In some recent posts, I’ve talked about reducing my focus on numbers-based writing goals and instead shifting to time-based scheduling. In the past, I’ve used daily and weekly word count goals to get words on paper, but as my projects evolve from brainstorming to actual writing, that mindset started working against me. At this stage, getting words down isn’t as important as finding the right words and imbuing them with meaning. I need to work on character, setting, and the emotional arcs, which is fun, but don’t necessarily add to the word count. This year, my goal is to work a set number of hours per week, moving through the novel chapter by chapter, and allowing myself to be happy with whatever I finish. This is working so far.

Of note, I came across an anecdote that affirmed my thinking on this. The graphic above is a clip from Lynda Barry’s Syllabus, a course outline cum memoir, in which she shares the instructions and requirements for her creativity course while also relating what she learned from her years teaching it and from her students’ work.

As coursework, students were required to keep a daily journal of what they saw and heard and to doodle cartoons. Generally, Barry directed her students to spend no more than a few minutes on each task. Time limits ranged from 2 to 7 minutes, depending on the assignment. Her intention was to help them tap into their creative spontaneity. She wanted them to write the first things that popped into their heads and to draw loosely, without overthinking. She also assigned other tasks, like memory exercises and coloring from a coloring book.

Of course, as students will, many of them procrastinated on their assignments and rushed to complete them before class. While they might have finished a cartoon or coloring assignment in time, Barry noticed these students didn’t learn what they needed from the lesson. They were missing out on the time to create, the mindset that develops when you relax into a creative session, and the sense of play and accomplishment. They were writing and doodling to check a box, not to develop their observation and creative skills.

That was an important reminder for me this past week. When I set aside time to write, I enjoy the time I have, and if that means I draft a chapter, rearrange some scenes, or rewrite a few paragraphs, that’s find. I allow myself to sink into the work, without fretting over how many words are in this file or that chapter. I’m resisting the urge to calculate how quickly I could finish my novel if I wrote X words per day every day for a few months. That’s not the point and it’s not the mindset I want to have this year. This year, I’m going to avoid checking creative boxes and let myself indulge the actual process.