On Writing

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been trying to write every day. It’s been a hard but good challenge.

I set a timer for 45 minutes and just write. I started without an outline or even a topic—just freeform writing about whatever came to me that day. In some ways, it felt like journaling. I don’t reread what I write, and I don’t edit. Some days, the words flow and the time passes quickly. Other days, I check the timer every few minutes.

For me, writing is thinking. I’ve been appreciating the simplicity of setting aside time each day to do just that.

Over the last few months, the writing has started to take some shape. I don’t know what it will turn into or whether I’ll publish it anywhere. It’s still just for me—all 40,000+ words.

Here’s a screenshot of the stats from my writing app, Ulysses. Nothing sums up writing better than the ups and downs of this bar chart.

And don’t worry, my daily average has dropped significantly since I took this screenshot!

I also wrote a blog post about my writing setup. What can I say? I like gear. And yes, I did just purchase the BYOK device mentioned in the post. It was a present to myself for the audiobook launch! Mathias got one, too. Coauthor twinsies.