Mark can write a little story, as a treat

I have been writing a tiny story every day for the last six months. I’m not really sure why I started. I think I just thought it would be fun. It was not an attempt to be more disciplined or productive or consistent, which is probably why I’ve been able to keep it up.

Not long after I started, my wife asked me if it ever felt like a burden, having to do it every day. It doesn’t, because I don’t have to do it every day. I get to do it every day. I’ve given myself permission to spend a few minutes of each day on this, whatever else is going on. This is perhaps a healthier attitude to creative practice than any of my past attempts to be more disciplined, productive, or consistent.

I have also given myself permission to post these little stories up for public consumption without worrying myself about whether they are “good enough”. That feels like a healthy thing to practice, too. And while the experience of writing and publishing them isn’t comparable to writing and publishing longer pieces, it feels good to finish something every day. I have always found the hardest parts of writing to be finishing, starting, and the bit in between, so it’s helpful to have a daily practice that covers the whole process.

I suppose I’ll carry on for as long as it remains rewarding. For now, it doesn’t feel like the end is nigh. (That’s a novelty in itself, these days.) The last month of stories has felt a little less expressive, but only because I tied myself to an extra constraint to mark April Fool’s Day. It’s nice to be able to mark special days and events in a little way. And it’s nice not to have to, too.

If you want to give writing a daily story a go, well, you don’t need any advice from me. But for my sake, do it gently and generously: not as the ten thousand daily steps you tell everyone you’re starting on New Year’s Day, but as the cup of hot chocolate you have in the evening.

See you tomorrow.