How did you do? Was it totally impossible to make writing time on a national holiday? Was it harder than you thought to summon the motivation on a day off from work when the lack of structured routine made you just want to lie in a hammock and nap?
Or did you manage the day like pro, skillfully making time for writing and everything else? (I did. Wrote from 6am – noon.)
If you fell off the wagon, all is forgiven.
This Challenge is not about kicking you off the island when you mess up. This Challenge is to help you take your writing dream more seriously. Of course you’re going to mess up. You’re human. The trick is not to avoid failing. The trick is to get back to the work immediately after a bad day, without indulging in self-loathing or negative thoughts about your writing potential.
Little kids fall down all the time, but they get up because they want to walk. This is one time when listening to your Inner Toddler is a good thing.
Today’s goal: Write for 15 minutes (minimum).
Today’s mindset: forgiveness and determination.
Today’s prompt: Describe the aftermath of a Fourth of July party (a neighborhood party, or at a beach or one of the big city celebration, or a village town square). The cleaning crew hasn’t been through yet. Have your character move through the mess. (I don’t know who the character is. Make someone up!) Your character is looking for something. Try not to allow yourself to figure what s/he is looking for when you begin writing the scene. It’s fun to just let things pop up. You can write the scene totally with narrative description and interior monologue if you want, or you can throw another character in for dialog. Try to pick details about the setting that provide us with information about how the celebration went.
Scribblescribble…