? I’ll keep working on them. 

At about this point in my original post* of this piece, I dared to dream that “maybe someday one of them will grow into an actual literary work.”   Well, hey, sure enough.  One of my recent NaNo projects, Journey of a Decade, has indeed been published on Amazon.  

And now I’m working on publishing a second one.  I guess you never know where a consistent habit might lead.  Even small habits. 

So yah, if I put pen to paper...  If I intentionally corral some of the thoughts chasing each other through my brain and whip them into words and sentences, it counts.

And yes, I am a writer.

Because I write.