Writing Tip #6 (of 9): Sustain the Momentum

Educators as Writers series

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The previous two tips can be helpful for getting started. Brief, daily writing helps develop the habit. Writing short creates successive wins. Both actions can lead to sustained writing sessions, in which I cannot help but write. If getting started is the hardest part, the reward for my efforts is the momentum created as I continue to put my thoughts and ideas down on screen or paper.

Yesterday offered one such example. I am currently working on the 2nd half of a book manuscript. I previously estimated that I need to write a shade over 400 words a day to hit my deadline by April 1. (Actually the week before, as I want to truly relax over spring break.) Thinking about 400 words a day feels grueling - a blog post a day!

So I broke down this long goal even more into many squares on paper, each one equivalent to 50 words. Now my goal is to write 50 words a day. And once …