50,000 Words Day 3

Today my word count is: 1667 and yes, you are right, you haven't seen anything that I have written yet. Maybe in a couple of days, I will give you a little taste. But not today. I am still struggling with what thee story is telling me. Right now it is all over the place-1942, 1880, and points between. There is misery, love, robbery and a possible murder!Still don't know what it will end up looking like, but today's motivation card helped me remember it isn't so much about a brilliant novel but about completing the process. My motivation card for today was interesting. As I have said before, I am using No Plot? No Problem! novel-writing kit by Chris Baty. It is called AIM LOW- One of my favorite books is called Rules of Thumb 2. The volume offers thousands of guidelines for any number of essential day-to-day activities, such as properly estimating a submerged crocodile's length and surviving a pistol duel. The dueling hint was submitted by historian Jim Barber, who writes: "When dueling with firearms, always aim lower than your opponent's vital area-to pierce the heart, aim at the knees." This is something you'd do well to keep in mind in these early days of Week One.

Abandon the stultifying notion of brilliance and aim instead for the low mark of completion. It'll take the pressure off of you, which will allow your writing to become looser and more ambitious, paradoxically raising the quality of your book. It's Barber's law: aiming low is the best way to succeed.