The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – January 5

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 5 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?  If you didn’t, that’s okay, start today. Don’t let excuses get in your way. You don’t need an entire hour, an office, or fancy software to write.  They say the average person can type 40 words per minute. That means five minutes can yield 200 words.

You can use a pen and paper, a note-taking app on your phone, or an old school typewriter. You don’t have to wake at 4am, instead, carve out a few minutes during your lunch hour, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or in your favorite coffee shop.

Give it a try and let us know how you did in the comments below.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Untangling Complete Chaos in Favor of Plain Crazy – Daily Quote

ive-always-done-things-the-hard-way.-i-was-born-like-a-piece-of-tangled-yarn.-the-job-is-trying-to-untangle-it-and-ill-probably-go-on-doing-it-for-the-rest-of-my-life.-karen-allen

Holidays shouldn’t happen mid-week. It is saner to amend them to a weekend in a reasonable, structural manner. Even then, it is preferable to schedule them beginning on a Thursday to allow for a reprieve from an inevitable Monday.

In the last two weeks, I have experienced four miserable Mondays. After multiple calendar checks and confirmation with other sources, I discover another one looming. My body tells me it should be Thursday, while the data confirms it is a Sunday. I am confused, discombobulated, disoriented, and a tangled mess without my schedule.

They have disturbed my typical sleep patterns. I don’t know if I am staying up late, waking early, or collapsing from exhaustion and taking a nap. Festive cocktail parties, wrapping presents, negotiating traffic, and adhering to pressing deadlines can take their toll. After braving family dinners fraught with complex dynamics, and taboo topics, raising a glass or two on New Year’s Eve is as much about saying goodbye to the holiday season as it is about welcoming the return of my normal, crazy routine.

Are you happy to resume your familiar, predictable, everyday life?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – January 4

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 4 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?  If you didn’t, that’s okay, start today. Don’t let excuses get in your way. You don’t need an entire hour, an office, or fancy software to write.  They say the average person can type 40 words per minute. That means five minutes can yield 200 words.

You can use a pen and paper, a note-taking app on your phone, or an old school typewriter. You don’t have to wake at 4am, instead, carve out a few minutes during your lunch hour, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or in your favorite coffee shop.

Give it a try and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Wish in One Hand… – Daily Quote

the-will-to-win-the-desire-to-succeed-the-urge-to-reach-your-full-potential...-these-are-the-keys-that-will-unlock-the-door-to-personal-excellence.-confucius

Will and desire alone, do not ensure success. I have an intense desire to be a billionaire. I bet you do too. However, no matter how many lottery tickets I purchase and scratch, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. I can set goals, and plan to buy a ticket every week, but my chance of hitting a big jackpot remain basically unchanged. We need a path with better odds.

The good news is we have examples, role models, and breadcrumbs to follow. The bad news is, it requires work. You must be willing to do what others refuse to attempt. Don’t expect encouragement from friends or family, pats on the back, or high-fives and attaboys. No one will be there, as you toil in the darkness. There will be stages in the process you will hate. If you are lucky, you will find a trailblazer who validates your journey.

The desire to succeed must fuel your competitive nature, and sustain your drive, as you create your anchor and inch forward. One small step helps you prepare for the next one, and the one after that. It is grueling, thankless, and imperative. This is the path that prepares you for the lucky break and unlocks the door to your success.

Will you dare to find your path to success?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – January 3

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 3 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?  If you didn’t, that’s okay, start today. Don’t let excuses get in your way. You don’t need an entire hour, an office, or fancy software to write.  They say the average person can type 40 words per minute. That means five minutes can yield 200 words.

You can use a pen and paper, a note-taking app on your phone, or an old school typewriter. You don’t have to wake at 4am, instead, carve out a few minutes during your lunch hour, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or in your favorite coffee shop.

Give it a try and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

How to Rule Your World in Five Seconds – Daily Quote

our-ambition-should-be-to-rule-ourselves-the-true-kingdom-for-each-one-of-us-and-true-progress-is-to-know-more-and-be-more-and-to-do-more.-oscar-wilde

Count down from five.

Fear can paralyze us. Fear stops us in our tracks, prevents action, progress, and derails the fulfillment of our destiny. Some days the most difficult task is getting out of bed. Try counting backward from five, then go. You can’t wait until you feel like doing something, because… surprise… you are never, ever going to feel like it.

Your goal is to exercise every day. You planned it, schedule it for 9am. But when the clock strikes 9, you waver. Neuroscience has calculated we have five seconds to act before our brain kills our best intentions. Exercising is risky, you might injure yourself, and develop sore muscles. Your instincts are trying to protect you, keep you safe, and encourages to you pull the blankets over your head.

The five-second rule helps break the impulse, it gets you moving and pushes you into action. You may know there is nothing dangerous about going for a walk, making a phone call, writing a story, but when you hesitate, you have five seconds before your brain convinces you to stop.

Instead, you must take control, rule yourself, start counting, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO.

So far, it’s been working.

Will you take five seconds to rule your world?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – January 2

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 2 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?  If you didn’t, that’s okay, start today. Don’t let excuses get in your way. You don’t need an entire hour, an office, or fancy software to write.  They say the average person can type 40 words per minute. That means five minutes can yield 200 words.

You can use a pen and paper, a note-taking app on your phone, or an old school typewriter. You don’t have to wake at 4am, instead, carve out a few minutes during your lunch hour, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or in your favorite coffee shop.

Give it a try and let us know how you did in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Happy New Year’s Day Birthday – Daily Quote

new-years-day-is-every-mans-birthday.-charles-lamb

I love January first, with its new baby smell. Today encourages us to forget the past, look toward the future and consider limitless possibilities, and vast horizons. There are wonderful opportunities, unimaginable miracles, and glorious sights waiting for us to discover.

On this New Year’s Day Birthday, I hope you find a fresh beginning, time to pursue your true purpose, grand endeavors, and lofty goals. May you move forward with confidence and courage on this great 365-day trip around the sun. You are precious, unique in the entire universe. The probability of being born as you is about 1 in 400 trillion. Those numbers confirm it, you are a precious incarnation. You are a blessing and an inspiration to the people whose lives you touch.

Here’s hoping your life’s potential accelerates, blasting you into the stratosphere, taking you where every wish is fulfilled. To infinity and beyond. Set a course. Engage.

Are you ready for a year to remember?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Announcing – The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.

You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

– E. L. Doctorow

We admire greatness, revere it, and often think it is beyond our reach. The gods bless talented people with the same 24 hours they grant everyone. We choose how to spend them.

Great accomplishments are earned. Hard work, a wiliness to learn, and unwavering dedication applied with consistency, puts us on the right path. Perfection is not required. You only need to do your best and devote yourself to the goal you wish to attain. Every moment counts. Excuses are a balm to soothe our shame when we break promises made to the world’s most important person. Ourselves.

Today is a fresh start.

Today we launch the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge. We turn the calendar to reveal an unwritten future that is bursting with possibilities. Can you carve 5 minutes to pursue your fondest ambition? Will you wake early, or not sleep until the words are written? Will you write during your lunch hour, waiting at the doctor’s office, or in your favorite coffee shop? Whether you prefer pen and paper, the note-taking app on your phone, or an old school typewriter, will you honor your promise to yourself?

A year from now, will you be closer to attaining your goal?

Will you write today?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

2019 Daily Writing Challenge – It’s a Wrap

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The 2019 Daily Writing Challenge is a Wrap.

Did you write yesterday?  How did you do this year?

Congratulations! You are a winner.

In 2018, my word count totaled 50,300. Doing the math results in 150 words per day. The problem was I didn’t write with any consistency. My work was sporadic, unfocused, and disappointing. I needed a push, motivation, and accountability.

I started the 2019 Daily Writing Challenge, and my focus began to coalesce, my purpose took shape on the horizon. The reminders, along with your help, and encouragement, caused my results to improve. I finished at 116,000 words.

For 2020, I am doubling down. My Daily Writing Challenge will continue, and I plan to push myself to work harder. My target is 232,000 words. That is the size of two full-length novels. In 2018, that number was inconceivable, unrealistic, and unattainable. Today, it is an exhilarating possibility, and I can’t wait to get started.

How many words did you write in 2019?

What is your new goal?

Are you ready for the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer