A little about me. And then perhaps a little about the idea behind my blog… and then we will be ready to get started. 

I love to write. I haven’t written much in the last 5 years, for work or for pleasure.  I’m not sure why the rhythm of writing has been elusive in these last few years, but it has. I hear it occasionally, and every now and again I have the time to loose myself in it for a day or two. But then the inevitable happens, urgent wins over important, and the rhythm recedes once more into the background.

Just before the new year I rediscovered a post by Maria Popova (of the ever inspiring brainpickings.org). In this particular post she explored the journal that John Steinbeck wrote while he was writing his Pulitzer Prize winning book: The Grapes of Wrath. The diary (Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath) chronicled his journey of writing the book in 100 days (the time he thought he would need to complete the novel). At the same time as reading this post, I was reading a book entitled, The Fringe Hours, by Jessica Turner. The opening quote of the book is one by Charles Buxton: “You will never find time for anything. If you want it, you must make it!”

Anyone working in an academic environment will know the challenges of finding time to write. So somehow these two ideas merged in my mind, … what if you wrote 500 words a day for 100 working days. A total of 50 000 words, in 100 days. And what if you documented your journey. And what if you used your reflections as a way to hold yourself accountable to your intention, and to create a memory of what the rhythm of writing feels like. A challenge… but a worthy one. And so 100 working days was created.

Welcome to my journey!