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Welcome to Day 3 of the Write the Story! writing challenge. I hope you will pause and give yourself some kudos for showing up again today to write the story only you can write.
One of the things I believe is important as a writer is the showing up and the willingness to practice our craft. Each word we capture on the page matters even if it doesn't end up making it to the final draft. Even if it is only an exercise to help uncover the story and its characters. Even and especially if those words shape the writer you are becoming.
Today's encouragement and inspiration comes from Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art in her chapter, Keeping the Clock Wound.
One day a renowned clock-maker and repairer came through the village, and the people crowded around him and begged him to fix their broken clocks and watches. He spent many hours looking at all the faulty time pieces, and at last he announced that he could repair only those whose owners had kept them wound, because they were the only ones which would be able to remember how to keep time.
So we must daily keep things wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust; we must write when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy, when our bodies are in pain.
We may not always be able to make our “clock” run correctly, but at least we can keep it wound, so that it will not forget.
A habit of writing is what makes us writers.
A willingness to write words that don't necessarily sparkle is what makes us writers.
A commitment to telling the story is what makes us writers.
Know that by showing up today, you are providing yourself the creative space in your day to hard work. You are keeping your "clock" wound with each word you write, whether it's 10 words or 1,010 words. Each word matters to the story and to you as a writer who is working to help make your "clock" run as it was designed to run.
I believe in you and I'm glad you're here!
Remember: drop your daily word count in the comments so we can track your daily word count and provide you a final total when we hit November 30.
