Understanding The Challenge

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The week begins on a gentle Sunday. If you're like me, you work 7 AM to 1 PM at your local Dunkin Donuts, in which the intensity of your shift grows as the elderly leave church and the drunkards rise after a night of partying to get their little ones a dozen donuts and a butter pecan iced latte with three extra espresso shots.

You come home, fed-up and exhausted...or if you're actually enjoying summer or have Sundays off, you're just now loosening up your brain cells.

You remember, "Oh, shit, I gotta write that five hundred!"

So, you rush off to your laptop or tablet or phone and start typing. Maybe you take breaks, eat, or check the forums to see who has already written. Magically, you reach that five hundred words. You are so excited. So much so, that you end up writing another thousand because you've got your mojo.

You post. BAM! Mission accomplished.

The next day, dreaded Monday, you find that you have no life in you. You struggle to get those words out. You spy on your word count every five minutes and the second you reach five-hundred words, you are done. No more. Upload and talk to the gang for three hours in which you've written ten-thousand more words that could have been towards the book, but oh well.

Tuesday and Wednesday may be the same. You may have actually had a writing boost, instead. Maybe you're merrily pumping out words left and right with no issues.

I'd say this pattern repeats for the rest of the week, but no doubt, you've written double in the forums being a Chatty-Cathy instead of an author. It's quite hilarious actually, but you're building virtual memories, hearing funny stories, and creating a family.

Mama _Uzmi gets to tell you each day of your accomplishments. She monitors your work, encourages you, and never chides you if you miss a day. I know I've missed plenty. Maybe on Thursday you only wrote sixty-seven words...no harm, no foul. No one judges you because we're all human. We all have responsibilities.

Friday, oh man, you're either ready for a night out or doing some writing...either way your pumping with energy. You are ready to go. You are high on author-adrenaline!

Saturday...if you're like me you have off (except for this upcoming Saturday, ugh!). Maybe you have plans. But that morning, you're going to write those five hundred words, damn it! And once you're done it's time to go to that thing your family was talking about and you almost forget to post until it's almost midnight, but thankfully, you remember.

And then, before you know it, you're waking up at 6:23 AM on a warm Sunday morning, ready to serve a smile with your coffee and thinking about what to write when you get home.

In one week, you may have written three-hundred-and-ninety-two words or ten-thousand. Either way, you've done a lot. You've progressed.

So, I guess, no matter the amount, the struggle is worth it.

By SoulBurningBright

Thank you!

Inner Reflections: June EditionWhere stories live. Discover now