Book-in-a-Week

This week's project in my house: BIC HOK TAM!

It stands for "Butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away madly!" and it's the rallying cry for those of us participating in the Book-in-a-week challenge (http://www.book-in-a-week.com/). I haven't participated in a BIW challenge in months; I've been too busy writing freelance and editing existing projects.

But as a result, my production of new material has dwindled. It's not that I lack ideas--I have too many of those!--I just haven't let myself indulge in them. Maybe it's the new year. I feel an intense need to let my fingers fly and see what happens!

Anyone else in need of a writing challenge? BIW is a great source of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement. During a BIW, incoming emails report on others' successes and challenges. Our wonderful moderator supplies us with daily writing exercises for moments when the words stall.

But more than that, BIW is a wonderful writing practice. It's an opportunity for writers to practice writing--and with practice, we learn to enter that wonderful state of "flow" more easily. Even if I never used any of the material I wrote during previous BIW's, I'd still recommend the program. It's helped me learn to stop stressing (a sure path to writer's block) and just write. Even if I write nothing but crap, it sets the stage for me to write something of value the next day. It hones my ability to focus, to create, and to get absorbed in a vision.

Man, I'm convincing myself to get writing! Join 50+ writers for next month's challenge and see if it doesn't inspire your writing practice, too!

:) Cheryl