One of my favorite ways to find a slice to write each day is to read other slices and seek inspiration. It may take a few clicks, but I can always find a structure or a topic or a question to engage me. Today, it was a whole passage from Mari Miyagi’s post, Willpower to Write.
I have written seven days in a row today! I hadn’t been able to write much before or I chose not to because of my excuse that I was busy. But once I determined to write everyday this month, I started to develop my willpower to do so.
I wonder anew about this every March. All year long, I struggle to publish blog posts even once or twice a week. I’m certain every February that this year, I really am too busy to tackle yet another commitment. And yet somehow in March, I manage to publish 31 blog posts and hundreds of comments, and I don’t shirk my other responsibilities or skip sleep to do it. Where does the time come from? Where does the willpower come from?
And why don’t I have that the rest of the year?
It’s not that I think I should publish a blog post every day all year. It’s just that in March, I make time for a writing and community commitment that is important to me. I set my intention, determine to write every day, and, just like Mari, I develop the willpower to do so. There are other commitments to creativity and well-being I’d like to make during the rest of the year. And yet, when it’s not March, when it’s not slicing, I often struggle.
What is it about March? Maybe it’s the warm writing community that cheers on even my most feeble effort. Maybe it’s my history with the challenge: having completed it before, I know I can complete it again. Maybe it’s the routine I’ve developed, the predictable pockets of time I’ve carved out for daily writing and commenting.
What lessons can I learn from March that I could apply during the rest of the year?
the dirigible plum 
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