While editing and revising my young adult novel, I am challenging myself to not become stale in writing fresh words as well. So, I endeavor to tackle 50 days of Pen on Fire, inspired by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's book Pen on Fire, a busy woman's guide to igniting the writer within.
Beginning with the "Getting Started" section I will use a chapter a day (Monday through Friday, though since I'm starting mid-week the first few chapters will be posted same day to catch up) and I will wrap-up with the "Overcoming the Obstacles" section. Finally there are four chapters at the end which will put me past the nice round 50 days, but I will most likely complete those as well.
The goal: each day I will include a snippet of my 15 minutes of free-writing, and my take-away from the chapter. I may give a "try your hand" challenge for my readers, or ask for additional input.
So there you have it-- the first installment, inspired by the chapter "stolen moments", follows...
Chapter Take-Away: Notwithstanding the LORD's ability to make the sun stand still in the middle of the sky (Joshua 10:13), I need to diligently redeem the time that I have been given to accomplish the roles set before me: wife, writer, secretary, Sunday school teacher, etc. Since I cannot increase the number of hours in a day, I have to take time from somewhere else, the most obvious being sleep-- Oh, how I love my 8 hours of sleep-- but also to narrow the time it takes for my various other responsibilities throughout the week, so I don't have to be crippled by the fear of neglecting my roles.
- First things first-- The Lord shall receive the firstfruits of my day. I commit to God my first waking hours, to prayer, and the renewing of my mind by reading and submissive contemplation of His word.
- Next, morning chores.
- Followed by office hours at the shop.
- Blocking out two hours of writing time upon returning home.
- Dinner prep.
- Husband time.
All the while, stealing moments for writing amidst the day's duties. Setting a timer, and not stepping away until those fifteen minutes are fulfilled.
READER INPUT?: the timer method works wonders for me in my chores and in my writing? What do you do in order to diligently and effectively take on a challenge?
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