The Good Patrons of 750 Words

1 cup

I first started writing on this site in July 2010, made it 185 days, got sick one day in January 2011 and forgot to log in. I was so disheartened that I’d broken my 185 day streak that I wrote only sporadically for a few days, then didn’t log in again until October that year. By then, I was miles deep into an MFA program, and I stopped caring about breaking streaks or competing with others and myself. It became all about the writing, the practice of writing. If I missed a day, it didn’t matter, because I was studying writing, and all I did all day was write. The way I used this place changed. I do love the idea of the badges, the stats, the streaks. I feel accomplished when I realize that I type faster than the average bear, write more than the average donkey, am almost indistractable (is that a word?) once I get going. But what I really love about this site is that it feels like a safe place for me to come and dump off all the excess baggage that keeps me from doing my “work,” whether it’s the work for which I get paid or my own writing. Some days it’s harder to come here than others. But since I started writing here again Jan. 1, I’ve broken through some emotional/mental barriers, found topics for poems, worked on a novel in progress, figured out how to get healthier, recognized why I’m so sad, all while writing 750 words (that usually end up turning into 1,000) daily. I’ve started looking at the statistics in a different way, started using them to think about diction, about my moods (severely introverted lately – thank you Snowmagedon!). This is a great site. I have two cups of inspiration left. I’ll write more in a week. Thank you, Buster and Kellianne. You’re actually helping me to save my own life.