Ian and I are preparing to tackle our respective novel projects once and for all. On his days off this week he’ll be coming up to Rexburg to camp over at my place. Each day at an appointed time, we’ll make our way over to the school, talking encouragement along the way. When we get to the study rooms, we’ll part ways and write till lunch, with a 15-minute break.
After lunch, more writing, going on until 5 pm. After that, another walk home discussing story ideas and working through kinks, and then whatever the heck we want/need to do in order to refresh for the next day; working out, being in the sun, gaming, you name it.
My daily goal is 10,000 words maximum (meaning I can quit early when I get here) and 5,000 words minimum (meaning I must get this many before I quit, even if it is 5). The goal may sound steep, but I don’t want to allow myself to get pleased when I write 3,000 and quit early. I can’t do that when I feel accomplished on the job, so I’m not quitting early at Boot Camp.
This all came about because, with the wedding postponed a little, and school not starting yet, life’s become empty. I fill it with distractions, not the worthless ones like video games and TV, but ones that are worth it; reading, learning, cleaning the house, running errands, cooking healthy meals. It’s not enough though, I don’t feel accomplished.
I always get writer’s block when life gets too slow. I’ve always said, “You’ve got to live life in order to write.” Well, in this case, I’ve got my book almost completely outlined, and it’s time to write in order to be living my life.
If you’d like to join me with your own personal goals, I invite you to keep a tally of your daily word counts in a document or spreadsheet, and to tweet your updates on daily progress. I know I will be!
Samuel Loveland 
What a great quote and fantastic goals. I have a feeling you’ll do it, no problem. Good luck!
Samuel! First of all, you look like the Tenth Doctor Who (who was completely awesome!) so I already love you. Second, This. Is. Fantastic!!!
I’m with you ~ I actually write better under pressure, so when life isn’t very intense, I have a tendency to slack off. Good for you for putting the pressure on YOURSELF!!
Next time you do this, let me know–I’d probably be up for the challenge!
Now that I know you’re here, I’ll be back! Be sure to update your and Ian’s progress!
Thanks so much for the support! I didn’t quite hit word goal, but I spent at least 6 hours a day working on the book, averaging about 500 an hour. Sometimes I felt like I was bleeding out my eyes, but I made progress… and what’s more, I think I got through the tough part and feel like I’m into it now. I’m sure I can do many more words per hour, now that I’ve stuck it out through the first 10,000