The incredibly successful comedian Jerry Seinfeld was once asked if he had any advice for a young comic. He said the way to be a better comic was to create better jokes, and the way to create better jokes was to write every day. EVERY DAY.
Apparently Jerry took things a bit further than a mere verbal commitment. He used a visual "leverage technique" - an ingenious calendar system that showed how true he stayed to his writing. I quote the comic (hat tip to the article @ Lifehacker.com) -
Apparently Jerry took things a bit further than a mere verbal commitment. He used a visual "leverage technique" - an ingenious calendar system that showed how true he stayed to his writing. I quote the comic (hat tip to the article @ Lifehacker.com) -
He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker. He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."
"Don't break the chain." He said again for emphasis.
At first I wanted to say that I am doing just about all I can to stick to my 2 night a week self-writing appointments, but after some though perhaps I'm not doing all I can.
But EVERY DAY?? I guess I'll never know what I'm truly capable of until I attempt more than I ever have before.
Now back to my (hopefully) disciplined and prolific corner...
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2 comments:
The only way, and I mean the ONLY way I've been able to write anywhere close to everyday is to write in the morning. Like, 6:00-7:00. The wife, the dog, the phone are all asleep. I make it a ritual of Bible study, prayer, coffee, write.
Man, Chris, you early risers make me feel way inferior. I don't do mornings too well. Maybe that is what I need to break out of my rut.
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