I write every day. Every. Single. Day. Some days I only write on my Facebook page, The Fergus Files. That is a page I set up a little over three years ago after we brought our little Westie puppy home. It is all about Fergus and his life, written about him and by him…my alter ego.

Most days, however, I strive to write in one of the three novels I have going at any one time. Regardless of where, or what, I am writing, I write one thousand words. That’s right, a thousand of them. I might divide that up throughout the day, or write them all in one go. I have learned that using a number goal is important for me. Not just to have the goal of writing, but of how many words.

Making a pact with myself to write every day and to write one thousand words has changed my life…in a good way…in a constructive way. I know I need to get those words written. I know that if I procrastinate, those words will not end up on the page, so I dedicate – or force – myself to remember what my goal is. Every. Single. Day.

It is true that because I am retired I have more time, however, the fact remains that we can easily fill our days with stuff and fluff. Having the dedication to write each day, has taught me to prioritize what I fill my day with. Is that difficult? Yes, and no.

It is difficult because there is so much I would like to do. So many ways I would like to volunteer, so many people I would like to spend time with, so many projects I would like to take on. But. (This is very important.) But, I don’t. I know, it’s almost un-American to say that I stop myself from over-volunteering, over-sharing, over-filling my days with this or that. But, that is completely true. And, I am okay with that.

I love writing. I love watching that blank, white paper fill up with words. I love the written word. I love reading all those words silently and out-loud. I love reading what I have created. Is it always great or even good? Not at all. Sometimes it is complete drivel. But. I wrote. I wrote one thousand words. And the more days I write one thousand words, the better my writing becomes.

My professor once said that we are writers because we write. I found that to be very liberating because being a writer is different from having something published. If we are only writers once we have published something – as some “people” say – then that is a heavy burden. What if we spend years writing but never publish anything? By “their” definition we are not writers. How depressing.

So I write every day because I am a writer. I write one thousand words a day because I am a writer. Every. Single. Day.