‘Let’s Get Writing’ Camp: Day 3
Keep showing up
Hello, friends. And welcome to Day 3 of ‘Let’s Get Writing’ Camp—I’m really glad you’re here.
What Day 3 is all about
If Day 1 was about easing back into writing and Day 2 was turning a single day into a two-day writing streak, on this third day of Writing Camp we’re reminding ourselves why we’re here: to keep writing. Maybe you’re feeling motivated by what you’ve achieved on the first two days. Maybe you’re already worn out and not sure how to keep going. Either way, don’t worry: we’re in this together.
Keep showing up
During the ‘Finishers Edition’ of Writing Camp that I ran a few months ago, I used Day 3 to remind participants of the importance of finding ways to keep going even when Life Happens. I somehow combined Clint Eastwood’s character from Heartbreak Ridge and Helene Hanff’s hilarious book Underfoot in Show Business to preach two key lessons about maintaining a writing practice: one must expect the unexpected, and one must be prepared to improvise, adapt, and overcome.
These are both important lessons to learn, in my humble opinion. But when the unexpected is so god-awfully overwhelming, it can be hard to muster up the energy to imitate ‘Gunny’ Highway.
There’s a famous quotation controversially attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Supposedly, while reflecting on what goes into writing, Hemingway once said, ‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.’
Whether or not Hemingway actually said that, these aren’t really the vibes we need right now.
Instead, I suggest we bear in mind the advice of Chilean-American author Isabel Allende: ‘Show up, show up, show up, and after a while, the muse shows up, too’.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, take out that note you wrote for yourself on Day 1, and consider adding the following: I’m not here to finish. I’m here because I want to keep showing up.’
Day 3 Writing Prompts
Pick whichever one feels right for you today.
Option 1: Freewriting
Look at what you produced in Day 1 and Day 2 and freewrite on any aspect of that material for 5 minutes. Remember: Do not stop. Do not look back. Do not worry at all about using perfect punctuation or sentence structure. Just write as though nobody’s watching (because they aren’t).
You can either call it a day after this, or you can use this exercise to jump-start your writing task for Day 3.
If you feel like you need to break up your writing day into different stints, you can (a) set yourself a goal for your next writing stint today (e.g. set a timer for 20 minutes, or set a goal of writing at least 200 more words) and/or (b) for a little training in how to improvise, adapt, and overcome, try out Option 2 below.
Option 2: Directed prompt
For those who’d like a little more direction: first, take a look at what you produced on Day 1 and Day 2—these will help you to keep an eye on where your piece comes from and where you want it to end. Then, keeping these in mind, take 10 minutes to write about one of the following:
One thing you’ve written that you did not expect to write
A new direction you find your project heading in on Day 3
A new writing task you’ve discovered you need to add to this week’s plan
Where you think your project might now end up when Writing Camp concludes
A new thing you’ve realised you will need to write when Writing Camp is over
If that’s all you feel up to doing today, that’s fine. If, on the other hand, you feel yourself building up some momentum, try setting a timer for 5 minutes and see what you can produce in that time, even if it’s a single sentence.
If that feels like enough, that’s fine. Otherwise, try setting a timer for 10 minutes and see how much farther you can go. If at the end of that time you still feel like you have energy, try setting a timer for 20 minutes.
Option 3: You do you
If you’re at Writing Camp for the camaraderie and support rather than the prompts, that’s great. Do your own thing, and let us know about it—and about how you’re doing—in the chat.
Ok, folks: time to get writing. Just remember: go gently today.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow for Day 4 of Writing Camp!
As ever, thanks for reading. This is a reader-supported publication, and the best way to support it is to become a paid subscriber (either at $5 per month or $50 per year). Paid subscribers can access everything on the site, from the archives to the ‘Things That Worked’ sample materials.
If you’re really feeling generous, and you’d like access to everything above and regular feedback on your own writing whenever you need it, you can become a Founding Member ($150).
VB,
M